Dominoes pizza, those skinny jeans that seem to be shrinking all on their own and that to-do list that keeps growing in length. We all have enemies who seem to have a personal vendetta against us ever getting healthier. Those are my enemies, although they aren’t nearly as dangerous as the most powerful enemy to my health… me. No, I’m not suffering from any mental disorders, nor do I have masochistic tendencies (or would that make it sadistic?). If you reflect on your attempts at getting healthy, you’ll see that you were standing in your own way. In this fight for our health, we have to face the worst of our enemies head on.
Let’s Strategize
How do you win a war when the opposition is yourself? I’m sure you’ve realized this isn’t a war with swords and fists. Each of us has our own fight, so I’ll share with you a few of the ‘fighting strategies’ I use and hopefully a few of them work for you. If not, hopefully you will have a good idea of how you can prepare yourself for battle.
How to Fight
- Find a tough coach. A true coach is not your friend, doesn’t just tell you what you want to hear and certainly makes you do things you should do, even if you didn’t want to. But the truly gifted coaches are the ones who have a lasting impact, who care about the people they coach and who know just how much more challenge can be met, successfully.
- Look at the battle map. Take a step back from the situation and really assess the situation. You have to know your surroundings and what you’re up against. I literally sit and write out what I’m struggling with and when I go back and read it through, I usually get a better idea of what is actually going on.
- Know your opposition. That mental list of our weaknesses seems to grow just a little bit every day. Part of your fight is about knowing who you’re up against. If you were in a fight and only knew your enemy’s weaknesses, you would never see an attack coming. Know your own strengths and have them ready to use. Yes, I can make a big deal about breaking a good habit. But, I can also be incredibly determined, which I can remind myself of when I pick myself up.
- Know your armory. Don’t underestimate the resources you have available. With all of the resources that we can all even find online, there really is no excuse. No matter what you seem to be facing or in what area of your life, there is information out there and ways to make things easier.
- Find a ‘sister-in-arms’. I always wait until after I have brainstormed before bringing others into my problems. I know this about myself. But, after you’ve had your brainstorming session and you’ve mapped everything out, have other people fight alongside you. To fight a war alone is going to ensure you lose the war, unless you happen to be in a movie, in which case, bring on the special effects. Keep others in the loop on your battles and let them know what you’re planning to do– you might be surprised by some helpful advice and some empowering encouragement.
End of the Year
With the end of the year quickly approaching, I’m sure you might be planning all of the goals you want to hit in the year ahead. All cards on the table, there are some things on my own list that I need to implement, and I mean before 2017. I hope with the holidays approaching and the family time hitting all of us so soon that we can keep this list in mind when we face obstacles (even if it’s just with our family).
