Positive Support Is The Name Of The Game

Have you ever set out to do something big? Something so big that you knew without a lot of support you would surely fail? Well that is what I am talking about today! On my journey to a new me I have found so much support and encouragement that it has helped me to stay the course and push to each goal that I have set for myself on my way to 100 pounds lost in one year.

So who has given me positive support and in what way are they giving it? To start with my husband and family have offered me tremendous support. Next would be my friends, co-workers and church family. I even get comments from people that I do not know and have never met who will send me a message from Facebook where they have stumbled upon my journey to a new me and have commented and encouraged me to continue.

So if you are not a person who needs positive support you can stop reading now. But I know that you will all continue to read not because I am the best writer in the world but because we ALL need positive support. So whether you are trying to lose weight, get more fit, quit smoking, quit drinking or whatever your hang-up is, positive support can be a great tool in your arsenal to help you achieve your goal and stay on track.

So here is the million dollar question, "How do you get positive support when you are faced with a challenge that is bigger than you are?". Well for me I had to pray. I prayed and asked the Lord for His support and help. And I believe that He is where my strength and stamina has come from. Next I talked to my husband and asked him to get on board with what I was doing. I explained that I did not want him to "monitor" my food intake but to encourage me to stay on the course. And I have to say he has done a fantastic job. "Thank you sweetheart!". Next I told my son and daughter-in-law, after all it was Amber that had me begin to blog in the first place which is a great benefit to me because it keeps me accountable to myself and to everyone who is reading the blog. I then told my parents and they gave me all of their support too!

Next I finally broke down and told some of my friends at work and church. This was the toughest by far because many of them have only known me the way that I was, and to try to explain what I was attempting to do, without surgery or some other drastic means, seemed a little more than futile to some of them. But I believe that I have changed all of their minds now that they have seen my progress.

I know without all of the support and encouragement that I have received that I would not have made it this far on my journey to a new me. So with that said here are a few questions to ask yourself. Are you receiving positive support while trying to achieve your goals? If not, ask yourself why not? Have you neglected to speak to your friends and loved ones and ask them for their support? Many times the people closest to us do not "volunteer" words of support and encouragement for fear of hurting our feelings. I know that one time I commented to a friend that she looked great, how much weight had she lost? And she replied, "None I have actually put on about ten pounds since I saw you last.". I didn't know what to say, but if I could have found a rock I would have climbed under it. That taught me a valuable lesson, look and listen for clues that give the "go ahead" from friends and family when commenting and complimenting on such touchy things as weight and weight loss.