Lost and Finding Joy

Where there’s a will there’s a way, so it’s been said. Is that always true? Yes, but our will must be strong enough, (or have enough energy), to get us past patterns and paradigms that stand in the way of our goals. It is important to not only know what you want, but to know why you want it. Why do you want to lose the weight? Why do you want a million dollars? Why do you want the new job? Why do you want the dream home? We must connect with it emotionally so that it becomes a burning desire. Water doesn’t boil at 211º. Just like water, we must be boiling at 212º to do whatever it takes to get past our habits and our limiting beliefs. Patterns and paradigms have a powerful pull to the familiar. You may know what you want; you may know why you want it; but how do you get there?

I’m not talking about simple goals like, “I’d like to clean out my garage.” Those types of goals are simply making a decision to do so. We know how to clean out the garage — usually. But, how do you find that dream home, or how do you pay for it? How do you get a new job when you are counting on your current job’s income to pay your bills? Those types of goals seem out of reach, but they aren’t. There is a way.

Once we decide we are going to do it, then we take a step. A famous quote by Steve Jobs says, “We can never connect the dots looking forwards, but we can connect them looking backwards. We just have to trust that somehow they will connect in our future.” We won’t know all the steps it’s going to take. Ever. It usually comes in ways we could never have imagined. We just have to walk in that direction, by faith. There is a step you can take. If you knew you could have it, what first step would you take?

I’ll give you an example. I decided that I was ready to lose the weight I had packed on after turning 50. I’d wanted to lose weight for a couple of years, but it had not yet been a burning desire. I didn’t realize how much weight I was gaining, until it got pretty uncomfortable. I had been 10-20 lbs overweight for years, but after turning 50, I packed on another 20 lbs. One day I noticed I struggled a little when I pulled myself up on the tractor. I also noticed that when I stepped up onto the deck, I had to lean in, and I almost had to roll up onto the deck. It was eye opening for me. I was sitting on my couch, and I felt a surge of emotion. It was time to lose the weight once and for all. I was boiling at 212º. I didn’t know exactly how I would do it. My energy was low due to the food I’d been eating. My body wanted to stay there on the couch. Since I knew the power of writing it down, I began blogging about it (my blog post called – The Struggle Is Real: Mind & Body vs Spirit). Since I decided I was losing the weight, my mind went to work on what my first step could be. I filled up my water bottle and I got on my exercise bike and rode it for a few minutes. When we do something different like that, we instruct our bodies that something new is happening. In that moment we get our bodies out of the pattern or program it was running. This is important because our bodies become our minds when we develop habits. We don’t think about everything we are doing. Sometimes our bodies do the thinking for us. Sometimes this could be a good thing, but when we are 40+lbs overweight, it’s not a good thing. When we unconsciously grab the vape or cigarette, it’s not a good thing. So, first, we have to consciously make a decision to do something different. Then we have to take a step.

So, I began drinking more water, riding my bike, and intermittent fasting, (I stopped eating after 4pm). I ordered Nutrisystem to help me pay attention to what I was eating and eat smaller portions. That was a start. I lost about 10lbs; I gained about 6lbs back. I was down 4lbs. Holding on to the desire, I allowed myself to fail or not do it perfectly, and another step (the how) was revealed. A high-school Facebook friend had posted before and after pictures on her weight loss journey. Since she was about my age, I was encouraged that I could also lose weight with the Optavia weight loss plan and her help as my coach. I lost an additional 22 lbs. I am thrilled, grateful, and I feel great after shedding 26 lbs total. It would be easy for me to stop here, because it’s where I’ve been for the past 20 years, but I’m not stopping here.

It’s been 5 months and I was ready for something different to help me lose this additional 18-20lbs. As I was speaking to my mom on the phone, she mentioned some friends of ours that had been losing weight with a plan provided by a good doctor friend of ours. Another “dot” was revealed. We never know where the how is going to come from. It could show up through a Facebook post or phone conversation. It shows up through people, circumstances, or events. We just have “to trust that the dots will connect.”

I have the will to go all the way. My why? I want the strength, endurance, and mobility I need to not only work on the farm, but to spend quality time with my husband, children and grandchildren. I want to live a full, expansive, and active life. For those reasons I am still boiling at 212º to reach my goal weight.

What do you want? Why? Write it down, take a step and the how will be revealed along your way. And as always, please…Don’t worry about not doing it perfectly — Just keep taking steps and ENJOY THE JOURNEY!