Waiting for Perfect

If you've read my blogs for very long at all, you've probably noticed that I enjoy good, thought-provoking quotes.  There is often a lot of truth wrapped up in a pithy sentence or two.  That is certainly true for this quote: 

"Don't wait until everything is just right.  It will never be perfect.  There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions.  So what!  Get started now.  With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.  ~ Mark Victor Hansen

I am the kind of person who likes to get her ducks in a row, get everything "just so" before I take the first step.  There have been a number of things in my life over the past 4-5 years that have moved me outside of my comfort zone as I've been forced to learn as I go instead of getting everything right first.  I've realized that waiting until optimal conditions, with everything in place and all obstacles cleared away, usually means that I keep waiting . . . and waiting . . . Life has a way of being messy and less-than-perfect, and just as soon as one obstacle is eliminated, two more pop up.

That was certainly true of my past weight loss efforts.  I wanted the calendar clear, with nothing on the horizon that would involve food and tempt me to go off plan.  Things had to be good at work - no stress, and there certainly couldn't be any issues at home.  When all of these things were properly aligned, I could focus on losing weight.  However, the minute life happened - good or bad - the diet was once again off.  And trying to lose weight around the holidays?  Forget it!  Talk about a less-than-ideal time to lose weight!

I was very much in a mindset of wanting to wait for the perfect time to start another program just prior to placing my first Medifast order.  I started this program on June 24, 2007, just when the summer fresh fruits were beginning to appear at our local farmer's market.  I really like fruit, so the thought of not eating fruit for an entire summer was troubling and I seriously considered waiting until fall to begin the program.  But then I thought about the honey crisp apples, my favorites, that made their appearance in the fall.  Fall wouldn't be a good time to start, either!  But then after fall, I knew the holidays would be here and who in their right mind starts a weight loss program during the holidays?

So, in mid-June of 2007, as I tried to figure out when I should place my order and get started, I realized that the next "convenient" time to start the program wouldn't be until January 2, 2008 - more than six months away.  I realized that I absolutely could not go that much longer at the weight I was at (260), and I feared that if I waited six more months, my weight would be much higher. 

Was it the ideal time for me to start?  That's hard to say.  All I know was that it was the right time to start.  I started the program two weeks before my birthday and one month before our two-week vacation at a lake cottage we rented. I started this program at the beginning of a summer filled with cookouts and get-togethers with family and friends.  It wasn't ideal and there were certainly obstacles to address, but it was the right time for me - and I couldn't have imagined how much my life would change in the process.

Some of you are just getting started on this program and the holidays are staring you in the face.  This isn't an ideal time for you to start, either, but it's the right time because you're ready to change your life.  Good for you for not waiting until things are perfect . . . you won't regret the choices you're making!  Think about how much better you're going to feel on January 2 when you're 10 or 20 pounds lighter than you are today :-).

You've made a great choice in beginning this program, and each choice you make today, tomorrow and the day after that will bring you closer to a healthier future.  Choose wisely :-)