This year is a wake up call for me- one that is long overdue.
I woke up on January 14th to a number on the scale that I have never been before, ever. I was the heaviest I have ever been. It is so hard to admit that. How did it get that way? It just seemed to happen.
What had I been doing all year towards weight management? Nothing.
That was the problem. I was just drifting through life.
Drifting through meal to meal, snack to snack.
Without any purpose.
I think that I knew that I was drifting through life. Living with no intention, no purpose.
Just letting life happen. You know the drill – sleep, eat, work, eat, sleep. But I guess it’s not until you feel pain or get uncomfortable with where you are at that you wake up.
Of course I should have woken up years ago and I wouldn’t need to do so much work to get back on track. But it is time to draw a line in the sand and say “enough is enough”.
From this time forward I am going to live intentionally and on purpose.
No more drifting.
It’s time to set goals and create a game plan to achieve them. Time to get serious.
The funny thing about time is that it doesn’t stop – it just keeps on ticking. If I don’t utilise every moment for good then what fills the vacuum? – Drifting.
Is there any drifting happening in your life? It might not be weight loss – we can drift in other areas of our lives like:
- relationship with God – are you just going through the motions of attending church, reading your Bible but there is no life or joy?
- relationship with your partner – it’s so easy to drift here and take each other for granted. What needs to be done in this area so that your partner feels loved and valued? It comes back to you.
- relationship with your money – got a budget? no, then you’re drifting. Honesty sometimes hurts.
- bored with life? – when was the last time you learned a new skill, hobby or sport? Expand your horizons. Take on new opportunities.
Michael Hyatt (author, blogger) has 3 simple steps to stopping the drift:
- Become aware of your current location. Wake up. Where are you in relation to where you know you should be? Don’t beat yourself up. Simply acknowledge your current reality. You can’t go somewhere else until you acknowledge where you are right now.
- Decide where you want to go. The essence of life planning is envisioning a better future. Let yourself dream. What kind of health do you want to possess? What kind of marriage do you want to enjoy? What kind of career do you want to have? Why settle for drifting to a boring—or even dangerous—situation.
- Start working toward your destination. Once you have acknowledged where you are and decided where you want to be, you can begin paddling in the direction of your goals. Yes, it will take work. But, when you have a plan, everyday becomes an opportunity to move toward your destination.
Michael Hyatt’s blog post on drifting
I would love to read your comments- Is it time for you to wake up? What is your current reality and where would you rather be?
Yep – definitely relate. After having cancer last year I realised that I was spending my time waiting. Waiting to lose weight so I could run/tramp/be active/buy clothes I like/like myself more. Waiting for more time so I can learn about some particular topics. Waiting for the kids to be older … it was madness! I was waiting my life away. One day there would not be any more days left available for waiting. So, we started doing. We started walking, tramping, running, learning – slowly and in a manageable way, but we started. Good on you Rachel!
Yes I need to ponder more on how my perception of ‘time’ is affecting me. I had a fear of starting something because of the possibility of wasting time if I fail. I also have the wrong idea on how long something takes to learn or succeed in. I want things to happen straight away. But I am learning that to eat an elephant we must do it one bite at a time. Thanks for commenting Fiona!