Inspirational

Virtually everyone has something they would like to improve on whether it’s their diet, endurance, or even public speaking skills. Most improvements in our life require discipline, which takes us out of our comfort zone and into a new way of doing things. As the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

We have all been there, a spark of inspiration occurs, a rush of motivation, and we are determined. In our minds at that moment, there is no turning back. Tomorrow, we will start our more focused, driven, and goal oriented lifestyle. How quickly that energy fades and we soon find ourselves back in old habits feeling a sense of failure once more, awaiting the next surge of enthusiasm.

Sometimes talking to your friends and family about health and fitness can be difficult, especially if you are discussing weight loss. Your loved ones can be even more sensitive to the subject when coming from you because it can be taken personally instead of as positive criticism.

Luke 4:24 from the Bible says "...Truly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country." This explains to us how it can be even more difficult for you to make an influence on those closest to you. This doesn't mean we give up on them... it just means we have to be a little more creative and "sneaky" in our approach.

Some ideas to inspire and influence those you love to fitness:

• Make sure you talk to them about other things besides weight loss and fitness.
• Leave fitness magazines laying around for them to read or healthy recipes they might want to try.
• Plan an active activity after dinner eating dinner together like a walk around the neighborhood or bowling.
• Plan a cooking date and share with them your favorite healthy dishes.
• Maintain an upbeat attitude.
  

Instead of a series, let's make that a week of unfortunate events. Have you ever had a week where everything just goes plain wrong? As soon as the day is over, you sigh a breath of relief and look forward to the next day but then BAM, SPLAT, POW: there it is another unfortunate event.

Okay, so there are three ways you can look at a week like this.

1. Sulk. "Woe is me, my life sucks and I just can't take it." Well, this is a way to handle things, but it does not take you to a positive place it only drags you deeper into that negative and sour mood.
2. Keep Your Head Up. "And This Too Shall Pass." If you think about every bad situation in your life, the commonality is that you got through it. You reached the other side. Sure you may have been bruised but you wound up standing tall shortly thereafter and moving forward with your life. Possibly with a greater sense of self confidence or even a greater understanding of who you really are.