Goals are not size dependent

When I lose all the weight, I’ll be confident.

When I get that raise, I’ll be happy.

When I cross that half marathon finish line, I’ll feel like a real runner.

Choose your “when I” and your how you’ll feel after you get there. We all have them.

The problem with these beliefs, though, is how they skip those six inches of real estate between our ears. Everything happens in that tiny space! It’s kind of amazing when you stop and think about it. We get so wrapped up in “the finish line,” we don’t see how the road to get us there is where the magic happens. 

The biggest question I’ve heard since I started to change my life in July 2017 is: “How did you do it?”

But, is that what they really want to know? I’m not so sure.

Many times, the questions revolve about what “diet” I’m using or what “training plan” I follow. Do I count macros or carbs? Do I do intermittent fasting? Keto? Paleo? 

If I had a specific prescription that was a no-fail guarantee, I wouldn’t still be 100 pounds or so from my goal.

But, that’s what we all want: quick answers to our problems. When you have a lot of weight to lose, or a lot of debt to pay off, or a 13.1-mile race course laid out in front of you, there are no easy ways to get it done. You cannot get around your head, because that’s where most of the issues are coming from. 

I’m not saying we’re all crazy, although I sometimes wonder about that. But, most of us have an uncanny ability to get in our own way, even when it looks like we’re succeeding. It has taken me three years to scratch the surface that my number goals are not the be-all, end-all. 

For years, I put limitations on myself because my excess weight and my health took away my self-esteem and my energy. I convinced myself that “fat people cannot or should not do certain things.”

But here’s a revelation I discovered in a rare moment of clarity during this journey:

Goals are not size-dependent.

When I stopped judging my goals as not suitable for my size, that’s when things starting looking up. They don’t care if I’m a size 26 or size 16.  Goals don’t care about anything, because they don’t have thoughts or feelings. 

Some goals may be harder than others because of my size. But, to constantly measure my ability to try something or dream about a goal based on what the scale says or the size of my pants is ridiculous. 

A nearly 300-pound woman CAN finish a half marathon. I've proven it.

What else can I do? Who knows? But, my weight isn't holding me back. Just my brain.

​How is your brain holding you back? 

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