It’s the time of year where I see so many people throw their hands up and give up on their health. The holidays bring extra activities, extra parties, and let’s face it, extra stress. “I’ll get back on track in January,” we promise ourselves, justifying the holiday indulgences and skipping workouts.
And, there’s nothing wrong with indulging sometimes or taking a few days off from the gym, as long as it doesn’t become an entire season or lifetime of bad habits. Life should be enjoyed – in moderation. I’ll be the first one to tell you I’m going to enjoy some “unhealthy” pecan pie on Thanksgiving!
The occasional indulgence isn’t the issue. Where we get into trouble is letting ourselves off the hook relative to our goals, whether it’s working out, eating healthy, studying for a certification exam, spending quality time with our children, or even making sure to take time for personal growth like reading. “I don’t feel like it today,” is the excuse we make or, “I don’t have time.”
I know – I’m all too familiar with it. I AM THE EXPERT at making excuses. I’ve made more than my share and probably more than your share too. I’ve had to learn when I set out to do something, it’s not up for negotiation based on how I feel in the moment. It’s a commitment I have made to myself and therefore I refuse to break my word simply because I “don’t feel like it.”
What’s mood got to do with it? We don’t always feel like taking action but we can act our way into feeling like it once we’ve started it. There are days I don’t feel like getting up to go run or go to the gym, but once I do, I find I never regret it. There are days I don’t feel inspired to write a blog or work on a podcast but once I get started, I find the inspiration magically appears.
The secret is realizing our emotions don’t determine us. Emotions and whims of the moment will take us exactly no where. Feelings and emotions in the moment fail us because they don’t consider a long term perspective. Feelings and emotions are short term and when we subject our goals in life personally or professionally to short term thinking, we lose our ability to achieve them.
Interested in learning more? Click here to listen to Ria’s podcast on this subject!
Like many, Ria faced adversity in life. Ria was sexually abused by her father from age 12 – 19, forced to play the role of his wife, and even shared with other men. Desperate to escape, she left home at 19 without a job, a car, or even a high school diploma.
Today, Ria is a motivational leadership speaker, TEDx Speaker, and author of 11 books, including Leadership Gems for Women. Ria’s background includes more than 10 years in administrative healthcare with several years in leadership and management including working as the Director of Compliance for a large healthcare organization. Ria is a certified leadership speaker and trainer.
Ria shares powerful leadership principles and tools of transformation from her journey to equip and empower women, helping them maximize their potential in life and leadership and become the woman God created them to be.
