THE ROLLER COASTER OF LIFE ......

Today was an awesome day for me ….. I have reached the 15kg mark in my journey.  I feel happy, so very happy, that I am 15kg lighter, but more than that, I feel happy because I have kept on going and kept on moving through my journey one day at a time.  I feel happy because I have made the effort and looked ahead to my goal and kept believing that I can achieve it.  I still have things to achieve and I have not reached my goal yet, but I am that little bit closer.

This past week was a hard one.  We found out that the Ride to Conquer Cancer had been cancelled here in Adelaide and the goal that I had been working for was gone.  Well that is not entirely true, my goal to be fitter and healthier had not gone, but the 200klm ride in November had.  For the first two days I felt gutted, devastated at what had happened.  But, as they say, life goes on and I am feeling better now.  Our goal as a team The Mixed Nuts was to raise money for cancer, and that dream and goal has not gone.  We may not have the bike ride right now, but there are other events that we will take part in and fund raisers that we will put on to continue to raise money for research into cancer and assistance for those with cancer; that goal will never change.  I guess I had to refocus and think about what was really  important; what really mattered.  

On the 23rd of March we are walking in the MARCH FOR MELANOMA.  See details below.

I’ve realised more now, than ever that life definitely has it’s ups

and downs and of course, no matter how positive you try to remain, you will always have your down days.  A bit like a Roller Coaster.  I am slowly learning that the best way to deal with that is to accept that that is what is happening and realise that it is only temporary.  The best thing that you can do for your own sake is not to place too much emphasis on how you are feeling.  Do not give it too much attention.  That might seem simplistic, but I am learning that it is what you need to do.

I liken it to a small child, who throws a tantrum; mostly done to get their own way and to get attention.  If you focus on the tantrum and give it the attention that the child wants, then invariably the next time there is a similar situation, exactly the same thing will happen.  However, if you ignore the child and the tantrum, more likely than not, it will stop eventually and the child will move on, realising that it is not going to get its own way.  What do you think will happen the next time the child wants to get its own way?  Either the child will realise before the tantrum even starts that they are not going to get their own way, or they will start the tantrum and very quickly realise that nothing is going to come of all the carry on, and give up on the idea.

Likewise, if we focus on the negatives, the fact that we slipped up

or that we might have put on a kilo in weight, it will become much bigger than it really is: a mountain out of a mole hill as they say.  We are very quickly likely to give up and go backwards.  However, if we don’t give credence to small slip up that we have made and focus on the positives; what we actually have achieved, then the positives will quickly become our focus rather than the negative.   One small slip up does not mean that you will go backwards; it is a small slip up, just that and nothing more. 

I am learning so much along the way in my journey to a healthier and happier me.  I am learning that I am truly the only one that can achieve this goal; that I am the one with the ability to keep on going.  I’m learning that I can do this one day at a time, one small goal at a time.