Stay Focused

Yesterday, I attended a birthday party for Thomas, one of my good friends and co-workers. He just turned 23, and this will be his last birthday as a civilian for a while at least. Thomas has joined the army, and though he has not been officially enlisted and hauled off to boot camp, he has made the decision to join to better the lives of himself and his wife, Lala. I knew this party was important to him, and because of that, it was important to me to show up and celebrate with him. One difficult thing I had to deal with was that I was faced with a situation where drinking was definitely part of the festivities, however, I have made a commitment to join my wife in abstaining from drinking alcohol until her birthday on February 18th, which she had made a goal for health reasons. I thought about the possibilities, even considering drinking for the occasion, which my wife supported, saying, "You can drink...I just won't go." She didn't go, but I decided to stick with my commitment. I ended up buying a case of Coors Light as a party gift for those attending, and for myself I decided to drink Miller Sharp's, a non-alcoholic beer alternative. So I had my solution: I still drank beer at the party and had fun with friends, I just didn't get drunk. In doing so I maintained my commitment to my wife, had fun with Thomas at the party, and I was confident in my drive home as well. It was easier than I thought it would be.

Since I was focused on my goal and by the commitment I made to others, my obstacle seemed like a slight bump in the road rather than a hurdle, and I easily stepped over it. This is the same focus I used when accomplishing my initial goal of sticking with P90X--I focused on my health as my ultimate goal, so sticking with my program was essentially simple. May you keep in mind your ultimate goals and your "why" for doing so, and you will find your obstacles seemingly less challenging and you should be able to stick with it and succeed. Please contact me with your questions and/or obstacles and we can overcome them together. Thanks for reading, everyone, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.