I heard a great sermon last Sunday that challenged us to look at the difference between hopes, dreams and promises compared to life reality.
The pastor reminded us that reality can cause a lot of discouragement and frustration, but keeping hopes and dreams alive gives us the peace and joy we seek.
Think about this in regard to your weight management. When you read a new diet book or start a new program, you always HOPE you’ve found the answer.
You DREAM of how your body will look and the great clothes you can wear. And you hold tightly to the PROMISES made by the book or the plan.
You even make a lot of promises to yourself about how you are going to be strong this time and make it to your goal.
Then REALITY hits!
You forgot to buy salad greens, you’re too tired to exercise, and the dessert tray at the restaurant was amazing. Before long, your hopes and dreams slip away and the promises become hollow and empty.
So how do you recover and overcome reality? I think you have to keep going back to your first excitement and focus on rebuilding hope and keeping it in place.
Hope is more than just an emotion you feel. It’s a “state of being” you create by your thoughts, your beliefs, and your actions. Regardless of personality style or life history, anyone can learn to have hope.
Listen to your “hope voice”
We all have little voices inside our heads, constantly giving us all kinds of advice. Be sure to pay attention to which voice you are listening to.
Recognize the one that whines about your failure or reminds you about your discouragement. Then consciously, push the button that will shut that voice off.
You may have to search a bit, but find back your voice of hope and build it stronger. Start with a tiny glow of light, then grow your hope day by day until it feels like a powerful beacon.