Today will be another twofer. What can I say, sobriety makes for a busy life! One that benefits tremendously from the compounding effects of patience, focus, and persistence. Because as sobriety opens up life, there’s so much great stuff to accomplish!
Zero+ ; Nickel ; M: 176 ; C: 138 ; P/U: 90 ; W: 7 mi
Health R.O.S.
- Weight: 205.4
- BMI: 27.8
- Fat %: 21.1
- Water %: 57.5
The Persistence of Weight
Let’s begin today with my weight. I’m not at all concerned about the two pound weight gain this morning. Why? This may be TMI, but I haven’t had a bowel movement since Tuesday. After I weighed in, I had a couple cups of coffee, and BOOM. That problem resolved itself.
Prior to weighing in the day before last, I had a large BM. So, I’m very likely the same weight plus whatever I just relieved myself of.
I apologize for the extra details today, but I believe it is important to understand all of the factors. Weight can bounce up and down from day to day. I’ve come to understand now that there is an ’empty me’ weight and a ‘full me’ weight.
Based on my persistence in measuring my weight over the past few months, ‘full me’ weighs 1.5 to 2.5 pounds heavier than ’empty me’. This difference in weight has no bearing on fat percentage, water retention, or muscle composition. It’s just there, until as they say, ‘Sh*t happens’.
Therefore, I’m not going to let it bum me out. While the road to 183 will be much longer than I ever could have anticipated, I will not allow myself to get hung up on the obstacles along the way. If it takes another six months of patience, focus, and persistence to achieve my weight goal, sobeit.
Redirecting the Mind
Now onto my morning meditation. This morning I focused on Four Thoughts To Redirect The Mind. These are:
- Life is Precious
- Everything is Impermanent
- And a result of Cause & Effect
- That ultimately changes things for Better or for Worse
Impermanence is a bit of a theme in this blog. I not only strive to accept impermanence in my life, but understand the importance of applying it to better myself and the world around me.
When you stop to consider the complex series of events that not only allow you to be here reading this, but are responsible for the sum of totality surrounding you, the miracle of existence becomes quite evident. We should feel a sense of gratitude to be alive in the first place.
The very idea that little old us (you and me) can influence the outcome of the universe in any way is profound. But, I believe, we all participate in the Butterfly Effect that creates the dream of the world we live in. But our impact can be felt most within us and our immediate circumstances.
Cause and Effect
While the wide world can feel overwhelming at times, there are things we have control over. We can control, for example, what we eat (hopefully), how we spend our time, and what we focus on. We can determine who or what we give our precious time to, the decisions we make, and our outlook.
Ultimately, what we cause changes us and the world around us. These changes can be positive or negative. Eating healthy, exercising daily, reading lots of books, and learning a musical instrument will have one set of effects. Eating junk food, while sedentary, and binging Netflix constantly will have a dramatically different set of effects.
I am now experiencing the effects of positive habits in real time.
As I free myself from this gray area drinking issue of mine, and come off of autopilot, I am seeing the world anew. I am at once refreshed and invigorated. My persistence is starting to pay dividends as I experience the positive effects of better choices within me and around me.
Removing Negativity
Persistence in removing the causes of negativity and their undesirable effects, and replacing these with positive thoughts and outcomes, is having an outsized impact on my life. The physical, mental, and spiritual changes are undeniable.
I’ve lost ~27 pounds, gained incredible clarity and creativity, and rekindled all kinds of relationships with family and friends. I perform far better at work. I’ve written over 120 blog posts for this site. I have far more good days than bad. My sleep is greatly improved and I’m no longer numbly feeling my way through life. And I could go on.
Sure, there are hang-ups, like the stubborn set point I’m dealing with, but that’s life. You gotta take the good with the bad. I know if I remain patient and continue in my efforts to change the causes of my weight, I will eventually create the effect of reaching my goal. That’s how it works. But it takes patience, focus, and persistence! The three amigos.
This is true of any goal worth achieving, including sobriety.
There is a shortage of these amigos in our instant gratification society. They are so very rare. But that’s what makes them worthwhile. Getting them to come to my aid all started with meditation. Meditation caused me to have patience and gave me the gift of greater focus. Greater focus engendered persistence. All the goodness in my life began to flow from the simple act of meditating every morning.
Take this morning’s meditation: preciousness, impermanence, cause and effect.
Then consider: patience, focus, and persistence.
So powerful and so simple. Yet, so overlooked, by so many, so consistently…
It may have taken me fifty years to figure this out, but better late than never!
