Tuesday, January 6, 2015

When Life Provides the Excuse...

Here we are at the beginning of the year and I, just like many others, want to commit to a healthier lifestyle. You know the drill...move more and eat healthier. I really want to make this same commitment this year, but life is giving me my excuse to quit even before I have a chance to begin.

In four hours I will be having surgery to correct an injured shoulder. From what I gather, it is a painful recovery that will keep my arm completely immobilized for 6-8 weeks. TA-DA! My automatic get off the hook card. Truthfully, how can I be expected to make good food choices, if I can't cook or even shop for groceries? Is it even a good idea for a person with a lame and immobilized arm to attempt to exercise?

My heart's desire is to get healthy...especially since I was on a five day cruise over New Years and my waist-line reflects the endless supply of amazing food. How can I push through the MOUNTAIN of logical and socially acceptable excuses that are conveniently placed in my lap? On my own, I truly don't know that I can. Fortunately God laid an option (or opportunity) right beside the excuse...and I had a choice to make.

The option/ opportunity was from an organization, Faithful Finish Lines. They were offering a free 7 week membership to bloggers who would participate in the program for free in exchange for a blog post once a week sharing their experiences as they participate. Surprisingly, I was one of only ten bloggers accepted. I truthfully had no thought that I would be one of the chosen ten...but here I am presenting my first blog post as I take the first step in this seven week adventure.

I am not always the best at keeping my commitments to myself, but since I know I was blessed with a coveted slot, I know I can be committed to this. I am excited about the journey and growing my character to chart my own course with God's help as opposed to embracing and using the excuses that life lays at my feet. I am Shifting my Vision and recognizing that even post surgery, I can move towards my personal "Finish Line" instead of spending seven weeks soaking in convenient excuses!