I must be a mermaid!
This week a blog reader reached out to me with questions. They are struggling because they truly want to reach their goal. They know what they need to do but they are trying to figure out what is holding them back. They are trying to figure out what they are afraid of and find out why food keeps winning. It’s safe to say this reader is not alone; I think we can all relate to these reader’s questions.
What is holding me back to reach my goal?
What am I afraid of?
Why does food overtake me?
We don’t change over time; life can change in an instant. The exact moment I hit the share button on the initial blog was a life changing moment. When the “should” becomes a “must” it doesn’t take willpower. I don’t have a choice in the matter; my goal and vision are part of my identity now. When something is a must, you find a way. Suddenly the things that should happen has to happen. This means working out when you don't want to, especially when you don't want to. I must keep this journey going, no matter what. When something is a MUST you find a way. I believe that anyone who achieves something incredible in their life they turned their “should” into “MUSTS.” It’s the difference between wanting to lose weight and actually losing weight!
How do you get to the "MUST"? I believe we all have a story we tell ourselves. I realize that up until now the ongoing tape that often plays itself in my head is "It's always going to be hard for me to lose weight and keep it off." I also follow that up with a hefty, "It's in my genes; I'm probably menopausal; I'm sure there is a slow thyroid issue happening; My metabolism is shot." The big finale is "I will have to fight this my whole life." The problem is if this is how I define myself, it's just not going to work for me to believe these lies any longer. It's time to raise my standards. I think in the past I lowered my standards as time went on to justify my failed attempts at losing weight and the times I gained it all back. This time is different. I am determined to push through and feel the power of getting to the other side to more of my true self. I must do it.
Last Sunday I took Oliver to the beach to watch the sunrise. I was thinking about this journey. I thought about how I now believe it's possible to achieve this goal and I now believe am able to achieve this goal. I can see it happening. I'm doing it. That's when it happened. God placed an immediate question on my heart. "Do you believe you deserve it?" I answered yes, of course I do. I'm a child of God and I deserve it. I then hear, "Come up with 5 reasons why you deserve it." I could feel it in my heart that the five reasons will help me get through those times that I may want to give up and let food win. The journey isn't easy and giving up is. Knowing truly why I deserve to reach this goal will help me get there.
It seemed straight forward enough but it certainly was not easy.
I already had the first reason but the additional four were actually difficult.
This question is not about why I want this but why I deserve it. This was
surprisingly quite hard for me to answer. It's super easy to say why I
want to lose weight (live a long healthy life with a firm tush) but why do I
deserve to is a completely different thing. After much prayer and soul
searching, here are my answers.
I deserve to achieve my health and fitness goal of losing
weight because...
I am a child of God which makes me
worthy.
I am loved by people around me who want me to succeed.
I only have one life to live and I need to make it count.
My experiences of doing this will help others.
I believe in myself.
This week I challenge you. Whatever your dream or goal you want to achieve, think about the why you deserve it. Trust me, knowing why you want it is the easy part. Create your list of the five reasons why you deserve it so the universe can conspire to help you get it! It’s time to change the should to a MUST. I posted my five reasons above my computer in my office as a daily reminder and so I always remember the day I went for a walk on the beach with God.
A true must is who I am, what I believe and what I do when I'm alone with my truest, most authentic self. It's my instinct, longing, the things and places and ideas I burn for. A must is the intuition that swells up from somewhere deep inside of us. Must is what happens when we stop looking for inspiration out there and start listening to our calling from within. It's time we stop believing the tape playing in our head that has all of the excuses disguised as reasons why we can't lose weight or why we can't do or be whatever we want to be in life. We must believe we deserve it. I want to tap into my hopes and dreams like a child; before the false negative defining tapes had a chance to develop and be heard.
I recently asked my two 3 year old nieces what they wanted to be when they grew up. Harper Jo said, "I want to be a doctor so I can help people." Avery replied, "That's nice. I must a Mermaid!"
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