Instant gratification is the norm in America. We are impatient and always looking for everything to happen right now! We shop, we eat and well we do just about everything with the expectation of immediate gratification. As a Baby Boomer life was grounded on a different platform. Men and women courted before moving on to more intimate relations. We went to work knowing that we had to put in the time, do the work, perform well and accomplish goals before being awarded the big payoff. We planted seeds knowing that in time they’d grow and yield fruit. We prepared our meals from scratch, baked cakes, cookies and pies. Our mothers actually cleaned greens, we washed and snapped the green beans and stripped the string from them. My grandmother and mother baked fresh biscuits and rolls. Even our cornbread was prepared and baked by my mother’s hand. We waited patiently for the food to cook before it was served. The food was prepared with love.
Today it’s a different story. Most things are bought ready made or ordered leaving the preparation to others. Dinner is often scooped up from a stop to McDonalds, Popeye’s or Burger King on the way home from work. And breakfast, forget about it, every food chain and restaurant prepares breakfast meals now. Most of my friends order their Holiday turkey dinners from a caterer or the grocery store. So who still cooks? But that’s not the point here. We’re talking about the generations that look for instance gratification; the overnight success. This crosses all lines from career, to relationships, to food and to one’s over all well-being.
It’s January 7, 2015 one day short of being a week into the New Year, we’re still greeting folks with Happy New Year. This continues through the 31st. After that we’re into the year. Our goals are set and if you haven’t put your New Year’s resolutions in place, you may as well forget about it. You’re back into the old routine racing to 2016 when you can look forward to losing those extra un-needed pounds. Well the problem with that is that if you don’t make a commitment you’ll find yourself in the same vicious rut of a cycle and those extra 10, 20 or 50 pounds will still be hanging onto you for dear life 2017.
So here’s the deal, you’ve got to face the fact that your life is yours to manage. Not your husband’s, wife’s, mother’s, sister’s, daughter’s, doctor’s, teacher’s, or minister’s but yours—your life to make of it what you will. So let this be your “Come to Jesus Meeting,” and make up your mind, choose to accept responsibility for your health and overall well-being. Commit to do whatever it takes to be healthy.
Let me share with you my experience. In July 2013, I was invited to join an organized health and exercise program conceptualized by a woman who had been a mentee and is a friend. She had gained weight from the birth of her two sons and never lost it. She thought that working a program with friends could really help; and so began the 30/4 Life Team. The rules were that we had to put in 30 minutes of exercise daily and check in with the app iRunner and My Fitness Pal to prove and record our daily workout. If you missed a day you had to put a dollar in our joint pot. The incentive initially was that at the end of the year the individual with the least missed days would win the pot. Well it got interesting because none of the 9 participants missed more than 10 days. We were all so committed that we ended up competing with ourselves. The exercise grew into group activities, participation in marathons, triathlons, volley ball games, cycling, tennis etc. More importantly everyone became diet conscious. Each month we measured and weighed ourselves documenting ourselves with photos.
I spoke to Michelle the founder of 30/4 Life, who continues with the program, January 3rd. She said, “I recently started a new challenge that I am excited about. From my efforts through 30/4 Life I recognize that making one small change and being consistent with the follow through as part of your life is more powerful than trying short term multi-change approaches that are not sustaining or sustainable, like a fad diet, and 6 week programs.”
I responded in agreement, “What we’re doing is mastering a lifestyle, otherwise the alternative is that the lifestyle masters you.” And as a consequence we end up obese, suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes etc. So this year as you seek to improve areas of your life and make changes that will reward you with the benefit of health, choose one small thing that will make a different. Just imagine what impact eliminating all sugar from your diet alone can do to make a huge difference in your life.
Listen there are so many different workout styles and routines, exercise programs, and exercise equipment and accessories that pop up everyday, each claiming to be the latest and greatest for the final body achievement you want. You know what I’m talking about, ‘Hip Hop Abs,’ Zumba, running, spinning, weight lifting, Kick Boxing, Boot camps, barre classes, belly dancing, pole dancing etc. Ignore them all until you make that commitment to yourself that you are ready to transform and master your lifestyle.
Once you do that, then you can choose one thing that you can follow through with and do consistently. Perhaps you choose to stop eating after 8 pm, or eliminate all white foods (sugar, potatoes, cream cheese, milk, eggs, bread, etc.), or red meat, or you choose to walk 30 minutes daily, drink 8 glasses of water daily. Whatever you choose will lead you to better health and your whole life will begin to transform because what you focus on will attract to you all that you need to accomplish your goal.
So I’m counting on you to be there for yourself, to manage your life and Master your lifestyle. I’m here for you because I believe in you. I look forward to hearing about your success this time next year.
