Mike’s Daily Rant 11/02/2012 Topic: Starting Monday

I love to live my life by the cliché that tomorrow is never promised. I live my life like every day is my last and tomorrow may never come. However, I didn’t always live by the cliché. I did what I wanted but would then say that I would change things tomorrow or the day after, yet never changed. That was the procrastinator in me.

381 pounds ago I had trouble staying committed to anything. I sucked at my job (due to being lazy). I took short cuts in school (poor research leads to poor writing). I was a horrible friend (made excuses all the time not be social). Now that I have lost some weight, the tides have turned and I stay busy and constantly work on improving myself. Although I get irritated, agitated, annoyed and sometimes angry with people; I love helping others that need and want my help (Situations
vary). My weight loss is noticeable to the people that I have worked with prior 2010. Many people in my building come to me now to ask for weight-loss tips and advice. They have no problem asking me now that they know with certainty that I do not have an internal bacterial flesh eating disease. They come to me before they come to our coworker named Tony Rambo. Tony Rambo is chiseled and cut up like an action figure. However, they may feel intimidated asking him because he can’t relate. I thought about why they would ask me before asking him and I believe that I came up with a valid answer. Asking a person that has
been fit all of their life about weight loss is like asking a person that has never been married for marriage advice. The single person can’t relate so why bother? This is the exact reason why I really don’t watch Dr. Oz for weight loss advice. When that light bulb went off in my head it all made sense to me.

Now back to why I get irritated, agitated, annoyed and sometimes angry with people. Providing weight loss advice really gets redundant when it comes from the same people and they don’t even attempt to write it down, record the conversation or ATTEMPT! My coworker Adele’ asks me about exercise and diet and really seems so interested every time that
she asks. My irritation comes into play because she asks over and over and I have even emailed her a few things that would help. The very last time that she asked me inspired me to express my irritation with her and ultimately write this rant. I told her that I was done with her this time until she gets serious. Serious does not mean looking at
me with intense eyes and nodding slowly while I explain it to you or restating what I just told you. Serious means actually doing it! Serious means asking questions if you feel that you have attempted and you went wrong somewhere. Serious means not wasting precious time having me repeat the same thing over and over and taking nothing away from it.

Now I did not wash my hands with her because she continues to ask the same questions over and over. I can deal with that. People learn differently and at different rates. It annoys me but I can deal with it.
What set me off this time was a phrase that I was guilty of using prior August 2010. After I went over what she asked for she concludes the conversation with, “This time I am serious! I’ve got to get this weight off of me!” “Starting Monday I am going to be a whole new person” Now I am more than annoyed because I know that every time I said that
exact same thing, nothing ever happened once Monday Started. I tell her that “Starting Monday means another failed attempt.” She tells me that she does not understand what I mean and that I have to explain. I tell her that Monday is only the day that we have designated as a society to begin the work week. You can begin physical activity and diet anytime and any day of the week. I continue to explain to her that today is Wednesday. Waiting until Monday gives her 96 hours to come up with an excuse why Monday is not a good day to start and that she will push it off until the next Monday. Trust me 96 hours is enough time to come up with many more than one. She looks at me and says “you are right.” She then asks me, “Did you have that speech ready for me? Or is that a speech that you have to give often?” I tell her, “That was no speech, it is personal. I know how to fail because I have experienced it so much. It’s easy to fail but I try to help people succeed. So sitting there and saying nothing about you waiting till Monday would be me accepting your failure.” She then asks, “When should I start?” I say “Wednesday”. She says “as in today?” I say, “If you look at that way. I say you could say the day before tomorrow of the day after yesterday.” She smiles and says “Ok Jerk.”

She had a salad for lunch yesterday and today she has grilled chicken and asparagus. She came running to my office to show me this morning that she has steamed cabbage and brown rice. She also told me about her exercise the past 2 days.
It appears that she is more serious than she was Wednesday WHILE talking to me. AFTER talking to me it is clear that she is serious and is committed. I tell her that if she is able to do this for 21 days then I am convinced. A habit becomes a habit after 20 days. I’m rooting for her.

I know that my approach may have seemed a bit pushy and not supportive the way that it came off but I think that she needed the extra push to start. Some people push back when you push them. If they are in defense mode the whole time, no changes can be made. She was not in defense mode so this made things much easier for the both of us when she was addressed with the truth. Never put things off until Monday if it can be done today.

MikeMontana1914