Great Expectations Monday

Well it is Monday.  Last night I had a dream where I was looking at myself in the mirror and saw ribs.  It was sorta like that selfie shot you sometimes see on FaceBook where someone is showing their abs, but it was from the side.  I could see my ribs and as I looked it seemed I was getting smaller and smaller.  It was a nice dream.

I don’t know about you, but I have expectations.  Expectations that often aren’t met.  I’m still wondering how after all this work and 30 days of food management I still look fat in my videos.  I guess my expectations are very high.

A few things I have to remember:

• No one said as I gained weight: “OMG you are getting so fat!”  I have to remember it takes time to show on the outside.
• It is already showing on the inside.  I am a healthier person.  Much healthier.  I ran better this weekend.  Yes I pooped out at the end of the day.  Yes I’m feeling that my legs and feet and knees are burning up, but gosh darn it, I had so much more energy this weekend then in the past month.
• Time.  It just keeps ticking.  30 days ago I decided that I was done being fat.  That doesn’t make me instantly a thin person…even though that’s what I really want.  It takes time.  I could be the same or more today, yet I’m not.  30 days from now I’ll not be the same as I am today.  Time just continues and I have the power to change who I am and it only is time.  The trick is, that time happens whether I use it wisely or not.
• Earning it.  I feel I have to earn this weight loss and fitness.  It was me who got me into this black pit of unhealthy behavior.  It is me that is going to get out of it.

So I’m learning to manage my expectations and match my expectations to my output.  I wouldn’t be who I am if I didn’t have the most high expectations of myself, but rather than getting mad and focusing on the negative of expectations not met, I am measuring my expectations to what is actually possible and still reaching for the stars, but accepting my earthly foothold.

So work on reviewing your expectations today.  Make sure you are not setting yourself up for disappointment.  Manage your expectations to balance with real possibilities.