As we are learning a new way of eating - a new lifestyle - we could smile and say, "it's easy" but we'd be lying to ourselves and to everyone else. It will be easy at times.... but there will be times that it will feel downright hard! For inspiration, let me share the story of Admiral Jim Stockdale.
Jim Stockdale was the highest-ranking officer in the "Hanoi Hilton" POW camp from 1965 to 1973. He was deprived of his rights under the Geneva Convention, tortured over twenty times, and often wondered if he would ever see his family again. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins quotes Admiral Stockdale as saying, "I never lost faith in the end of the story." And when Collins asked "Who didn't make it out?" Stockdale replied, "Oh, that's easy. The optimists." "The optimists," Collins said, "I don't understand." To which the Admiral replied, "The optimists were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart. This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they may be."
I think his story is a really powerful one and fits many hardships in life... including our weight loss journey. It won't always be easy, but if we are convinced that:
1) This is not the last chapter in our life (basic optimism) and
2) That we are honest with ourselves that yes, we will suffer, however it will get better.
Thank God everyday you didn't have to live this concept the way he did.
In all struggles in life hold tight to the fact that next chapter is an awesome one!
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