For today’s motivating message, I was actually inspired by a quote I heard on reality show Bethenny Ever After (no judgement please):
A true test of character isn’t how you are on your best days but how you act on your worst days.
I agree. Taking someone out of their comfort zone can reveal a lot about their character. Having a bad day is extremely subjective; it can mean spilling your coffee, your computer crashed or you’ve lost your job. But what’s telling is how you would handle each of these situations. Would you lose patience or keep your cool? Would you focus on the problem or put your efforts towards finding a solution?
I think this can also apply to anyone pursuing a lifestyle change:
A true test of your willingness to change is how well you adapt when things don’t go as planned.
In an ideal world, everything would always go as planned. Our routines would be perfectly predictable and we’d adhere to our regimens without skipping a beat. But let’s be honest. Stuff happens:
- You’re on work overload and haven’t filled up on groceries in over a week
- Your week is booked with social events and have restaurant dinners every single night
- You’re stuck in traffic and won’t make it to your kickboxing class
- You sleep in and miss your morning run
- You forget your lunch at home and are stranded at the cafeteria
- You’ve been running errands for hours, are starving and have wound up in a food court
- It’s wedding season, the holiday season or birthday month
- You’ve spilled your coffee on your computer and have lost your job (ok, now that’s a bad day)
What would a bad day be like for you? Do you try to stick to your habits when things don’t go as planned?
What a great post! This couldn’t be more true.
As you read on my blog, I have been in a rut lately. Also other things aren’t going all too well (work is a big one). But I have decided to stop procrastinating about getting on track and get to it. There may never be a good time to start.
This post hit home with me. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks Kristen! Really happy it resonated with you. I have no doubt things will turn around soon, keep on trucking!
Love this, and you will get no judgement from me on what you watch on TV :-). So true what you said, especially about settling in to a regular routine, which, with 2 youngish kids, volunteere work, and running my own business, never quite seems to happen. I’ll admit that my exercise routine gets a little wonky at times, but i always come back to it. Thank goodness I eat well, because it really helps me deal with life’s day-to-day unpredictableness!
Amazing. I’m a while away from adding kids to the routine, but it’s encouraging to know that it can all be done! And I agree, eating well is a non-negotiable, it’s the only way to have the energy to do it all.