I’m Starving

I’ll keep this short.

I JUST STARTED “Intermittent Fasting” two days ago and it has impacted me in an unexpected way. This is not some weight loss strat I’m going to sell you on (although it does help apparently). My lesson is simple:

Small disciplines help you with big disciplines.

When’s the last time you have told yourself “no”? Honestly, I realized it’s been awhile for me. I forgot the feeling of being able to look at something I really want (that pint of Halo Top Ice Cream sitting nice and pretty in my freezer) and mentally slapping my hand with a ruler while muttering in an accent “no soup for you!”

It might seem counterintuitive, but this moment of abstaining from something delicious gave me power over myself that I did not have before. It recharged my will-power battery.

By giving myself this little jolt of mental fortitude, I was able to do something really cool:

I went for a run.

I used to run ALL the time, but recently I’ve been ignoring it like the half finished carton of cottage cheese in the back of my refrigerator. I know it’s still there and available, but it get’s more difficult to eat over time (okay that’s a terrible analogy but stick with me here).

If you ever were forced to participate in the fitness gram pacer test, you know that running itself isn’t difficult, it’s STARTING the run which is the most difficult part.

With this in mind, yesterday I did not have the will power to tell myself to go for any sort of jog. But after telling myself “no” to Chick Fil A on the way home from substitute teaching, I was able to tell myself “yes” to putting on the Nike’s and stepping out of the door once I got home.

In no way am I telling you to wake up at 4 AM (dear Lord, please don’t do that). But what I am trying to convey in these modern day hieroglyphics* is this:

Just skip ONE thing today.

Say “no” in one SMALL aspect of your life. Get a tall latte instead of the grande. Get a grande instead of the venti. Drink a (sparkling) water instead of a soda. Put your phone down after getting a notification instead of immediately opening it. DO SOMETHING..

Actually — DON’T DO SOMETHING!

It will power you up to take on the next big “no.”

I’m assuming this is why everyone tells you to make your bed every morning. This one small act sets the tone for the day and gives you momentum that starts the snowball of success.

What is one thing you are NOT going to do today? Let me know in the comments, send me a text, or slide in my DM’s! I’d love to hear.

Make sure to follow along and leave some claps if this was helpful for you at all! It really means a lot when you do! You’ll probably get good luck tomorrow if you do…

*(btw I spelled hieroglyphics first try WITHOUT autocorrect so BOOM!)