The Truth About Failure and Progress

It is so easy to let what you believe is "failure" bring you down:
"Damn I'm up a pound"
"Forgot to workout today"
"Blew it, I had a cookie..."

And so many of us think of progress in only terms of:
"staying on a strict diet"
"Exercising 5 days a week"
"losing pounds every week"

But in reality it's those perceptions that lead to many of us to real failure, and halting us from real progress. That was a huge eye opener for me this month. This is the first time I have been looking beyond the numbers on the scale, that one cookie I may have had. Just because I have a cookie I don't use that as an excuse to get into that "I blew it today might as well keep blowing it..." and just because the numbers on the scale don't move fast enough to I throw in the towel. I'm down 14 pounds for a reason since the beginning of May.

You know what I have been celebrating?
1. My clothes fit better
2. I bought my first size 14 swimsuit last night, I havent been able to buy one for a long time that small
3. I have been able to donate clothes and buy new clothes because Im smaller
4. I eat pretty good and exercise pretty good, and consitently
5. The back rolls are almost gone!!!

Now that's progress. Who cares what the scale says. How do I feel today? How do I look today? Hows my energy level? And all I can say is Good to all three, so I must be having real progress. Today I didnt even hop on the scale because I've been on track with myself, so to me the number couldn't say anything else different then this: "I'm doing good."