"Those Kind of Days"

I woke up today to birds singing, sun shining, and a cool breeze blowing through the house - the kind of morning that makes me jump out of bed, eager to start my day.  On days like today, it's easy to be optimistic and full of energy - and I am!

On days like today, it's easy to feel motivated to make good choices.  When the weather is lovely, stress is low, and we have that "God's in His heaven, all's right with the world" kind of feeling, we almost instinctively want to be in harmony with that.  On these kinds of days, we can feel like we have an unlimited supply of energy and resolve and all we have to do is tap into it.  I love days like this and just wish EVERY day could start on such a positive note.

But they don't.  You and I both have days when we wake up with a headache and an almost overwhelming sense of pressure and stress due to the tasks or situations we know we'll face that day.  We have many mornings when the sun isn't shining, the birds aren't singing, and all we really want to do is pull the covers over our head and NOT get up at all. 

On days like that, it can be extremely difficult to make the choices we need to make to stay on plan.  If you are an emotional eater like I was for so many years, "those kind of days" can be filled with multiple triggers that leave us wanting to run to the nearest vat of chocolate (or whatever our food drug of choice is). 

So what do we do on "those kind of days?"  How do we navigate our way through days when we don't even want to get up, let alone function?  Days when it's hard to find a speck of motivation anywhere?

Those are the days when it's imperative that we know what it is that we really want and why we want it so that we can shift our focus from what's swirling around us at the moment.  If we aren't clear on what we want, then the stuff of life on "those kind of days" will threaten to trip us up over and over again.

I think it's really important to have a list of all of the reasons why you want to reach your goal.  What will life be like when you are at your goal weight?  How will you look?  How will you feel?  What will you be able to do?  Write a paragraph that describes your life at goal and write in present tense, as if you are already there.  How do you feel as you read what you've written?  Does this description resonate deep within you?  If so, then you've identified your "whys."  Your why has to be far more than just moving away from what you don't want - your compelling why has to be about what you want to create in your life.

If you are moving towards something you really want, then on "those kind of days" pull out your description and keep it handy as a reminder of where you are heading.  Even if "those kind of days" cause you to temporarily doubt your ability to get there, remind yourself of what it is that you really want.  The good news is that even if you don't believe it will happen, if you just continue to make the choices you need to make, one day and one meal at a time, you WILL reach your goal and realize the dreams you have - and far more!

I hope you are having a fabulous day and that the choices you make today will be easy.  But if you are having one of "those kind of days" when the choices are hard, they are still your choices to make.  Choose wisely :-)