Written by Melinda
Thursday, December 31st, 2009
I’ve come to a new motto for this coming year: Renew Again in 2010.
As the beginning of a new year approaches, I spent some time soul searching and pondering. I want 2010 to be a great year, not just for me but for my weight loss surgery friends too. I have watched many struggle this year and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the words: “I’m such a failure because (insert reason here).” When I look at their lives, I don’t see failures. I see folks who met some tremendous goals in their lives, and then started to live again… some for the very first time ever… actually loving life and having fun! But, they may have gained ten or fifteen or even 20 pounds. And, there is a guilt which overtakes them. The joys of success are gone, while guilt gnaws away at their conscience.
Now as January 1st approaches, we each have a fresh start, a clean slate, a brand new opportunity to renew the ways in which we know to live as successful post-ops. Now keep in mind that we have this chance every single day of our lives. We can wake up any day of the week and decide ”this is the day I will get back to basics.” But, there is just something very powerful about a person anticipating an arrival of something new, something fresh, an opportunity.
Renew means that you already HAVE or HAD something and want to continue owning or receiving it – - much like the magazine renewal card that you get a few months prior to your favorite magazine expires. If I may use an example: I subscribed to Allure and paid 2 years up front. Every month like clockwork, the magazine came in the mailbox. A few months prior to the subscription’s end, I received a card in the mail letting me know that it was about to expire. I had a chance to renew my order which would prevent a disruption of service. The opportunity was there, I just had to choose whether or not I wanted to keep the continuity of monthly deliveries.
If I don’t get the card stuck in the mail, I can count down the number of issues until there is no more! And, before time runs out, I must seize the opportunity to check “RENEW SUBSCRIPTION” on the card and slip it into the mailbox. This is quite a difference from the “New Year’s Resolution” concept as “renewal” is a continuement of an already repetitive action.
People who create “resolutions” usually choose things that are not already a part of their life (maybe they always had a desire to do it, or it was part of their past). One good example is exercise. When I lived in an apartment complex that had a fitness center, it was easy to find a place at the treadmill or stairmaster from May through December. But, as soon as January 1st arrived, the facility was packed out with folks who had made a RESOLUTION.
As the month grew on, many forsook their new commitment and returned to their previous routines. By the end of February or mid March, traffic had even further decreased. By May, it was back to the small faithful crowd that was in the gym during the UNBUSY month of December. Folks have good intentions (and actually there are some who DO make it!), but many set goals for themselves that are unattainable because they chose things which were not activities already incorporated into their daily routines. Resolution makers usually begin the new year as if they were in a race, and at the starting line… as soon as the gun goes off, they make mad dashes to win the race. However, soon their energy is spent, and exhaustion sets in. It’s not too long before they give up.
Let’s get honest for a minute. If you have been in weight loss surgery circles or communities long enough, you KNOW the rules – you owned or possessed the lifestyle as your own and it helped you get to your goal (or close to it)! You’ve hopefully gone through your surgeon’s nutritional program, or at least read enough on support forums to differentiate between good and bad choices. Just the fact that you’re here on the internet reading about weight loss and seeking support means that you have a desire for continued success. You own or possess what is necessary to make it! As we go into 2010, let’s vow to RENEW those good actions that keep us on the road of success. Let this year be a year of tenacity to faithfully continue good weight loss surgery lifestyle changes/habits.
