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Don’t be discouraged, keep going!
January 11, 2012 9:01 am | by

In yesterday’s blog post, we asked what your plans are for 2012. It is inspiring to see the range of goals you each have set for yourself. Whether it is writing a book, going back to school, enjoying the every day moments of life, finding creative ways to make your budget stretch further or making changes to diet and exercise for your whole family, each goal will take hard work to see through to completion.

This morning I woke knowing I had been tasked with writing a rah-rah, ‘don’t give up’, ‘you can do it’ style blog post. If you are anywhere near St. Louis, you can imagine how difficult that is. Today is rainy, dreary and cold. All I want to do is crawl back into bed underneath my cozy electric blanket.
 
You see, yesterday, I resumed my healthy eating and exercise regiment that I began in February 2010. After a holiday hiatus, I felt weak, lethargic and even a bit depressed. I knew I had to get back to the routine that improved my health, strength and contributed to my 30 pound weight loss. I had determined that yesterday would be day one.
 
Wouldn’t you know, yesterday was one of those days where everything went wrong? I ran behind my intended schedule most of the day. I realized halfway through checking out at the grocery store (while buying those healthy foods) that I’d left my debit card in my other coat pocket at home. How embarrassing! I spent more than my allotted time for work, which bled into my exercise time. I wanted to give up, start again another day. I chose not to. I pressed on. I squeezed my workout in, even though I hate working out late in the day. I cooked a healthy dinner for my family, all the while wishing I could have Chinese delivered. After my children were in bed, the remnants of the holiday sweets were screaming my name so loudly from the kitchen, I went to bed early to avoid failure. I fell asleep sore and defeated, even though I’d technically checked everything off my list.
 
This morning I awoke with muscle aches, took one look outside and wanted to cry. This is only a five day intense jump start to help me get back into my old habits, but Saturday seems impossibly far away. Feeling sorry for myself, I went to Facebook to commiserate. You and I both know you can always find someone to “like” a complaining status about a rainy day.
 
What I found in my news feed were friends conspiring against my bad attitude. One status said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I thought to myself, “Well, yesterday was one step, right? I’ll step again tomorrow.” Another wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” I thought, “But I want to give up!” A third, a mom to three, was sharing about how she was excited and scared for her first day of class as she begins a path to a new career. “Well if she can do that, eating a few more vegetables is nothing.” Facebook friends, how you failed me today. I wanted a pity party and all you gave me was encouragement to be better. All of this occurred before 8 a.m. on the day I was supposed to write inspiring words to you on this blog!
 
What I’ve learned in the past year on my journey to better health is that mistakes will happen. Birthday cakes, travel routines, even just a bad day can throw you off course. This is true for any goal, whether it’s physical, financial or something else entirely. The difference between those who succeed in achieving their goals and those who don’t is how they deal with the mistakes and setbacks. To succeed you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and step back on the path. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time. You will have days when you want to give up. You may actually give up. Choose to let that be a temporary setback rather than a permanent one.
 
As parents, we don’t want our children to give up their goals easily. We want them to achieve all the amazing things they dream of doing. My children are frequently the driving force to get me back on track with any of my goals. Sometimes, being a role model for my children is the last inspiration I have. I cling to this like a life preserver. I want to model these traits to them, so they will be successful in life. If I don’t model the importance of persistence to them, who will?
 
Today is January 11, how are you doing on your goals for 2012? How do you find inspiration to continue, despite the speed bumps? Share your story with us. Let’s encourage one another to achieve all those goals we wrote about yesterday!

About the Author

Heather is mom to four, born within 40 months (single, twins, single). She writes transparently about her chaotic household to encourage others through the twists and turns of parenting.

Comments

3 Comments

  • Greta said...
    January 11, 2012 at 11:54 pm

    I decided to start writing a blog post today titled “Babies Make the Best Workout Partners.” I have yet to publish it but writing it has reminded me that I don’t need to use my son as an excuse not to get things done. I just have to work with him.
    My other goal is to walk more places instead of driving everywhere. There are 2 grocery stores within a mile of my house and it never really occurred to me before that I didn’t need to drive everywhere. My baby loves these walks in the stroller or ergo so this goal has actually been going really well.

  • MomEinstein said...
    January 11, 2012 at 6:59 pm

    Some of my goals are going well (take pictures, make time for myself) and some are not (going to bed early, getting up early).

    Thanks for the inspiration! Tomorrow is another day.

  • Mel@MySunshine said...
    January 11, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    Yoga! When things get off course, sneaking in even a 10 minute yoga practice helps me re-focus and get back on track without freaking out. My resolution for January is to do yoga each day so that it becomes a habit and part of my daily routine. I think this will assist me in reaching my other goals as well.