Untangling "Nots"

One of the things that I have almost no patience for is untying knots.  When things seem to be hopelessly knotted, my first inclination is to just toss them rather than deal with the frustration of patiently working out the tangle that resulted in a knot.  I have a couple of fine gold chain necklaces that knot very easily, and every time they do, I give myself about a minute to get the knot out before turning the chain over to my patient husband (who also spent 40 years as a jeweler). 

What do we do with some of the other knots in our lives, the ones that are spelled "nots" ?  You know, the "have nots", "can nots" "do nots", "will nots", "may nots", "could nots", "would nots", "should nots" and especially the "would nots."  I think most of us have a lot of "nots" that need to be untangled, not with our hands, but with our minds and our attitudes.  So many of these "nots" are nothing more than concepts that can get in the way of us reaching our goal.

Ever thought that I "cannot" stay on plan because (fill in the blank)?  That's a "not" that needs some work!  How about the "this plan might work for others, but it 'will not' work for me" not?  Yep, that one needs some work, too.

When I started on Take Shape for Life just over five years ago, I had a lot of "nots" to untangle:  a post-menopausal woman "cannot" lose weight; I have no willpower and "will not" be able to do this program; I "could not" ever get into the same sizes I wore in my 20's; I "may not" be able to reverse the diabetes and other health issues I had from over twenty years of obesity.

These "nots" didn't untangle all at once, but slowly but surely, over time, they DID untangle.  These weren't the kind of knots I could hand over in frustration to my patient husband - I had to learn to untangle them myself, one at a time.  There were other "nots", too, that came up later: I "will not" be able to maintain my weight loss, etc.  More untangling needed :-)  It wasn't always easy, but with God's help, they untangled.

Do you have some "nots" that need untangling today?  Don't be discouraged - over time, it WILL happen, one day and one choice at a time.  Hang in there, and choose wisely :-)