I want to talk today about heroes, or good examples, or role models. Whatever you wish to call these people or characters that we use to help us move forward I encourage you to pick one for yourself to help with your weight loss motivation. I know this works as it is something I chose a while ago.
In 2008 a Professor at Carnegie Mellon gave a lecture that would be his last, and he knew it would be. The Professor’s name was Randy Pausch. Randy would die of cancer the following year. He knew he had it and he knew he didn’t have much time, so he took the opportunity to literally teach his last lessons. Randy taught about life and how to live under extreme circumstances, and he did it so his children, who were very young, would have some guidance from him.
In the lecture Randy asked a great question. “Who would you rather be Eyoore or Tigger?” Think about who WOULD you rather be. A person noted for walking around sad and unmotivated or a person full of joy, who is always trying something new? I suffer from chronic depression and have to take meds to keep me going. I don’t like it. But there it is. So I decided to pick a character to try and emulate as much as possible.
I chose Snoopy. Why? Easy, there’s not much Snoopy won’t try. We know he jogs and plays hockey, he swims and hikes with Woodstock and friends. He loves to dance and he loves to pretend. He is loyal and a good brother to Spike. And in the 1960’s he even went to the moon and part of NASA’s space program.
He has his faults. He loves to torment people and he loves to eat, he has a temper and is afraid of cats, he can be disrespectful. But he has a drive to do the right thing. I know I can’t become a beagle but I can change my attitudes and strive for joy and to be active. So I keep Snoopy around everywhere, so that when I need it I can see him and be reminded of my goals.
So today it’s my hope that you pick a hero. Fictional or not, pick someone to emulate and to inspire you when you want to give up. Then remember them any way you can, and it will help. I know because it has helped me.
Today I did a beginners exercise DVD. It was great and it got me moving. We’ll talk about exercise DVDs a bit tomorrow. For breakfast it was Slim Fast again, I got up late. For Lunch I had a Tuna Salad lunch kit which contained a small can of pre-made tuna salad and a half dozen crackers, with that I had an apple, For Dinner it was a Chik-fil-E sandwich, Fries and Cole Slaw. I will have a water ice or, a frozen strawberry lemonade as a snack. See you all tomorrow.
As a last thought, you can watch The Last Lecture on YouTube. I really recommend that you do.