The Struggle is Real ….. Revisited
Does anyone remember 2019? I think back and man, last year came and went, and I feel like it was a pretty important year, a pretty good year. But like most years of late, 2019 ended with less of a bang; better put, just fizzled out.
Personally, December was, after much trepidation, the month that I decided to move forward with this web site. I posted a couple of pieces in December, and picked up steam in January, but still trying to find a voice, trying this mood or that, and learning about self-imposed deadlines, content, and in the end, determining that I hadn’t a clue. Without a clue, I moved forward. I picked up one foot and put it in front of the other, and I kept moving. Even today, after over 50 posts, I still get nervous before publishing my words. I’ve determined though that in the end, I share, you read, hopefully you enjoy my words, and you keep coming back.
Today is the first day of August in the year of our Lord, 2020. Without saying, the year 2020 has been a real shit show, with lasting ramifications. Of this, we cannot argue. But the news hasn’t all been bad.
Yesterday, I weighed less than 200 lbs. That is the least I’ve weighed in years. The journey began back in April when I decided to introduce water into my diet and to exercise. I’ve lost 39 lbs. The milestone made me think about one of my first posts on the blog.
The post was titled “The Struggle is Real.” Reading over that post now 7 full months later, and after 3 ½ months of working out and changing my lifestyle, I realize that there was a lot of stuff that I had to give up. I miss the biscuits and gravy the most, and the ice cream, and pie. I REALLY miss the pie.
But the main thing about that post I think is that at the time, I had no idea what we would be facing in 2020. There were occasions back in January, February, and March when I glanced at the title and knew the content of the post. I knew that I had committed to a goal for the year 2020, and I felt guilty for not following up on my goal. Thankfully though, after a single conversation with a friend about my lack of water consumption, I decided to take the first step. So, true to my promise in 2019, I am now on my way to being a whisper of my former self.
I admit that on December 26, 2019, I had no idea what the definition of “a whisper of my former self” would be. I know today, that at 198 lbs, I’m still not there. I’m thinking that it might take the rest of 2020 for me to reach that goal, but without a doubt, I will get there. As for the “21-day plan” that I spoke of in the December post, I realize how ridiculous that was. Sure, I probably could have dropped 15 lbs or so, but it would not have been enough to make a difference, and it wouldn’t have provoked the total change in lifestyle necessary for long term weight management. Ultimately, for me, it may mean a total of 55 to 60 lbs of weight loss to get to my goal, but it is possible to do so.
I say all of this, not to brag on my accomplishments, but to help encourage others to take the first step. Weight loss and good health are very important today in light of a world in a pandemic. But goal setting doesn’t have to be limited to weight loss. Goal setting is very important in many areas of life. Goal-setting teaches us to examine our lives, to identify areas to highlight, and develop plans to meet those goals. It is also VERY IMPORTANT to write your goals down. There is something in the mechanics of committing a goal to paper that makes the goal more real, more attainable, and holds us accountable.
I read a story once a long time ago about the great football coach and motivator, Lou Holtz. If I remember correctly, Lou Holtz was unemployed and had not reached his 30th birthday, when he sat down and wrote a list of 107 goals that he wanted to accomplish. The list was comprised of some things that would be difficult for anyone to obtain, but especially for an unemployed young man. It included things like meet the pope, be a guest on the “Tonight Show,” to have dinner at the white house, to become a college football coach, and to win a national championship in college football. Lou Holtz said that the act of writing down the goals made the difference. Holtz also talked about how fast the goals were met. (at last, count that I know of, he had met 102 of the 107 goals)
Back in the early 1990s, I did the same thing. I wrote down 30 things, (I guess I didn’t have faith enough to do 100) and I can remember that within 5 years, every single thing on that list had been accomplished. I also remember saying, “It’s time for a new list.” To date, that list is yet to be compiled. Today, 25 years later, I’ve just been taking life as it came. Like the huddled masses, I’ve just allowed things to happen. I’ve been blown by whatever prevailing wind came along, with the lone exception of the blog about getting things together and becoming a whisper of my former self. That became a goal in 2019.
Today, I am sitting here in the DBeazy One-Man-Think-Tank searching my soul, examining my life, and committing my goals to paper. By daylight, I will have a list of 50 items that WILL COME TO PASS before I leave this planet. I will add one thing though that Lou Holtz never publically mentioned, my list will include the caveat, “if it is within the will of God.”