Be Kind. Repeat.

I have been delving into intermittent fasting (see the post about my experience here) and have been reading to inform myself about it. I just finished Life in the Fasting Lane by Jason Fung, Eve Mayer, and Megan Ramos. The purpose of the book is to ease you into fasting. In a quick summary, Eve Mayer explains her experience and Megan Ramos and Jason Fung interject with their point of view. Even though the book is more geared towards people who have weight and health issues, the principles still apply to anyone interested in learning more about fasting.

What truly caught my eye was a thought towards the end of the book, where the main author, Eve, is explaining how she has set herself up for failure doing full fasts during social moments that include food. She encourages the reader to be flexible and be kind to him/herself. This is a very balanced statement needed for any lifelong journey. A habit you’ve been nurturing for a long period of time won’t be gone overnight, and by the same token, you won’t see results of a new habit that quickly either. Going into a change being so demanding is like having a bullying yourself into something; not healthy. You need a cheerleader and coach so you can push through when you run out of gas or start doubting yourself. I personally tend to focus on being kind to others during their battles and put myself in the back burner. My husband would fully attest to that. He would sing praises to me all day, encourage me, support me, and I would still find one thing that is not quite as I want it and demote all my accomplishments to an unfinished battle.

Therein lies the key. Many times we aren’t kind to ourselves because we don’t live up to our own expectations. How did we set those up, and how high are they? Why does it have to be exactly as we devise it? That’s the question I constantly ask myself when I feel angry or frustrated: why does it have to be my way? It doesn’t mean that we have to live based on someone else’s expectations. It means that our expectations are not perfect or the golden rule we want to believe they are.

I am sure that there are areas where I need to stop cutting myself slack and get work going. I need to give it 10 minutes ( post on how to beat procrastination here) and make some progress. There are also other areas where I need to let go of my impossible beliefs and love for any potential , and appreciate how far I have come. Others might have jumped much further than I have, but I have jumped far enough. I will continue moving forward, and my progress deserves celebration.

Give yourself another chance. Pick yourself up from the mud. Let your idea or dream live to see another day. Be grateful for your spot and continue pushing forward to the next goalpost. Acknowledge that you needed to be where you are in order to get to the other side. You are on a journey, not a roller coaster. It might take a while, and that is okay. Just keep swimming.