Article: The Day that Changed My Life
By Roslyn Franken
When I was 39,
about to turn 40, I got on the scale one day and couldn’t believe my eyes. I was sure
that the scale was broken, as how could I possibly weigh what the scale was telling me? I
stepped off the scale, kicked it around a bit, and then stepped onto it again, hoping that
it would magically display a lower number that I would much have preferred. To my
disappointment, the number remained the same. I was devastated because it was the heaviest
I had ever weighed in my life. I had tried so many fads, diets and gimmicks to lose weight
in the past, but obviously none of these efforts had produced the lasting results I so
desire. I couldn’t tell you how many times I had lost weight only to gain it back as
soon as I went back to my old eating habits. I would like to share with you how that day
changed my life in hopes that it will help you to change your life too.
When I got on the
scale that day, many thoughts passed through my mind. Firstly, I was about to turn forty,
and for any of you over forty, I’m sure you’ll agree that it doesn’t get
any easier to reach and sustain a healthy weight and lifestyle as you get older. All my
clothes were getting tighter, it was getting harder to shop for clothes that fit properly,
and I lacked the level of energy that I used to have. I was feeling increasingly insecure
in my body and appearance which was creating the kind of stress that only helps to pack
the weight on and keep it there. But mostly, I
was fearing the many weight-related health risks that come with poor eating and lifestyle
habits such as diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, some forms
of cancer and more.
For me, health was
a huge motivating factor to change my ways because at age 29, I was diagnosed with cancer.
I had gone to bed one night only to wake up at 3:00am with my neck so swollen and painful that I
could hardly lift my head up off the pillow. It turned out that I had a tumour resting on
the main artery to my brain resulting in Hodgkin’s Disease, cancer of the lymph
nodes. After nine months of chemotherapy, I learned a lot about myself and about life that
I only truly came to terms with ten years later on that fateful day when I finally decided
to take charge of my health, my weight and my life.
I recognize now
that in the ten years following my cancer experience, I had allowed myself to steadily
gain weight because I felt that on some level I deserved to eat whatever I wanted because
after all, look what I had come through. I was just happy to be alive. In those ten years
I also endured many other painful life adversities including job loss, divorce, extreme
financial distress, a car accident and the devastating loss of my mother to cancer. The
last thing I wanted was to deprive myself or have to be burdened by watching what I eat
and exercising regularly. All I could see was the burden and sacrifices I would have to
make in order to live a healthier way.
This is exactly
how many people think when faced with the idea of change especially when it comes to
healthy eating and healthy weight management. Many of us resist change tooth and nail
because we are afraid. We fear failure. We fear making mistakes. We fear the unknown. We
fear the time, energy and effort that is required to create the positive and meaningful
changes we so desire because we see it as only a burden with many sacrifices. We don’t
want to have to give up anything. And so
instead, we stay trapped within our comfort zones where even if we’re not healthy or
happy and don’t feel good about ourselves, at least we know what to expect.
 On that day that changed my life, I decided
to turn all my fears into determination and let go of all my negative attitudes towards
changing my eating habits and lifestyle. I was too tired and too fed up to go on the way I
was going and made the conscious choice to focus on all the benefits to be gained rather
than the sacrifices. Instead of viewing the necessary changes as a burden, I saw them as
an opportunity instead. This shift in my thinking was the launch pad necessary to take me
to where I wanted to go with my health, my self-esteem, my energy and my desire to thrive
in this lifetime and not just survive. I was tired of just surviving. I wanted to thrive.
If you too want to
thrive and not just survive, then you too can turn your fears into determination and your
negative attitudes into positive ones. This is where your lasting success will stem from.
I encourage you to make a commitment to doing your best in any circumstance with an open
mind and open heart to learn, make mistakes, get knocked down and get right back up again.
When you do this, you will gain not just the lasting results you want, but the confidence
and motivation to reach for even higher goals. The number on the scale does not define
your self-worth, only YOU can define your own self-worth and by going out of your comfort
zone, opening yourself up to new possibilities, turning your fears into determination, and
turning what you see now as a burden into opportunities, you can achieve the healthy
living results you so desire.
Roslyn
Franken
is a proud cancer survivor and acclaimed author of The A List: 9
Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living and Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors. She
is a motivational speaker and host of the How to Thrive after 35 internet radio
show. Roslyn also offers one-on-one counseling by
telephone and email conveniently accessible world-wide. For more information, send email
to info@roslynfranken.com or visit www.roslynfranken.com.
Tell a Friend about this site
BUY THE A LIST BOOK
| SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER | CONTACT US | HOME
[TOP OF PAGE]
©Copyright Roslyn Franken Group, a division of 10-Q Enterprises Inc.
2006. All rights reserved worldwide. |
