Today I want to talk about perseverance. Something I'm quite unfamiliar with, actually.
Did you know perseverance means MORE than just hanging on?
Simply hanging on ~ which is more closely defined as endurance ~ is often little more than a fear of letting go or falling. True perseverance is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen.
How many of you have thought about perseverance that way? (Okay, don't tell me -- I'd hate to find out I'm the only one who hasn't!!) I never once thought that perseverance could mean more than just "keepin' on keepin' on." I have certainly never refused to believe I might fail. Heck, I PLAN for failure! Just like a pre-nup agreement, there are always several "but if, then that" loop-holes when I'm setting goals for myself in the weight loss/healthy living department.
I need to make a concentrated, conscientious effort to switch from just hanging on (read: maintaining) to truly persevering.
I've gotten lazy. I've been content to just hang on. I've gotten out of the habit of following the eating plan on my sidebar, never really tried terribly hard to re-establish the habit, and as a result, my weight hasn't changed much since last summer. There are so many partly-it's-due-to's, but mostly it's my own apathy. I just haven't cared enough to persevere.
I want to start caring again.
I've got nine weeks of summer left and I'd really like that pesky middle digit in my weight to be one number lower by the time school starts again ~ a goal of another 8.5 lbs. There will definitely be challenges along the way, but what month doesn't have them?!
I've come to realize that where eating is concerned, self-control at each and every meal is a challenge, regardless of whether it's a normal, everyday routine meal or a potluck lunch or a weekend family gathering at the lake. The challenge is controlling myself around food, not where or why or what kind of food!
If I choose to persevere rather than simply endure, I should manage just fine whether at home or at the lake. Whether alone or surrounded by friends. And whether there's dessert or not!
How about you? Are you persevering or just hanging on?
2 comments:
you really can do it. just decide and be done with it. getting started is the hard part for me. i've got a bumper sticker that sums me up "the miracle isn't that i finished. the miracle is that I had the courage to start"
As a freelance writer for the last 20+ years, I certainly know the value of perseverance. It's key. I love your take on it.
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