Determined To Succeed

In my past life in public relations I worked for an aquarium. Working there was cool. Not only did I learn a lot about the life aquatic I was given the opportunity to participate in a swim with the sharks snorkel experience. It was in a word awesome. To see a shark coming at you and knowing you shouldn’t move was out of this world exciting! And by the way, most sharks are docile and don’t bother you unless you bother them or look like food dangling in the top four or so feet of a body of water.

After that experience I was intrigued by all things water and scuba diving. Don’t ask me how or why I got that bug to learn diving but I did. Ever since I was young, while having a fundamental knowledge of how to swim, I was afraid of the deep end of the pool. I guess it was the sensation of not having my feet on terra firma, possible drowning and not being able to breathe – you know, normal stuff. But I had all of my diving buddies at the aquarium tell me how cool it is so I sucked it up and signed up for dive classes.

If you’ve never done this yourself or know someone who has the training is broken up into two parts – actual water training exercises in a pool and classroom training. In this classroom training there is one thing, one mantra, that is above all others when it comes to learning to scuba dive. Plan your dive and dive your plan.

You might be saying to yourself “that’s sounds logical,” but they drill that into your head because, most times, divers need to be reminded to extensively plan a dive, every aspect of it, before placing one fin (not flipper) in the water. This simple mantra is the difference between a successful dive and one that could go disastrously wrong.

Weight loss is exactly the same.

As we approach New Year’s Eve many of us will either be making a resolution to begin losing weight or re-affirm our commitment to our weight loss journey. In either case it is imperative to go into this (or continue) with a plan for success. Seeing a goal is one thing. But achieving it takes not just guts but also a step-by-step way to get to that goal. It is a simple thing to do but it’s where most of us lose our air and bail on the resolution weeks, days, even hours after making it.

You make plans to go to the grocery store, right? You never go not knowing what you need. Imagine what it would be like going into any store blindly. It would be overwhelming, confusing and you’d walk out with nothing. That’s why we make lists before we get to a store. So we know what we need, how much of it and plan for it for a specific purpose. Oh sure there’s the general milk, eggs, bread (mmmmm, breakfast) but you buy a power adapter for a computer or a 20-ounce can of pumpkin for specific reasons. Think of weight loss and maintenance the same way.

If you want to lose twenty pounds (an arbitrary number I just plucked from thin air) then ask yourself…

…how long will I give myself to get there?

…what foods do I need to eat/give up to achieve my goal?

…how will I increase my working out/activity/exercise?

…when will I tell people?

I have always stated you should tell your friends you are trying. They will be a support system for you, like you guys and my friends are to me. Then set about writing down on paper the answers to the other questions. And writing it down makes it that much more real. But when you’re done you have the plan for your diving into weight loss. You can, of course feel free to modify, tweak and add to this plan but it’s a great start.

Now all that’s left is to dive into your plan.

We do it at work all the time. Strategy sessions that turn into “actionable steps” (God, I can’t believe I am using ho-hum corporate-speak). We do it when we’re going out (what to wear, how long it will take to get there so we’re not late, etc.). So let’s turn that into something for you. “Actionable steps” for the most important thing in the world you have to take care of – yourself.

So with just a few days to go before New Year’s Eve/Day think about this. What will your plan look like. My plan involves going easier on the Cokes for a bit, maintaining my workouts and eating more steamed foods instead of fried. I am human, and I do need to come up for air every now and then to eat what I want…

…but if I didn’t have my plan I’d be lost, floundering in the water adrift at sea.