Wishing It Was Easier?

Every now and then I hear a statement that makes me say "ouch." Here's the statement, "Don't wish it was easier.  Wish you were better." When I've been in the midst of a challenging situation, I have often wished that it was easier because I don't particularly like hard!  That's certainly true when it came to being on the 5&1 weight loss phase of Take Shape for Life's program, and is most definitely true in Maintenance.  I have often wished this "rest of my life" phase was easier!

What I have often overlooked in the midst of things that aren't easy is that these situations are the perfect opportunity for me to grow.  Growing isn't usually easy, and often it's not even fun!  I prefer things easy because easy things don't stretch and challenge  us; unfortunately, easy things also rarely result in growth.  When things are easy, I tend to get pretty comfortable and, to be honest, downright lazy.  Life is good and I can just stretch out on an inflatable raft and float down the stream - easy.  And I like it like that (and I'm guessing that you do, too!)!

The reality is that changing ingrained habits, especially unhealthy habits, isn't easy - never has been, never will be.  As much as we wish we could just wave a magic wand and poof! be at our goal weight with a full assortment of healthy habits, that will never happen.  It's pretty easy to lose weight on 5&1, but if we are going to move beyond viewing this as a diet and really embrace this as a healthy new lifestyle, it's going to be hard work.  In the process of making the permanent changes we need to make, however, we will become better.  We will do that as we learn to focus on what we want and not allow immediate gratification to get in the way.  We will become better as we learn to prioritize and reprioritize things in our lives so that taking care of ourselves - in every way - becomes a healthy habit. 

This program may not be easy, but it has the potential to help make us better.  Our health will be better, our energy will be better, and our thinking will be better.  As our bodies shrink, this program affords us the opportunity to grow in any number of ways.  As I've often shared in my blogs, I placed my first 4-week order and hoped that I'd lose a little bit of weight.  I had absolutely no idea that this program would be the catalyst for so much emotional and spiritual growth as well. 

If this program isn't feeling particularly easy right now, that's GOOD!  It means that you are primed for growth :-).  Are you up for the challenge?  The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)