Determined To Succeed

Day thirty-seven.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the presentation of the 2010 Liberty Medal at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center. The medal was presented by former president Bill Clinton to Britain’s former prime minister, Tony Blair,  honoring his success resolving the conflict in Northern Ireland and his ongoing pursuit of peace in the Middle East and Africa. But even as I listened to the incredibly worth-while reasons to give such a distinguished honor to a bloke I liked when he was in office in the U.K., I was thinking about two other things – my recent weight gain and, of course, the motivation to take it off.

I know you must be saying, “what is this yahoo talking about weight loss for when he’s attending a ceremony honoring a world leader?” Well, my friends I will tell you. It had to do with one of the seven lessons of liberty learned by former prime minister Blair in his efforts to bring change to the world. In fact, it was the first one that struck me the most – “Every milestone on the road to liberty marks a struggle. . . . opposition, even defeat, and occasionally desperation along the way.”

That hit me like a ton of bricks because I could instantly equate it to weight loss. I even played with the words a bit just to see if it would fit and it did.

“Every milestone on the road to weight loss marks a struggle. . . . opposition, even defeat, and occasionally desperation along the way.”

I thought about the milestones on my own weight loss journey, including the struggles to just take the first ten pounds off. I thought about the current weight I need to re-lose. I also thought about all the pain and emotion in-between and it fit, incredibly and absolutely. However it also proves that not only is weight loss possible but that it is also not a clear, smooth road and that it can and will be difficult at times and those difficult times are to be expected.

Losing weight is a struggle, one that requires you to take care of the one person who needs you the most – you. But there will be times when you don’t feel like going on, and when you feel like giving up because it just ain’t worth it. Believe me, I’ve been there. But in what Mr. Blair said is the truth of it – there is hard work in achieving any goal worth achieving and it wouldn’t be noteworthy once you reach that goal unless you had to absolutely climb some mountain, miss some pothole or get over some bump to get there. That is what makes milestones milestones. Because of what you had to get through to get there, they are a marker of success. They are a marker of your success.

The other point Mr. Blair made about peace, the seventh, that could also be applied to weight loss was this: “Liberty needs optimism. . . . No one has ever achieved anything by being a cynic or a pessimist.” He added that peace ultimately came to Northern Ireland primarily “because the people felt it could happen. That optimism of the human spirit is what drives liberty.” So let’s switch out a word or two…

“Weight loss needs optimism. . . . No one has ever achieved true and sustained weight loss by being a cynic or a pessimist.” Losing weight ultimately happened to those committed to it primarily “because the people felt it could happen. That optimism of the human spirit is what drives us to our weight loss goals.”

See? Even at a very cool ceremony honoring peace we can also find a way to honor our struggles in our own battles of the bulge.

I guess I took this to heart so much because I am now back on my way down in my own weight loss. I am down a pound today and am feeling every ounce of it gone from my body (thank God). It’s a good feeling knowing I have not only recommitted to my life and my soul but also to my weight loss and am not using food to numb pain or shame. I love food but I should use it for more than just yummy fuel. It is not a drug and it is not to be used to numb away pain.

I may talk about more of Mr. Blair’s lessons tomorrow as several more could also be applied to our struggles as the large trying to become smaller and lighter. But for today this is a great start. Or should I say re-start. So thank you, Mr. Blair, wherever you are. Your words prove that there is commonality in this world if we just get past our own petty bullshit to find it. THAT, my friends, is what will eventually save this planet. And it’s that commonality that makes our fellowship in weight loss stronger and helps us to know none of us are alone.