PPPP
Pitfalls versus Pavement Movement
Choosing to be Pitiful versus Powerful (note I said CHOOSING)
There are some inevitable PITFALLS on this journey. The 2 major pitfalls that I have come up with:
1. Pit of Innocence
This is when from seemingly “out of no where” it’s a struggle to be on program. We have unexpected repairs to our homes that require a lot of money, something happens to the car and we get off schedule, someone we love is possibly ill and we find ourselves “waiting” and very uneasy, bad weather causes severe traffic delays, a child gets sick and our sleep is interrupted, someone is rude to us for no apparent reason, we find ourselves around “toxic” people or “energy vampires” and we can feel ourselves getting frustrated, etc. Bottom line we didn’t cause any of it but for some reason we ALLOW ourselves to fall into a “pit” of now debating whether we should stay on our program or not. We start saying “this is too hard with all I have going on”.
2. Pit of Pity
I’ve noticed in myself that if I’m not careful that when I fall into the “pit of innocence” I will stay there by focusing on that LONG inevitable list in life of things I CANNOT and DO NOT CONTROL. There is nothing that’ll guarantee frustration and pity faster than focusing on changing someone else or trying to police people’s behavior. We start wallowing and asking questions that’ll keep us stuck like, “Why do they act like that? Why does this always happen to me? Why is life so hard?” Even if you did have an answer to these useless questions, they wouldn’t move us out of the pity. The thing about a pit is that the ground isn’t solid….the more we stay in it the deeper we sink and the majority of the time our own self talk is the primary culprit to keeping us in pity. The good news about that is that it can change.
So my challenge this week as I prepare to fly out is to go from the Pit to the Pavement and to choose to be Powerful versus Pitiful. I’ve heard from Joyce Meyer that it’s a CHOICE…you can be POWERFUL or you can be PITIFUL but you CANNOT be both.
How to get on the PAVEMENT and regain POWER?
1. PAVEMENT MOVEMENT
- Focus on all that I have complete control over
- Have a plan AND stick to the plan
- Develop a tough/no matter what mindset. This is what I have chosen to do because I want this for myself
- 100% JATTNE is non-negotiable. I will not allow myself to debate whether I’ll do my program today. I don’t negotiate other important areas of my life like taking a shower or brushing my teeth daily and I’m adding my program to my list of “non-negotiables”.
2. POWER
- I will own my power today and not willingly give it away to other people because of how they think, feel, or what they say. No one is holding me at gun point to eat and so I will not lie to myself and blame anyone for deviating from my plan other than myself. I OWN my eating program.
- I will not let anyone else’s actions make me behave in a way that doesn’t support my ultimate goals
- I will celebrate every choice I make that supports my goals and direct any pity to powerful thoughts about how great I feel taking exceptional care of myself
So ……that’s my challenge as I prepare to travel for the next 4 days, and I offer it to you. We all will inevitably face the temptation of the pit, the strong pull of pity, BUT we can choose to stay on the pavement and to own our power. That’s the challenge for me….anyone else ready for some serious pavement movement and power? Then let’s do this…..
Hope
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wow you are so right i always let something bad that happened at work or someone getting on my nerves have complete and total power over my eating. you are right you cant be pitiful and powerful
congrats to you i