Excerpted from Day 37 in 100 MORE Days of Weight Loss.
Some years ago, I visited one of my favorite college professors. This man gets some of the highest ratings possible from his students. He always seems to have a sparkle in his eyes.
And when he talks about his classes, he practically jumps up and down. It’s obvious that he loves his work, and genuinely cares about his students.
But the amazing thing about this energetic, spirited professor is that at the time I visited with him, he was 76 years old! I was curious about his dedication to his work, so I asked him, “What keeps you teaching year after year? And when do you think you’ll retire?”
“Oh my,” he responded. “I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon. You see, I’m not done yet.” I was surprised by this, and said, “Really? What’s left to do?” He laughed, then gave me his list:
- I’m not done helping students discover the treasure of education.
- I’m not done learning and studying in my field.
- And I’m certainly not done caring for those who come to my classes.
I’m not done…
What an inspiration! His words got me thinking about lots of areas of my life that need pumped back up. And sometimes I need a way to create his level of enthusiasm. So now I have another self-talk phrase to boost my energy and commitment to my goals. For example, I’m not done yet . . .
- Taking care of myself, physically as well as mentally and emotionally.
- Managing my weight, doing healthy eating and regular exercise.
- Caring about people in my work as well as my personal life.
If I’m not done yet, I need to keep taking action. I’ve decided that at some point each day, I will remind myself, “Today, I’m staying on my eating plan, taking my walk, and doing some yoga stretches because . . . I’m not done yet!”
How about you? What are some areas where you aren’t done yet? Of course, some things are ongoing, such as raising children, getting a college degree or remodeling your kitchen.
But in terms of your weight-loss and exercise goals, think about areas where you would truly say you aren’t done yet. Start building your list, then figure out the action steps it will take to continue making progress on those areas.