You Can’t Count on Emotion.
You can’t count on emotion. Emotions are real, no doubt. They can feel absolute. Emotions can make us do things we shouldn’t or not do things that we know we need to do. Many times, if we go by how we feel, we look back and see the choice that needed to be made, regardless of how we felt. You may be asking the question today, “Why can’t I be consistent in my health?”. It could be because you are going by how you feel in every situation instead of making the choices that need to be made. If this is you, there is hope!
Firstly, we must count the cost of living a healthy lifestyle. Is it worth
it? Yes! Is it easy? Nope. But nothing worth doing is ever easy. If that were the case, then everyone would be living a healthy lifestyle. Counting the cost is key because it wraps our minds around what it will take to make a change and sustain that change over the long run. If we don’t count that cost and pay the cost every single day, we will fall back into the same old cycles.
Overcome living by how you feel by making the right small choices over and over again. Don’t try to make one huge change all at once, you may get good results at first, but usually, they don’t last. You must build a foundation first that will last. This is done by making small decisions over and over again until those right decisions become habits. The way I know someone is living a healthy lifestyle is when they are making all of the right choices, but they don’t even have to think about it. It’s just what they do. They have created the habits, and it has paid off!
Making a change is not just about behavior modification; its about changing the way we think. If we are thinking the right way, then our actions will reflect our thinking. We must rewire our minds from an old way of thinking to a new way of thinking. If we make the small choices over and over again, no matter how we feel in the moment, we will create habits that will last decades.
Here is a practical step for you today. Ask yourself the question, “How will I feel after…”. How will you feel after you do whatever it is you are feeling like doing in the moment? If it is a good decision, you will feel great later; if it is bad, you won’t feel so great about the decision. We must have control over what we feel like doing rather than it having power over us. Take how you know you will feel later about the choice you are making and bring it into the present. This allows us to make decisions without focusing solely on immediate gratification. Be encouraged! You don’t have to live confused and discouraged in your health. You were created to be healthy!
Ashton Tate is a Health Coach, Personal Trainer, and owner of Glory to Glory Fitness where he applies biblical principles to make health uncomplicated.
