I saw this quote a while back and it really struck a chord with me, as I have found this to be true in my own life, on a number of occasions:
“The first step toward getting somewhere is deciding that you are not going to stay where you are.”
It’s easy to come up with a dozen excuses to continue on a course that isn’t productive. For example, it’s easy to keep making minimum payments on a debt, so that year after year the debt remains essentially the same. Perhaps the debt seems too large to manage, or maybe now just isn’t a good time. Yet, in order for that problem to be solved, something has to change. You have to finally awaken to the fact that staying where you are isn’t protection. Even small, steady moves in the right direction can lead to big changes over time.
The same is true with a weight problem, which is surprisingly similar to debt. We may go for years not worrying about our weight because it isn’t enough to stop us from doing the things we like to do. But, as it creeps higher, eventually we may begin to feel restricted in what we can do. We know that something should be done, but let’s put it off for just a while longer. The holidays are coming – not a good time. A wedding is coming. A birthday is coming. The timing is never quite right. Finally, when the reasons to change are great enough, and when we become committed to those reasons, it’s surprising how we can find the time, energy, and ability to change.
Taking artistic license from the Paul Simon tune, I’m sure “there must be 50 ways to start a weight loss program”. There may be 50 ways, but they all boil down to getting started.
And another good quote:
“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”