>Ever.
Failure - n. an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success.
This definition does not apply to me. I will not prove to be unsuccessful nor will I lack success.
What leads me to this topic?
Well, Sunday we were supposed to have lunch at the in laws after church. My hubby's mom called Saturday to let us know what she would be cooking (cubed steak). Those of you from the south know exactly what this is and also know there are no healthy qualities about it! I had told her that since we were grilling steaks on Saturday that I probably wouldn't eat the red meat again on Sunday (especially since it would be covered in greasy gravy.. except I didn't say that part!). So, she offered to bake me some chicken. Nice. :)
Well, fast forward to Sunday. The chicken was burned/overcooked by accident. No big deal, she offered to go get some but we declined. Then I peaked into the kitchen to see what else had been cooked.
-corn bread
-corn (butter added)
-mashed potatoes (salt and butter added)
-fried okra
Now the other thing you all from the south know is that is a mighty tasty meal there.
The other thing you know is that there is nothing on the menu that says,"I am a healthy option."
So, I declined the entire meal and said I could just go get a salad. I knew that even at the minimum portion size of any of that meal I would be over my daily points and it just was not worth it to me. I knew that if I fixed even a tiny plate of a few bites of this or that I would feel like a failure.
Failing for me is not and will not be an option. I've worked too hard (especially lately) to let one meal make me feel like a failure. When I thought about that food I kept seeing Jillian in my head shaking her finger at me. That is not a pretty picture at all!
Maybe I have gotten a little extreme with this whole thing. Maybe I am a little obsessed.
Or maybe, just maybe, it really has become a lifestyle change for me.
Either way you (or anyone else) chooses to look at it...
I choose to not fail.
And by choosing not to fail I have lost 47 pounds in a year. That my friends is success even if I have to be the one to say so (lol). By choosing not to fail I have gone from running 3.1 miles in 49 minutes to running 3.1 miles in 36 minutes. By choosing not to fail I have realized that my goals (long and short term) are all very within my reach even if it takes a year to reach a goal, I can do it. It hasn't been easy. And the rest of this quest won't be easy. I have hit roadblocks and will hit many more. There have been days that I have wanted to throw in the towel and give up. I am sure there will be more days like that too. Some days I curse my will power (today was one of those days!) and there are days I will pat myself on the back for the good choices I am making.
But the most important thing I have learned is that failing just is not, will not, and cannot EVER be an option
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