Last night was family night where I get to watch a bunch of kids while their parents are in a support group for parents with problem children. Anyway, we went out to the playground and let them loose. I tried to keep up, I really did, but they were too much for me. One child I can only describe as a pit bull puppy. He was climbing, swinging, jumping, sprinting, smacking things out of coworkers hands and I realized something. I want to do all those things he can do. I want to be able to sprint wildly, climb and flip on the monkey bars, pull myself up onto the narrowest ledges and jump off heights without fearing that I will snap my shins upon impact with the ground.
I've been looking at things with a "how much" attitude. How much do I eat, how much do I workout, how much do I weigh? What I need is to get away from this line of thinking and start thinking about what I can do. I want to say I can do 20 pull-ups. I want to say I can do a marathon; that I can do sprints and hurdles and swinging from monkey bars. Thinking like this will end the constant feelings of not being good enough from imperfect dieting, pathetic weigh ins, and skipped workouts. Instead each day will be a new challenge to see what I can do. Can I bang out five more push-ups, can I run just a quarter mile more? I have until the fourth Tuesday of next month for the next family night to be able to do more than I can today. Here's to the new challenge!
In other news I accomplished a math goal! I can do fractions and decimals better.
This is a great post! You're exactly right. It should be about what we are able to do, not what we aren't. I think with that attitude you're going to find you CAN a lot more than you CAN'T. Because, at least in my experience, "can't" is most often "don't want to." Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeletePositive will always get us further than negative. For sure!
ReplyDeleteJ.R. that is fantastic attitude to have about your health and weight loss. My first go around with weightloss I was sooo strict with myself and just too hard on myself.This time around I do what I can and I keep a positive attitude about it. This has been a MUCH MUCH more enjoyable process because of that. Good job, friend!
ReplyDeleteMy four stepkids are the best workout I could possibly find, and I also measure my progress by how well I can keep up with them! They are still winning, for now :)
ReplyDeleteThe mind always falls before the body. Why not try saying you can do something and then you know,do it. I am talking about mindset, but i dont mean try your hardest, i mean visualize yourself doing it all the way and do it. You wouldnt believe what you become capable of.
ReplyDeleteGuilty as charged, but I'm with you, I need to have that same attitude.
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