“Always do what you are afraid to do.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Lyrics from Paul Simon’s “Slip Sliding Away”:
I know a woman, became a wife
These are the very words she uses to describe her life
She said a good day ain’t got no rain
She said a bad day’s when I lie in bed
And think of things that might have been
I was twenty years old and was driving down I-15 thinking about moving away from home and going to college on my own. I’d heard those lyrics so many times and for some reason on that fall day they struck me down and next thing I knew I was bawling. And then I stopped crying and realized that I never, ever want to be that woman and that being scared or embarrassed or nervous was never a reason not to do something. (Oprah calls them “A-ha Moments,” for me it was a sob, sniffle, hic, sniffle moment.)
One thing I know to be true for me is that I almost never regret the things I do, but nearly always regret the things I don’t do. If I make a horrible mistake, I can apologize, I can beg forgiveness, I can find a different lasagna recipe (I keep trying, just ask my husband), I can make sure I know where all of the fire extinguishers are (by the way, still very sorry about that), I can choose a different karaoke song (well, maybe not). But if I don’t do something because I think I might be embarrassed or I might be really scared, there’s nothing I can do to recapture that moment, that chance for me to see what I’m capable of, that chance to grow and become stronger, wiser, a better cook.
What does this have to do with weight loss? Maybe nothing, but maybe something. What have you NOT done because you were afraid that you would look foolish or fall flat on your face (literally or figuratively)? Did you avoid going to the pool or the beach because you were too embarrassed to put on a swimming suit? Did you duck out of photos because you didn’t want a record of your weight? Did you say, “Nah, I don’t want to go on vacation if I weigh this much.” Did you avoid the gym because you didn’t want “to be fat at the gym”? How about this one: Did you give up on trying to lose weight because you couldn’t bear the thought that everyone would know you’d tried and failed? (Maybe you’ve heard that old statistic that 95% of diets fail. It’s crap and it’s misleading. If you keep trying, the success rate goes up. So keep at it.)
To all of my readers, I dare you to try something new and uncomfortable. Try something that is worth it but might be embarrassing. Do you want to see what Weight Watchers is all about? Give it a shot. Maybe it’s something even a little scarier like telling your wife that you need her help to lose weight. Maybe you love swimming and you know it would be great exercise but you’re too embarrassed to put on a suit and give it a try. Find a suit that fits you and get to that pool. No one will care except for you. And to be quite honest and very blunt, no one gives a crap, they’re all too worried about themselves to notice how you look in a bathing suit.
Don’t allow yourself to be ruled by fear and anxiety. Dare to put something on the line because that’s when we’re successful and that’s how we become who we want to be.
May you be happy and healthy (and a little bit fearless),
Regan
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