First Say What You Would Be. Then Do What You Need To Do.

I know I've talked about Epictetus before, but I just have to say it again. 

Epictetus is the quintessential "create your life" philosopher.  He is so matter-of-fact about it, too.  So much so I just think "well, DUH!" 

First step, FIRST STEP is to "Say what you would be."

How many of us have not done this yet?  How many of us have used the old fallback "I want to lose weight" as our reason for doing this plan?

It isn't enough.

I say again, it isn't enough.  The desire to lose weight is like saying "I just want to drive my car" or "I just want to fly in an airplane".

No, you don't.  Road trips are draining, and air travel is twice as draining, and many of us don't like either of them.  But the destination, the REASON that necessitates the road trip or the air travel IS compelling, and in order to get there we submit to road trips and air travel.

So if your reason to be on this plan is "to lose weight" then I am asking you to go to STEP ONE of Epictetus. 

Say.  What.  You.  Would.  BE.

Not what you ARE now, not what you are ESCAPING from, not what you wish would go AWAY (medications, size 26 jeans, poor health), but who you want to be.  What you want to be.  Where you want to go.

We all know the "how" so "losing weight" is a process not an outcome.  What is our outcome?

Unless we have a crystal clear picture of what we want to be, then we really have no compelling reason to even move on to step 2 which is to:

Do.  What.  You.  Need.  To.  Do.

The operative word there is "Do".  How many of us are "wishing" we would stay on plan?  How many of us are "hoping" we stay on plan today?

Well let me give you a friendly reminder.  Wishing and Hoping are NOT strategies.  If they are not accompanied by ACTION then we got nothin'. 

Nothin'.

So what will you DO today to bring you closer to the person you want to BE?

Now go out there and DO it!