By DAN ROMAND
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I’ve got a confession to make.. I’m tired.. REALLY tired. As I write this it’s the day after the Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years.
Now I’m not a fan of either the Cubs or the Indians but I frankly just couldn’t turn the game off.
Even though I had no rooting interest the drama and intrigue of the game reeled me in. It was one for the ages. I simply couldn’t turn it off.
Normally I’m in bed and fast asleep before 9 p.m. but I was up till almost 2 a.m. watching the game and then being so amped up from it I couldn’t fall asleep.
As I lay there trying to fall asleep I thought about the game, how it transpired and how it ended but with a different perspective.
If you didn’t see the game the Cubs had a three run lead heading into the eighth with their best relief pitcher in the game. Essentially it was a forgone conclusion they had won the game and were champions.
But much like in life, stuff happened. By the end of the inning the lead was gone, the dream of being champions shattered, in a nutshell all was lost. The weight of a 108 years of losing came crashing down.
And you could see it on the players faces. They were absolutely reeling from the blow.
But then once again life happened. A brief rainstorm came in and caused a halt to the game.
Long story short, after the rain delay, the Cubs came out scored two quick runs and after 108 very long years they took home the championship
What does this have to do with fitness you may ask?
For many of those trying to lose weight and get fit it’s been a long time since they were not overweight or out of shape.
While it may not be 108 years for many it’s been years, even decades. For some its been literally their entire life.
And much like the Cubs they keep trying. Trying the latest and greatest fad diet, popping that “magic weight loss pill” or vowing to exercise and get healthy.
At first many of them have some success. I’ve had clients lose, 10, 20, 30 even 50 pounds and feel on top of the world. They felt like they were about to win the championship. And then, life happened. Someone or something came along to derail them.
It might something major such as losing their job, or a sudden unexpected illness in the family. Or it might be something minor like having their work schedule change or the babysitter is sick.
One of the biggest derailers? They have a week where they gain weight.
And when those things happen and trust me they will. What can you do?
Perhaps you’ve thought it…
“I’m too tired,” “ I don’t have time,” “It’s just too hard” or “Here we go again.”
You know, that feeling you are cursed when it comes to losing weight and getting fit and because of it you’ll never succeed.
I’ve been there I know and I’d venture each and every one of us has said those words or similar and you better believe those thoughts were echoing thru the hearts and minds of the Cubs and their fans last night.
Well you can like most just give up. Make excuse after excuse.
Or, you can do what the Cubbies did.
You can get your stuff together.
You see, during the rain delay the players when back into their clubhouse and held a little team meeting.
They were down and out, beaten, on the verge of giving up. 108 years of curses and frustration raining down on them.
Well during the meeting instead of dwelling on that they focused on how far they had come. What they had achieved and more importantly what they could achieve if they just didn’t give up. If they just kept fighting.
Yes it was going to be hard, yes time was running out, and to be sure they were exhausted. It would have been so easy to give up but instead they rallied themselves and decided to give it their all.
And the end of the story? They won!
And that my friends, is what you need to do when those inevitable moments come along that make you want to give up in frustration.
When life knocks you down and then kicks you while you’re down keep fighting back.