No Matter What!

If you know me personally, you may have seen me gain and lose weight like Oprah Winfrey. Its never been obscene, but I've struggled with about 40lbs for most of my adult life. Now let me be clear. This blog is not about weight loss... its about success. And while thin does not translate success (to me), commitment and follow through do.

I will spare you the rollercoaster ride that has been my journey and simply tell you this. When considering my next attempt at healthy living and body transformation, I wrote down three simple words. One small committment: No Matter What. This was actually inspired by my roommate and friend whom I have watched workout 5-6 days a week for 14 months with a dedication unlike any other I have seen. She has lost over 70 lbs and inspires me greatly! (Thanks Mija~!)


I decided that I would get up at 6am and go to the gym every day (6 days a week for the next 12 weeks) No....Matter...What. No matter what happened, no matter what I felt like, no matter what!  This was primarily about going to the gym, but eventually began to translate to other areas of my life.  I have recently taken on more responsibility at work, added two graduate night classes, take care of my dog henry and still run a business on the side of all of this. All great excuses for bad eating and no gym time, especially at 6am. But all that falls into the No Matter What category. So excuses can suck it!

I have now done this for about 3 weeks and feel great. Its working, and I haven't missed a beat. Until today. I had a family member who needed to go to the doctor at 7am. I agreed to take him and decided that I had to go to the gym at 5am if I was going to make it happen. I went to bed at 9:30pm last night and set the alarm. The buzzer sounded at 445 and as if I  was in a movie, I rolled over, hit snooze and fell back asleep but not before I murmured, "no matter what." I woke up again by 5:30, but it was too late to get my work out done. I was bummed, but packed my gym back and decided to go at lunch, which is exactly what I did. 

This isn't a miracle in itself, but it did remind me of two important lessons.
1. Strong Commitments Matter! My "no matter what" philosophy was such a motivator that going to the gym later wasn't even a second thought, it just happened. If I was more casual about my committment, I could have easily blown off just one workout, which would have set the domino's into action and my old patterns would have come back. (How many times have I had one bad meal and threw in the towel for the whole day or week?)

2. Progress not perfection I don't have to be perfect in this process, but I do have to remain committed. I also realize that every workout is not the highest quality, but as long as I continue to commit to going "no matter what", I will progress and meet my goals. This concept is not my own, but works in so many areas of my life.

I think this is working because I don't have too many rules for myself. I'm not a fan of rules, but I can follow just one. No matter what!

Can you use this idea for a major commitment you have made to yourself? Have a similar story? Comment on the blog and let me know!