So, once again, it is by an act of grace that this post has written itself.
Yesterday, the 28-Day Kick The Sugar Challenge (KTSC28) came to a triumphant close and it is an amazing feeling for every single one of us who accomplished our goal…even if there were some slips along the way.
The ones that did it without any falls are just as far ahead as the ones who did fall off and then dusted themselves off and got right back on.
It is amazing to see and feel people’s joy in accomplishing something they never thought possible. I think it is safe to say we are all better for the experience.
On Sunday, I watched one of my favourite shows. Joel Osteen. He was preaching about how we can become the BOSS of our own lives by saying “no” to our feelings and “yes” to our spirits.
I like this message. A lot.
And I like Joel. A lot.
Whether or not you are religious doesn’t matter. In every single one of his sermons, he shares a message we can all use.
If you like, simply replace the word “God” with “spirit” or “universe”, and you will see that it is all the same.
When he uses parables from the Bible, you can simply look at them as stories to relate to.
But if you want some motivation in your life, I believe Joel Osteen is among the best to break down a message and deliver it in a way that inspires change.
The Boss
This week, his message was all about how being the BOSS in our own lives means we don’t have to be slaves to our feelings. What I also liked so much about his message this week were the many references he made to food.
Because when it comes to food, we have a lot of feelings.
As I talked about in this post, when we can become the observer of our feelings, as opposed to the person reacting to our feelings, we can take the time we need to pause, reflect, and make choices based on what it is we truly want for ourselves.
Joel told a story of being a teenager and running track. It was a hot summer day, and he and his buddies had some time before practice to go and get something to eat.
Joel was craving Mexican food, and so they hit up his favourite restaurant. On the way there, a small, quiet voice said “You’d better not eat this food. It’s 100 degrees outside and in a few minutes you’re going to be on that hot track running.”
He ignored that tiny voice and he went ahead and ordered all of his favourite dishes.
The voice came back again, this time saying “Joel, you better not eat this. This is not a good idea.”
Again, he ignored that tiny voice and he ate the food anyway.
As he filled up on Mexican food, he wasn’t the Boss…his feelings were.
At practice, the Coach announced that they would be doing sprints…not jogs…not runs…SPRINTS, and, not surprisingly, Joel didn’t feel well.
The coach wouldn’t let him off the hook, though, and so Joel would sprint and then throw up; this continued for the entire practice.
Ugh. I think we can all relate…
Have you ever eaten something you KNOW will make you feel bad, but you did it anyway?
Have you ever pigged out on your “favourite” food, trying to shove that nagging voice down with every bite?
Have you ever reached for that third or fifth or twelfth cookie and knew you were doing it to soothe your feelings rather than serve your greater good?
I know I have. I certainly did it with alcohol, and I have done it with food, too.
Being A Mature Adult
Joel talks about being the Boss in our lives as a sign that we are mature.
I agree.
When we are children, we want what we want when we want it! We don’t understand delayed gratification. We can’t see around corners. We can’t know what is best for ourselves in the long run.
But as we get older, if we are truly mature, we begin to make choices that don’t just serve our feelings.
We make choices that help us grow as human beings.
It takes maturity to be able to say “I want to ram into the back of that guy for cutting me off in traffic…but I won’t because that would just make things worse…and these feelings only hurt me”.
It takes maturity to say “I want to yell at my Boss, but if I do, I won’t have a job…so I won’t.”
It takes maturity to say “I want to order a pizza and a 2-litre bottle of pop and a chocolate cake and eat it all by myself so no one will know…but I won’t because doing so will make me feel awful and tired and fat.”
This is NOT about not feeling the feelings, as I have talked about before, but it IS about acknowledging those feelings and deciding the course of action we will take that will lead us to the outcome we truly want.
Doing The Work
This is how we become the Bosses in our own lives; instead of having our feelings boss us around.
We don’t mature at any given age, per se. We mature when we are able to tell ourselves “no” in the short term because we know what’s best for ourselves in the long term.
This is the kind of work we have been doing on the Challenge. Learning to say “no” now so that we can reap the rewards later. We’ve learned:
- How to see Big Sugar in a new way that opens our eyes to the truth of the sugar industry
- How to calculate the amount of sugar in products, a detail that Big Sugar pays handsomely to hide from us
- How to prepare our own meals so we aren’t tempted or stuck with nothing to eat
- How to make new recipes that taste delicious and make us feel healthy and nourished
- How to use our Food Journals to see trends and spot weaknesses
- How to exercise daily, showing our amazing bodies how much we respect them
- How to practice self-care to show ourselves love and compassion
I believe that if we can develop a healthy relationship with food and ourselves, we can overcome addiction and the trap of food marketers.
I believe that with the support of a tribe and a plan to help us see a better way, we can truly make decisions that serve us, rather than harm us.
Because as I’ve said before, it all starts with a decision.
And no one can do the work for us.
Doing the work for ourselves is how we become the Boss.
And don’t you really, really want to be your own BOSS?!
Keep Going
Throughout this last week, I had a lot of Challengers asking “what’s next” and “where do we go from here”.
I am so pleased they were asking these questions and not so much “when can I eat chocolate cake?!” (although I did get a couple of those!!!)
Because this Challenge has been tough! Who can say they haven’t had a single taste of sugar for 28 days straight???? Not many people!
But these people can. And I am just so proud of each and every one of them who chose to be the BOSS in their own lives rather than continue to allow their feelings to boss them around.
It’s been amazing.
So, what’s next?
Those who decided to keep going are onto the next 28-Day leg of the Challenge. We call it the Re-Integration Phase, and here is where we add in more foods, each week, and track how we feel along the way.
We build upon all of the work we’ve done and we get even more committed to becoming the healthiest, happiest, “wholest” versions of ourselves.
We will explore new foods, taste new recipes, do more workouts and practice more self-care as we move through this leg of the journey.
Because I’ve learned that you can keep going long after you think you can’t.
Thank you to all of you reading who have rooted for us and who have reached out to ask questions. If you are interested in joining us for the next KTSC28, we would love to have you!
Join the waiting list here to be notified when the next one runs. It will be within the next month.
Because if you are seeking, we get it. We were, too.
Because if you are searching, we can help you find it, because we were looking too.
Because if you have lost your way and need help, we will walk along this path beside you.
Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.
P.S. If you’d like to watch Joel Osteen on Sunday mornings, he is on at 10 am EST or you can subscribe to his YouTube Channel here. Here is the talk I was referring to in today’s post. I think you will get a lot from it. 🙂
P.P.S. Click Here to join the Waiting List for the next KTSC28.
P.P.S.S. Let’s be friends! Connect with me on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. 🙂
P.P.P.S.S. A few people have sent messages expressing concern that the KTSC28 ends after 28 days. They are worried it won’t be long enough to reverse a lot of bad habits. Please don’t worry. I have an entire Re-Integration and Maintenance plan that will support you indefinitely, so be sure to get on the list! 🙂
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