Writing and Planning

I've been so focused on my writing over the past 2 weeks that I've hardly been on my blog at all. I am such a good procrastinator that I knew it would be wiser for me to stay away than to come online. There are already enough distractions with Facebook and Instagram etc. etc.

Many years ago, one of my friends was going on a first date. It had come about rather suddenly and two days before the date, she exclaimed, 'How can I lose 10 pounds in 2 days?!'

We all chuckled because we knew it was impossible ... and the of course, many good intentions were made about planning ahead next time and not waiting until the last minute ...

Hmmmm -- can you guess how that went?

Today I submitted the chapter I've been working on for the past 2 weeks. In all actuality, I probably really worked on it for 7 out of the past 14 days - those were the long at-my-desk-for-12-hours-straight kind of days. I've known about this deadline for months now. Of course I had a lot going on - packing up my house in Kuwait, moving, adjusting, coping with family issues ... but the truth is, I really could have worked on this earlier. I could have paced myself. At the same time, I couldn't help but think - well, actually all you really need to write is 1 week seeing as that's when you got most (all) the work done ...

I know that's not a good attitude to have, but it definitely crossed my mind more than once! No matter how much time there is to plan, it's the 72 hours before the deadline that are the most frantic and productive.

This last minute work flurry has been my habit ever since I was young -- I think it's time to start trying to change.

I think not seeing immediate results to your efforts or not feeling immediate consequences to your actions can be quite difficult to cope with or overcome.

It felt like it took so much for me to get to the point where I could say 'At least I don't hate it' in relation to my writing. It's a very tough mental struggle to go through.

The same thing happens with my workouts.

Having the patience to stick to a plan is an important and useful skill to develop. I think getting through those hurdles is when true change begins and when real strength starts to build.

I've found that my weight has plateaued. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get those numbers on the scale to go down. It's on my mind all the time.

I know that it's easy to get bogged down with feelings of negativity and failure so I do focus on things I've achieved -- making notes of my progress after each workout helps me actually SEE that I am improving - whether it's getting a bit faster or lifting a little heavier or even feeling more flexible. It's all improvement and it's all part of the bigger picture of getting healthy.

However it's still hard. It's hard to reconcile with the fact that I've been following all the WLC guidelines to a T but this past week my weight has been all over the place.

I need to remind myself that the Whole Life Challenge is not a weight loss challenge. It's a tool to use to help you figure out what works for you and what doesn't. This is the challenge. This is what it's all about.

You've got to write down what you're doing, evaluate your progress, and adjust your actions accordingly.

The most important thing: Don't give up.