Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Wednesday Wisdom

I recently was pleased to receive a great gift from a great friend for my birthday. I have good great friends, but this gift came at the perfect time. Yes, I am talking about a gift from my friend Mer. She recently posted about the book Just Who Will You Be? and was enthused when Mer gave me this book as a birthday gift. I have to admit, this is the first book I do believe I have read from beginning to end in less then two weeks. I always start a book, then for some reason I never finish it all in one quick moment or it takes months for me to get to the end, feeling like I have to start at the beginning again just to remember what I had read before. I was inspired by Mer's post and was happy that she shared this book with me.

A rare site happened last night. I actually took the time to read this book. I had started it just a few days ago, and rather then turn on the TV or crawl into bed right away I wanted to read the rest of the book (did finish up the last 10 pages this morning). I was glad that I did read last night. Again, a rare thing for me to do before going to bed. Normally I fall asleep reading or can't make it past about 3 pages before my eyes are dropping like flies. Nope, not last night, I was wide awake, enjoying this good read and the anticipation to get to the next page and the next that was keeping me transfixed on this book. Not sure it was because it was a small book, or that the words flowed like water coming down the hill or that I wanted to know the answer as to Just Who Will You Be? or that it was a thought it was best to finish it before months go by. Whatever the reason, I was pleased to have read the complete book in about two sittings.

In this book is a speech Maria Shriver delivered to a graduating class. Most of it was in the form of a poem, where her son tells her it "sounds like a prehistoric rap lyric" - even if I had this sort of rhythm in my head as I read it, there was one passage that especially caught my attention -

And don't be so fearful
You're too scared to fail
I've had my share of failures
And lived to tell the tale

If you don't stick your neck out
You'll be safe, it's true
But you also won't find out
Who is the real you

Doing only what's easy
Won't break you a sweat
But you also won't learn
Lessons you need to get

That first line -

"And don't be so fearful" -

sometimes I feel that way in this weight loss journey. I have talked about that before...what will I be when I have lost all that weight? Will I be ready for what lies ahead? Will I gain it all back? Am I really comfortable the way I am now? What is my fear of losing all this weight? What is holding me back from dropping more? Am I really "too scared to fail".

I should not be scared - I will not fail - I need to be a healthy me - I want to be a healthy me - I want to have clothes that fit - I want to do more things with my son (climb a rock wall) - I want to be comfortable - wake up and look in the mirror and be happy with what I see. I don't want to feel like I am carrying around another person (yes, a small person, but I am carrying another person in me). What am I really scared of? That is one question I have been struggling with for sometime. Contemplating the answer - that will take more thinking, more writing and more moments of success to get over that fear. I want to conquer that hurdle.

Then I keep reading and see - "If you don't stick your neck out" - and I have a good chuckle thinking about my neck and how many chins I do have, even when I stick it out. (I have a tendency to stick my neck out when I take pictures so you don't see my double chins).

And finally I see that last part that says

"Doing only what's easy
Won't break you a sweat"

I read this page over and over again. I marked this page. I went back to it after I had finished the whole book. I read it again. Now I am blogging about it. It keeps playing over in my head in a good way.

"doing only what's easy won't break you a sweat".

I will not do what is easy - going to Break the Sweat!!! I want my shirt to be wet, have a towel to dry off my forehead as I work out and eventually I won't have to stick out my chin in that next picture. I will overcome my fears of being the me that I am today and a new thinner me will come out!!! 

Not really a spectacular Wednesday Wisdom, but my own moment of thought and motivation!!

Do you have any words of Wisdom  - Motivation - Inspiration for today that you would like to share?

Staying MOtivated MO

3 comments:

Grancracker said...

I don't have any words of wisdom, but I am proud of you Mo for having the courage to know what you want and for continuing to reach for it.

Maren said...

I second what Carla said!

What I usually tell myself is that today I wish I started this journey a year ago.. and I don't want to be feeling the same one year from now. Works for me!

Michele said...

That is a wonderful poem and quite inspirational.

Right now, my only wise words are: Just do it!

Simple. Succinct.