In your darkest hour

At the darkest hour is when you are faced with how strong you really are.  It’s easy to thrive and keep a positive attitude when things are going well.  But when you are tested; when things are going badly; when you face adversity, that’s when you find out what your strength is made of. 

You don’t have to be a Raven’s fan to understand this next analogy.  I mean our SUPER BOWL CHAMPION, BALTIMORE RAVENS!  Uhhum, sorry about that.   

Last year’s season ended in a bitter defeat.  Dropped touchdown pass to get us into the super bowl.  Then missed chip-shot kick to tie the game.  Streamers in the air.  Exhilaration in the New England stadium.  Our season is over.  For Raven’s fans, it was a very painful time, and as silly as it may seem to care so much about sports, I just felt defeated. 

I remember watching Ray Lewis in post-game interviews, and later, in cameras on the field.  His message…right in the darkest hour, nearing the inevitable end of his amazing career…was basically this.  “WE’LL GET EM’ NEXT YEAR.” 

Are you kidding?  Next year.  What a joke.  This was our chance.  It was right there in our grasp and those chances don’t come along often.  We blew it and he was just being a Pollyanna (ie. Uselessly positive).  At least that’s what I thought when I heard these words from Ray. 

But here’s the secret.  That’s the way champions think.  The people at the top of any sport or profession are able to keep their eye on the prize and control their emotions.  They have enough guts, strength or ego to BELIEVE they will get there again.

And you know what?  He was right!  Just one year later on the same field, Ray Lewis and the Raven’s went back to the same field, dominated the Patriots, and then won the Super Bowl.  And one of the first things I thought of when the confetti was dropping is his speech one year earlier and how badly I doubted his resolve.

So now it’s time to bring it back to health.  I want to talk about WHEN YOU HIT ROCK BOTTOM.  This is usually one of two times.

1) when you’ve tried and failed many times to lose weight  

2) When you’ve had success, but then fall off the wagon and stop seeing changes. 

In each case, I’ve watched emotion and attitude rip people down to the ground and stop all success.   

There is no easy way to help people when they’re in their darkest hour with weight loss, because if they don’t believe in themselves, it’s tough to convince them to think differently. 

But if this is YOU, what I can do is point you to champions.  People just like Ray Lewis who have failed and then succeeded BIG.  Learn from people who have conquered their dream through tons of adversity.  Read stories of people who have dealt with extreme adversity and won.  People like Gandhi and MLK who have dealt with setbacks and HUGE challenges (I am not comparing the magnitude of their accomplishments to the Ravens, just to be clear). 

They will teach you about your number one asset.  The one thing YOU do control in the time of darkness.  YOUR ATTITUDE. 

I’m not saying this is a cake walk.  But the single best approach to creating a winning attitude and having success in weight loss and health is to succeed even in the face of great challenge. 

Dedicated to your health, 

David Beares
owner- 39 Minute Workout        www.39minuteworkout.com                                                          888-838-9226