In this post I told you that I had a plan to tackle some of the neglected areas of my life.
I said that if I didn’t do something soon, those neglected areas would come back to bite me.
Well, I’ve been bitten. I didn’t move quickly enough.
Photo: zombit
Yesterday evening as I was casually slobbing about the house with no particular focus, I got a phone call. It wasn’t bad news but it knocked me sideways and caused me to wake from my daydream.
The phone call was from a very close family member who needs to borrow some money. I told them I didn’t have it, and I felt very guilty about it.
I now believe this is linked to a bigger sense of guilt (or maybe it’s frustration) that I’m not the breadwinner anymore. I no longer have my own money and I feel powerless and somewhat vulnerable. It hadn’t bothered me too much before, but with this new twist, it bothers me now.
For 20 minutes I sat down and sulked and wallowed in my guilt. I cursed and moaned to myself and thought it very unfair.
Then the ‘injustice’ of the situation brought forth my fighting spirit and I decided to abandon the sulking and DO something – there and then – with no prospect of deferring. I got up off my backside and got to work.
I remembered how well this approach has worked for me before, and thought back a few months to when I was making things happen in my life – a time when complacency didn’t get a look in.
I remembered that I was totally in control of myself, my weight, my finances, my home management, and I remembered how I did it and why I did it.
I was hungry
I was hungry for a better lifestyle, a better me.
And I had a plan.
I defined what I wanted, I went after what I wanted, and the effort paid off.
It’s as simple as that. I was hungry and I had a plan.
Over the last four weeks or five weeks I’ve returned to being fat and lazy in mind and in body. I’ve become comfortable in my new surroundings, but my new surroundings are not supposed to be my permanent home. I’ve only just started my adventure and I’m not prepared to let it finish at Base Camp.
Yes I’ve achieved things, some good things, but I’ve dined out a little too long on my early successes and now I feel bloated and lethargic. I’ve forgotten what it was like to feel hungry.
Last night I didn’t go to bed until 1.30am and this morning I was up at 7am, but I felt great despite the lack of sleep.
I felt great because I put a stop to my complacency and set a plan in motion. Not the original plan I referred to in post at the top of the page, but an emergency plan to deal specifically with my most immediate problem.
My rediscovered sense of determination meant that I managed to find the money to ‘give’ to my close family member and I put the cheque in the post today.
There’ll be no fine dining for me for the next few weeks. I’m going to be feeling hungry every day. And that’s good because from now on that’ll be the trigger to motivate me into action and remind me of my priorities.
I’ll share my plan with you tomorrow and I’ll be asking for feedback.
Dave
Somewhere in amongst all my ponderings last night was a recollection of a post I’d read at On Simplicity. You may not see the connection until you get to the last paragraph. Read Sara’s post here.
Breaking news: Just prior to publishing this post I opened a bill I wasn’t expecting. It wasn’t a pretty sight and gives me cause for concern. It doesn’t change my plan though and I’m confident I can overcome this hiccup. More tomorrow.
