One of the most memorable quotes is one I would read every day in my English class freshman year of high school. My teacher had a poster right next to the board and it read:
If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. – Anthony Robbins
Ah, how true that quote is. Especially because I’m writing this entry while at the library when I should be completing a class assignment. That’s my point: I’ve always procrastinated. Thus, I’ll always find myself in this predicament — late at night in the library instead of out with my friends or better yet, sleeping in my extremely comfortable bed. I love sleep.
I don’t know why I think studying on my bed is effective, because it’s not. No matter what, I always fall asleep. Has this ever happened to you? If I study in my apartment, I get easily distracted by my roommates. Not because they are loud or obnoxious, but because they happen to be my best friends and how am I supposed to just ignore them when they’re in the kitchen?
Thus, I find myself in a corner of Library West. My assignment is still not completed because I chose to put it off until the absolute last minute. Going to Red Mango with my friend seemed much more appealing at the time than it does now, when I’m mad at myself for wasting precious time. Sleep time.
How does this quote apply to other areas of your life? This reminds me of my journey with the Freshman 15. I definitely gained it last year. I have no idea why I thought that eating out and not working out would keep my body in shape. It didn’t work, obviously. I received a wake up call around May 2010 when I took a bunch of pictures with some friends. When I saw how I looked in them, I was shocked: I barely recognized myself. Suddenly it dawned on me; I became victim to the Freshman 15. Gone were the glory days of my soccer bod.
I had clearly lost that by continually doing nothing to maintain it. Over the summer I chose to start Weight Watchers, and attend a boot camp class. In less than 3 months, I lost 18 pounds and it is one of the biggest accomplishments I have ever made. A personal victory. I changed what I was doing — eating poorly and not exercising — to get a different result. It showed. I regained almost half of my wardrobe, and I felt a sense of confidence. My confidence stemmed not from my fit body, but from the satisfaction in knowing that I successfully accomplished something I worked tirelessly at.
Do you notice an aspect of your life that could use some change? Maybe you feel stuck or frustrated with a certain situation. Change it up — clearly something is not working. Maximize your potential by choosing to discover a new alternative. How are you holding yourself back right now?
Darn class assignment.
Xoxo,
QQ