And then it hit me...
I had an epiphany today.
I realized why I have never been successful at staying fit.
It's going to seem like a no-brainer to you. But here it is:
I have never made it a lifestyle. Ta-Da!
And what's more - I realized today that I have never made anything a lifestyle. At least not permanently.
I always have this sense that there are so many things in my life that I would be really good at ... If I would just commit myself to them. But my pattern isn't one of commitment. My pattern is one of distractedness. I learn to do something, I do it compulsively, then I place it in the "tried it" column and move on. In my head, I am still a pianist/volleyball player/tennis player/avid reader/writer/ancestry buff/crocheter/baker/cake decorator/scrapbooker... but if I'm truly honest with myself, I can really only say that those are things that I can do. Some of those activities see a little more time in my schedule than others, but none of them are a part of my day-to-day lifestyle. Therefore, my expectations for performance when I do pick one of them up are realistically low. And that's okay.
As I look back, I see the same pattern with exercise. I decide to get fit, compulsively work out for a month, get bored/sick/distracted/frustrated, and find something else to focus on. But my expectations don't change. I still want to be fit, still expect to fit into the same clothes, still hope to feel good about what I see in the mirror.
The only way for that to happen is to make this an actual lifestyle. For the rest of my life. Not for this little deadline or blogging project or until my skinny jeans fit. As daunting as that seems, it really takes some of the pressure off of my fast-approaching goal date.
I realized why I have never been successful at staying fit.
It's going to seem like a no-brainer to you. But here it is:
I have never made it a lifestyle. Ta-Da!
And what's more - I realized today that I have never made anything a lifestyle. At least not permanently.
I always have this sense that there are so many things in my life that I would be really good at ... If I would just commit myself to them. But my pattern isn't one of commitment. My pattern is one of distractedness. I learn to do something, I do it compulsively, then I place it in the "tried it" column and move on. In my head, I am still a pianist/volleyball player/tennis player/avid reader/writer/ancestry buff/crocheter/baker/cake decorator/scrapbooker... but if I'm truly honest with myself, I can really only say that those are things that I can do. Some of those activities see a little more time in my schedule than others, but none of them are a part of my day-to-day lifestyle. Therefore, my expectations for performance when I do pick one of them up are realistically low. And that's okay.
As I look back, I see the same pattern with exercise. I decide to get fit, compulsively work out for a month, get bored/sick/distracted/frustrated, and find something else to focus on. But my expectations don't change. I still want to be fit, still expect to fit into the same clothes, still hope to feel good about what I see in the mirror.
The only way for that to happen is to make this an actual lifestyle. For the rest of my life. Not for this little deadline or blogging project or until my skinny jeans fit. As daunting as that seems, it really takes some of the pressure off of my fast-approaching goal date.
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