You see people on social media achieving greatness every day. You are in awe of these people. Why can’t you become one of them?
You can! You are the only one standing in the way of your success.
Taking the plunge.
Taking the plunge is like diving into an icy pool. The fear of the unknown holds you back. Everything you imagine the cold water to be prevents you from diving in. Your heart pounds, your palms sweat. You take one step forward, and then you move back again; trying to convince yourself just to do it. You stand at the edge for an endless while – the sun moving in and out of the clouds until something inside of you compels you to dive. And then you do. The cold water hits your face and takes your breath away for a split second, but then your body adjusts to the temperature, and you are surprised by the feeling of freedom that being in the water gives you. Your heart becomes lighter, and you wonder why it took you so long to get in. You have missed out on some much time feeling free and light. Standing on the edge of your weight loss journey is the same.
Feeling like you are drowning.
Sometimes that feeling of being free and light can be snatched away from you. You see a reflection of yourself in the water and your breath catches in your throat because the person looking back at you is not who you see yourself to be. The realisation overwhelms you, and you feel like you are drowning and you sink lower into despair. The thought of what lies ahead fills you with fear because you have no idea where to start or how to become who you want to be. “I am never going to look like the person I feel like inside.” “I have too much weight to lose.” “I have tried everything, and nothing has ever worked. I am destined to look and feel this way forever.” The more you stare at yourself, the more the thoughts keep coming and the lower you sink. The water fills your lungs, and there is no way out. This is how it feels to tread water through your weight loss journey. Sometimes you will feel like you are drowning, but sometimes from somewhere deep inside you will get a burst of energy that helps you tread water like you have never tread water before, and the more you do it, the stronger you will get, and the better you will feel.
Learning to swim.
As you tread water, your legs will get stronger and will want to kick. Your arms will then want to move along with your legs. At first, you will try doggy paddle, which will getyou moving, but really slowly. Your legs will get tired, and you will feel yourself sinking again. You will lose hope because you are not moving fast enough, and everyone around you is swimming like a pro. This is how it feels on your weight loss journey. Sometimes you will feel like you are not going as fast as everyone else and other times you will just want to tread water for a while and sometimes you will go back to feeling like you are drowning. But, as long as you get past that feeling of standing at the edge of the pool, and jump into the water every day, you can splash at your own pace. You will get stronger. Each day will get easier, and you will start to get that feeling of being free and light back.
Getting an instructor.
As you learn the basics of doggy paddle on your own, you will feel more and more comfortable in the water and as your confidence grows you will want to become a better swimmer. You have already shown yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to, but sometimes you need a reminder. You catch a look at your reflection in the water again, and you see more of the person you want to be. You feel inspired, and you want to learn how to swim freestyle. You select an instructor that will go at your own pace and help you get to where you want to be. This is our aim for you on your weight loss journey. We want you to be the best you can be, and we want to stand by you every stroke of the way. Asking for help is the first step to success. Choosing the right team is the second step – we are that team.
