The Graceful Skinny

Standing at the starting line, staring out across the vast distance with your finish line just barely within your sight, that is if it’s in your sight at all, can be a terrifying experience.  If you are anything like me, you often find yourself at that line scratching your head so lost you don’t know where to begin.

I have found in my experiences that the best thing to do in these situations is to call in the guard so to speak.  Find that person who can stand by your side with the right knowledge to point you in the right direction. Find what you need so you can recognize the end result.

Once you have the finish line clearly drawn break that down in to much smaller check points.  For instance, I have been told by my doctors that my total weight loss needs to be in the range of 70-90 pounds.  If that is all I focused on I would get overwhelmed quickly. Instead I focused on smaller goals. 20 pound check points. By focusing just on the 20 pounds, I feel more encouraged that the goal is within my grasp.

The most important part is to always remember that life’s hardest challenges are best dealt with in large groups. You need to surround yourself with cheerleaders who know what you are going through and can walk alongside you.  These are the people who can cheer you on through the good times and bad. They pick you up off the floor when you feel you have nothing left, and they are the first ones to celebrate when you make progress.

One last thing, never forget to laugh. There will be moments in life where everything has gone kaput at the same time.  In these times you have only two choices; let the stress overwhelm you and drive you towards defeat, or take a moment and find the humor in the moment and laugh at it. Did you know that the bible says the words “do not worry” at least fifteen times? It goes on to mention the command “do not fret” at least another four.  Call me crazy, but I get the feeling that God is trying to remind us that he has things under his control.  So next time life gets you down, throw away the worry and just laugh. God is always there to help to see you through any situation.

Dealing with any overwhelming task can be difficult, be it conquering that disorganized closet, getting a resume complete, or losing 90 pounds. You just have to remember, everybody starts by crawling, and that crawling can get you surprisingly far! The baby steps might take a bit longer, but we stay on track and reach the end all the same.