Will Power versus Decision

“It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.”

– James Gordon

It has been just over three months since I made the decision to get healthy.

Three months of hitting the gym.

Three months of Eating Clean..well, most of the time.

Almost three months of portion control.

Three months of drinking water – and only water – with the exception of two glasses of sweet tea and one Girls Night Out.

Three months of sweat, shin splints, tears, blisters, sore muscles, and … chafing. 

Honestly, I can not believe I have stuck to it this long.  Normally, I would have given up by now.  I get discouraged sometimes, when the scale goes up instead of down.  And even though I know that “muscle weighs more than fat” and now that I am doing some major weight training that I am going to be building muscle pretty quickly… it is still disheartening to see the scale increase.  But I continue to get up every morning, lace up my tennis shoes, and head to the gym.

In talking to a friend yesterday she mentioned how she could tell I have “lost a ton of weight” (yes that’s her exact words, yes it made my day, and yes I nearly kissed her) and she asked me what I thought was different about this time and all of the other times I have tried to lose weight.  I shrugged and said “I don’t know, I guess I just decided it was time.”

Later I saw the above quote on Pinterest and I realized just how true that statement really is.

The reason that this time is different than all of the other times… is because of my decision.   I don’t just “want” it or “hope to get fit” this time.   There is absolutely no turning back for me.  Do I always eat 100% clean?  No.  Do I go to the gym 7 days a week?  No.  But am I committed with my every thought and action having the goal in mind?  Yes.  I can not explain the “shift” that happened in my mind – it is like I flipped a switch.    Those who have “been there”  really get what I am talking about.

I have friends around me that are “just not there yet.”  They would like to lose weight or go to the gym or get in shape – but they just are not ready to change.   Losing weight sucks.  Getting in shape sucks.  Working out to the point of muscle failure sucks.   Eating 23 almonds instead of a half of a bag sucks.  It is a LOT of work – hard work.   Some people are just simply not unhappy enough where they are to be willing to put that kind of hard work in, to have that level of commitment.

I get frustrated sometimes with the people closest to me who are not “there yet” with getting healthy and getting in shape – but I know I can not want it FOR them bad enough to make them change.  I know how good it feels to succeed and how much better they would look and feel inside their own skin… but I also know that they too have to make the “decision” for themselves in order to succeed.

If you are one of those people who are still in the “wishing” and “wanting” phase – don’t beat yourself up over it.  Just acknowledge what it is.   I have spent years wasting money on diet pills, shakes, gym memberships, trainers – but because I had not made this very conscious “shift” it was all in vain.  For a long time I saw it as failure, but I see now I just simply wasn’t ready yet.

But I am now.  And it feels amazing.