My wife and I went on a cruise in February and had a fantastic time. It has occurred to me that I would not have been able to book the cruise if I hadn’t faced a limitation of mine, and gotten help. You see I’m inherently thrifty, one might say frugal, okay- I’m down right cheap! When the snow started in November I knew I wanted to get away this winter, but when it comes to making the leap and booking the trip, I would tend to hem and haw, look for “better deals” and end up waiting until winter is over- missing the chance. Knowing that I can be like that, I discussed it with my wife and we agreed that a trip would be good. I then delegated the booking of the trip to her, empowering her to spend the money and not check with me. Jane is better at pulling the plug and making the big purchase than I am. In no time at all she had booked the trip and we were on our way.
A good friend of mine also suffers from the same malady as me, cheapitis. He and his wife expressed great interest in joining us on this cruise, but (as I would have) he researched and looked for deals, and while he was thinking about it the price went up $70 and they ended up not going. Why am I talking about this?
It is important to take stock of our limitations and challenges, and recognize where they might be holding us back from something we would like to achieve in our lives. When we see an area that requires help, it is so beneficial to acknowledge it and to solicit help from someone that is strong in that area. Whether it is spending money or saving money, you can invite someone to help you accomplish your goal. Perhaps it is “purging” if your home gets overly cluttered. A friend can be objective in helping you de-clutter, and the cleaning process is more fun when done together!
This can apply to all kinds of health goals as well. Exercising regularly will happen, even if you don’t have the “motivation”, if you are set up to meet your friend at the gym/class/mall to walk. Alternately, you can hire a trainer and invest in the accountability and support you can get from a professional. A friend. co-worker, or spouse can add accountability to many new disciplines- whether it is getting to bed earlier or maintaining a specific diet. Have a conversation about your goal, and employ the humility needed to ask for help. This may be in the form of accountability- (“Every morning at the office, ask me how I did at getting to bed on time last night”) or partnership (“come to the gym with me”) or even something unusual but practical. I know of one mom that stored the cookies for her child’s bag lunch at her neighbour’s house. This mom found that if she had easy access with the cookies in her own home that she was eating all the cookies in the bag and didn’t have the willpower to stop. When she picked up her neighbour’s child for the walk to school, she would get that day’s 2 cookies in a baggie to be added to her child’s lunch. Extreme? Maybe. But desperate times call for desperate measures!
Think about your health goals and don’t be afraid to get help with them. We are stronger when we work together!
Here is an excuse to show more pictures from our cruise!
