In The Middle…

In The Middle…

My wife and I don’t take many road trips, but when we do, I can recognize when she is done traveling.  There is a sigh that comes out of her that lets me know that she is just done being in the car.  Hopefully, we are almost to our destination, but often, we are only about half way there.  It is in those moments that we have to decide how we are going to react.  We can’t exactly turn the car around and we can’t snap our fingers and magically arrive at our destination.  We need a change of attitude that will make the rest of the journey enjoyable, or at least, endurable.

Right now, I find myself in the middle of my journey of physical change.  I have lost over 40lbs, but still have some pounds to lose.  Part of me just wants to sigh and stop, but I know I can’t.  I must keep moving forward if I hope to accomplish the goals that I have set in front of me.

The journey of change is a long one with many steps.  If we are not careful, we will find ourselves wanting to turn around and go back to what we knew before.  However, that is not going to help anyone.  So, how do we keep moving forward?

  1.  Remember why you are wanting change in your life.  My current point of change is my physical health.  I want to run again and work out in Taekwondo without feeling like I am going to die.  That has helped me ever time I have wanted to give up on this journey.  In the middle, we have to constantly remind ourselves of the “why.”
  2. Remember how far you have come.  It is easy for us to say, “I haven’t arrived.”  Too often, we neglect to celebrate the changes that we have made.  For me, I should be shouting for joy at 40lbs lost.  However, I keep thinking, “I still have more weight to lose.”  It is one thing for us to be driven to accomplish our goals, but not so driven that we fail to acknowledge the steps forward that we have taken on our journey of change.  And, those steps don’t have to be huge.  Any step forward is a step forward.  Eliminate the words, “I just…” or “I only…”
  3. Remember the eyes that are watching.  When we want to quit and can’t quite find the motivation in ourselves, outside eyes can sometimes help us move past that desire.   Knowing my wife and children are watching me as I seek to lose weight or make any other change in my life is enough to get me over the hump on the hard days.  Accountability is a powerful thing.  It is one of the more valuable points of coaching.  Knowing that you will be speaking to your coach twice or more a month can keep you moving forward.

 

If you find yourself in the middle of your journey, don’t give up.  You may want to give a big sigh and lie down on the side of the road, but the journey isn’t over.  Keep pushing forwarding.  The Apostle Paul says it well…

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14, ESV)

Keep pressing toward the goal.

Dan Carson
balancedlifeconcepts@gmail.com

Dan is a motivated life coach with a passion for pastors.

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