The Nasty Middle

ByMatthew

There’s a place between not taking consistent action on a goal and being unable or unwilling to release said goal. I call this place the Nasty Middle.

If I can get real with you for a minute I find myself in the “nasty middle” on something.

My weight.

I say I want to weigh less… that my Ideal Weight is 178 pounds. And it is, and I do want to weigh that, but it’s really, really hard sometimes.

Sometimes I ask myself why I focus so closely on my weight (and my fitness*)? Why not just let it go?

I don’t let it go, because that doesn’t really work for me.

Truth-be-told, I need the consistent focus on my weight, and how many push-ups and body-weight squats I can do, and how challenging my Pilates routine is… because if I didn’t I would eat too much crap and not exercise enough.

So I find myself in the “nasty middle” sometimes, a place where I am struggling with my goal, but unwilling to abandon it.

Just knowing that such a “place” exists is helpful in that once I name it, I can leave it.

(By the way, I am pleased to report that I am making progress and doing well with my journey to my Ideal Weight. Since I renewed my focus in mid-October 2012 I have shed 15 pounds, am about 10 pounds away from my goal and increased my strength and flexibility.)

* Please know that my goal really is a holistic one: to weigh 178 pounds and be lean, strong and flexible.

 

Similar Posts

  • Forgiveness

    ByMatthew

    Not forgiving is sometimes a function of not trusting our ability to be strong and whole in the face of the thing or person we have forgiven. We are glad (eventually) for the realization that someone, or something, has harmed us and we want to be vigilant against future injury, or error. So we remain…

  • How To Never Fail

    ByMatthew

    Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough. – Og Mandino Of course you can never fail, because every action produces a result (even if only to teach you a difficult lesson). When your determination to succeed is strong enough whatever happens – good or bad – is just part of the…

  • Work That Energizes?

    ByMatthew

    “Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.” – Dale Carnegie This quote was a bit revelatory for me. It shouldn’t have been, but it was. It makes sense though, when I work hard, at something worthwhile and authentic I am often energized (not fatigued… ). How often do…

  • Who Is Really Successful

    ByMatthew

    The successful man is the average man, focused. – Ralph Waldo Emerson So many people think that anyone who is successful is different in some way. Better genetics, or up-bringing, or work ethic, or friends, or discipline, or education, or . . . . It’s not true. People who are successful work harder, longer. True,…

  • Obstacle or Opportunity?

    ByMatthew

    What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity?  Our attitude toward it.  Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity. – J. Sidlow Baxter This week has been a bit about language and meaning so I had* to share this quote. A key question is: what is our attitude towards…

  • Why Not Just Be Good?

    ByMatthew

    “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” – Socrates What if instead of trying to convince people that you’re trust-worthy, or a good person to do business with, or a good romantic partner, you just were that person? My guess is that it would less…