Inspiration/Motivation from a newbie...

Hi All

I am new to the community here and have been on a journey "going down" for a while now. I have, for the first time in my life, lost and kept off 60 pounds...with the exception of 10 on and 10 off again (a couple of times) due to stress or emotional eating LOL you know how it goes sometimes, right

I still have a way to go before my weight is where I would like it to be for health reasons and no other reason (another first time in my life occurrance). What I am about to share I do so in the hope that it inspires and motivates at least one person. I firmly believe that we have to 'give away' that which we have learned in order to keep "receiving". It's kinda like a river...it has to keep flowing or grow stagnant.

I made a discovery that believing and living a lie (in my value system) as truth set up a toxic war of incongruency between thinking and doing...does that make sense to you?

I discovered that in order to find that congruency I had to make some conscious changes to my self talk, which involved identifying and grabbing those lying thoughts when they presented and replacing them with the truth (usually the opposite of whatever thought presented) and enacting the replacement.

I HATED exercise with a passion! and thought of discipline as an arduous taskmaster. Then I stumbled across a couple quotes that resonated somewhere within me and a paradigm shift began as I asked myself some serious questions related to the quotes.

The quotes:

"Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller blades; there's plenty of energy but you don't know where it's going."

"The mark of a disciplined person is someone who does what they know is right even when they don't feel like it." (both by Joyce Meyer)

Something else I read was "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11)

What I realized as I pondered these together was that the weight war I have endured (and often succumbed to) produced a kind of torment inside me and anything but peace! When understanding began to dawn, and I saw the correlation between living the lie as truth, in short 'torment', I began to make these 3 things the focus of my weight loss journey.

There have been times when I have not felt like continuing my routine and I have laid in bed arguing silently, yet violently, with myself...one day as this was occurring I suddenly launched myself from the bed and heard my own voice saying, "The mark of a disciplined person is someone who does what they know is right even when they don't feel like it." It made me laugh out loud, but I was up and moving! Seems that what we focus on really does produce 'fruit'. I have determined to focus on things that will see me achieve the goals I set and not the things that cause me to self sabotage...what about you?

I still struggle from time to time but one thing I have seen happen is my relationship with myself is much improved and that harvest of righteousness (in the case of weight loss being: standing in what we know is right for us) and peace has become manifest.

A recent set of very trying circumstances saw me trade my treadmill for icecream with the exact results one would expect...weight gain. I have reversed that now and the recognition of needing a support network that is accessible at times when people are not in 3D, is what has brought me here.

I look forward to meeting people here and contributing to and receiving from this community. I have been encouraged in what I have read so far...may each one of you be strengthened and encouraged in your daily endeavours and may understanding regarding your own lies, believed and lived, be exposed so that sabotage cannot have a place in you any more.

We can do this!

Wow...wonderful thoughts and quotes. Thank you so much for taking the time to share that. I especially like what you said at the end;

Quote; may each one of you be strengthened and encouraged in your daily endeavours and may understanding regarding your own lies, believed and lived, be exposed so that sabotage cannot have a place in you any more.

Wow this was beautiful, a very wonderful read for a dreary morning

MUCH THANKS

I enjoyed reading Ur post. I especially liked the quotes added in.  I too am struggling and trying to get started.  I ahve never really been motivated or and something just clicked in the past month and I am finally giving it my all. I can't wait to get the exercise added in to my daily grind LOL I am glad to know I am not the only one who has those same thoughts and struggles. Good Luck in your journey. ;) Michelle

That was great, I completely understand where you are coming from!  Thanks for taking the time to share that.  I'm a big fan of quotes as well, and in your spirit of sharing I would like to share them with you as well.

"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it."
-- Robert Heinlein

"It's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal that will enable you to attain the success you seek."
-- Mario Andretti, Race Car Driver

"I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
-- John D. Rockefeller  (One of my personal favorites)

And the number one quote that really goes hand in hand with your point above pinpoint the fact that no matter how smart, good looking, trained, or simply gifted you are you will not get there without persistence/discipline.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
-- Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

Ohhhhh K! I really am new to this and for some reason had a great deal of difficulty being able to log back in after posting this, the matter seems to be resolved as I am here again now...apologies

Now, I also do not know if this is going to be an individual reply so I am going to answer each of you in one reply...will get the hang of this eventually I am sure!

kindal: Thank you for receiving it and the encouragement it contained for you. That is truth for us all and full of insight I believe...journey well and share sometime if you feel led to:)

_wonder_woman_: So glad you were encouraged. Makes the struggles we endure worth it when we know someone has received benefit from our journey, doesn't it?

ubsajed2: How has your 'start' progressed? What have you discovered that works for you to have overcome that lack of motivation?

Nope, you are not the only one and never will be alone on this journey I reckon...just think once you have overcome one obstacle you will be equipped to share that with others and provide opportunity for change in them also. Then you/we get the opportunity to tackle something else LOL and so the journey of life continues :) Thanks!

paul-e: I want to thank you for the timeliness (is that how that word is spelt...it doesn't look right ) of these particular quotes. Reading them almost brought tears to my eyes as they resonated truth within me.

I shall be making a copy of these and placing them within constant vision and they too shall become part of my inner dialogue as I make like a cow with them  ;)

What are some of the lessons you have learned along the way?

Just wanted to say that I read this post an hour and a half ago, put on my shoes and ran further than I ever have before. Thanks.

THAT is fantastic! I am so glad that people are being encouraged by my journey :)

Bet you are pleased with yourself for that huh?

Quite pleased indeed