I wanted to share with you a short message my sister sent me the other day that resonates with me on every level.
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click play below. Otherwise, just keep on reading!
The message from my sister said:
Of course I struggle. I just don’t quit.
I like it so much I made it the background of my phone.
Sometimes we think that people who reach their goals or create success simply struggle less than we do. We tell ourselves that they have it easier, in some way.
That’s usually not true. They struggle. I struggle in big ways and small ways. But, I refuse to quit.
I get tired. I get sad. I feel stressed, overwhelmed and pressured. My motivation fades. I make choices I don’t feel proud of.
But I refuse to quit.
I won’t turn back. I won’t give up. I simply refuse to quit.
Every day I wake up and ask myself, “What will I do to make today amazing? What will I do to make myself proud?”
Then, I get to work making those things happen.
Stop making your goals optional. Stop re-negotiating what you’ll do and not do each day.
Set your eyes on where you want to go and put one foot in front of the other. Get to work.
Here’s to showing up for yourself. Here’s to not quitting. Here’s to trying. Here’s to doing your best.
Here’s to a day of making yourself proud!
I love this message so much! Thank you for sharing your message and being real about it!
You’re so welcome, Audra! Thanks for reading it!
Hi Elizabeth, this is going to be a bit long winded so I apologize………about 6(ish) years ago I embarked on a weight loss “journey.” I hired a trainer, I started counting calories and while I was hungry as hell, I lost weight. A lot of weight. 130 pounds to be exact. As a female in her early 40’s (at that time), I was pretty damn proud of myself. And then……..I started gaining it back. Slowly because I was till watching what I ate and working out. But it seemed no matter what I did, the weight was coming back. Only this time, it came back with some health issues. I killed my thyroid and because I was desperate, I also killed my back in a boot camp class that to this day still gives me grief. I didn’t understand. So I went on a “zero carb, meat only” diet (which I’m pretty sure just made the thyroid problems worse and I had some serious adrenal fatigue). Guess what? Didn’t work. I kept gaining. Fun fact…..when you’re killing yourself as I was, you can reactivate the Epstein Barr virus (otherwise known as “Mono”) and I got even sicker. Fast forward a bit and I found “Intuitive Eating” which I thought was my new home. Except……I felt awful. I was eating “all the things” and it was just making me feel older than I am. Inflamed, knee pain, back pain etc. etc. etc. I gained back all but 20 pounds that I had lost. In walks the ketogenic diet…. In the beginning it was a lifesaver. I felt better, I lost a little bit of weight (8 lbs in 2 months) but then…….I started to not feel so great. Lethargic. Couldn’t really work out. A few days ago I hit a serious wall and had some carbs with my dinner and felt SO much better. And I thought “hmmm….maybe I’m on to something” – and then I re-read your blog. OMG! This is exactly what she’s been saying all along. My VERY long winded point to all this is that……I’m not giving up. I’m 48 years old, going through menopause (which holy crap…..I can’t wait till this is over) and losing weight is a struggle. At this point, I’ll take feeling better over weight loss. For now. But I’m not giving up. It’s been a very rocky road but I think you may have just helped me figure out the missing piece to my puzzle! So thank you!!!
Never apologize for sharing. Apologies are for when we do something wrong. I’m so glad you’re not giving up. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’m always just an email away. Take a listen to episode 195 of the podcast, I think it might be a great starting point for you.
Thank you and I will most definitely check that out!
Hi Elizabeth, I’ve been listening to your podcast for years. I even enrolled in the FLFT and stuck with the plan for all of 3 weeks. Here I am again. I have lost weight and gained weight so many times that I’ve lost count. I have gained so much weight that I’m uncomfortable in my own skin. I don’t know what to do to get out of the hole and continue to make progress. I am so tired of doing the same thing and repeating the cycle over and over again. Do you have any suggestions? I’m in desperate need of some help. I honestly can not afford to keep doing this for the rest of my life.
Hi there – I’m so glad you reached out. Let’s simplify. What are you able and willing to do TODAY to make it better than yesterday? I want you to give your energy to TODAY’S solution instead of yesterday’s problem. Identify what you’re able and willing to do just for today, then focus on executing. No more energy on yesterday or tomorrow. You can’t create change there.