It’s the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance, sweeps away all obstacles.
— Claude M. Bristol
Lately, I’ve “wanted” to become more fit. I say “wanted” because I know what I need to do and I just don’t want to do what it takes. This is a type of resistance. It is one of my most consistent forms of resistance. I want to lose weight as long as I don’t have to:
- Give up chocolate
- Find time to exercise more
- Make any major changes in my routine
Resistance, in general terms, is a measure of opposition.
Electrically – it is the measure of opposition to passing the current through an object. If you’re trying to insulate something, resistance is good. If you’re trying to move power from Point A to Point B, resistance is bad.
Geologically – it is the measure of the ability of a mineral to withstand erosive factors. If you’re creating the Grand Canyon, you want, and have, minerals that do not withstand erosion by wind and water.
Psychologically – it is when we either Continue reading » Resistance is Essential
What do you think: Can we change people’s behavior for the better by making whatever they need to do fun?
The problem with the designated driver program, it’s not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house.
— Jeff Foxworthy
Recently I’ve found it necessary, in order to get my “steps” counted, to change my walking routine – I’ve had to hit the gym’s treadmill. And I gotta say, BORING! Until I remembered “the fun theory” which asks the question: Can you change people’s behavior for the better if you make whatever they need to do fun?
Well, I’m happy to report that the answer to this question is a resounding YES! And for those of us interested in resilience and persistence that’s GOOD NEWS! Why you ask? Because it offers new ways for us to stick with something that becomes tedious on the way to being done.
And because, if you can get people to do things because they’re fun, well then, you have a recipe for Continue reading » Are We Having Fun Yet?
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”
— Mary Anne Radmacher
Recently Ellie and I were talking about resilience and bouncing back and many of the issues that we try to address in this blog. As we talked, it became clear to me that our emotional set points are very different. Even in her sadness, Ellie seems to be a more naturally positive person than I am.
It is commonly accepted that there is a set point in weight loss. The set point is the weight range that your body is programmed to attempt to maintain. There also seems to be Continue reading » Finding The Starting Line
Wanna fly – you got to give up the shit that weights you down.
– Toni Morrison
Let’s Run Away
PattiAnn decided to loaf this week. And one thing I know for sure, that’s out of character for her! So I think we should honor this resolution of hers. She planned to “run away from” responsibilities and post an “out of service sign” for an unspecified time… so she could loaf. And it occurs to me that all us ’dults could benefit from this tongue in cheek instruction guide: How to Run Away From Home – Four Steps. They conclude with this pithy advice:
Let’s face facts here. You’re probably going to fail on the first street corner, once pedestrians begin looking at you like you’re an orphan, which at that point you are, and run screaming home to mom. Don’t worry about it! It’s a big, bad world out there, and your short stature and Barbie backpack are sort of a giveaway. It looks like you’re stuck with your parents until you’re twenty, and then it’s not called “running away from home,” it’s called “finally finding an apartment.”
While you won’t get clean away like you fantasized, rest assured you’ve dealt your parents a blow from which they will never recover. This incident will resurface as emotional trauma in psychiatry meetings and custody cases for years to come, and who knows, maybe you’ll have a bit of leverage next time your mom tries to cut your allowance in half, the meanie-pants. So we congratulate you. Bye-bye ’till next time, kids!
OK now, since most of us are “beyond twenty” I guess we’re in the “finally finding an apartment” category… seriously folks, what would you like to run away from, if only for an hour or two?
Permission to…
Or, if running away holds no appeal, how about making Continue reading » Loafing, Worrying, and Letting Go
Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.
— Unknown
For the recent holiday weekend I proclaimed myself a four-day-weekend and set about doing a myriad of tasks that used to be either “he or we” projects, never mine alone… I was busy, busy, busy. I was “letting go”.
Letting Go Ain’t for the Faint of Heart
Letting go takes a lot of work and determination. It’s MUCH easier to just let things be. But I knew that moving on, transitioning “from we to me”, required doing “what don’t come easy”… and I, not someone else, needed to do the choosing: keep or let go?
It Was a Close Call
There was a point when I despaired of ever making any decisions, I just couldn’t bear to let go of anything no matter what it was. So how’d I power through? Continue reading » Busy, Busy Days on the Way to Letting Go
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