The Day One Mentality: Defeating Fear of Failure

One of the things that has always held me back in my weight loss journeys is Fear of Failure (See Fear of Failure 101 Post).

Every new launch into a weight loss journey has taken on the same cycle, repeatedly, for more than ten years now. Each one has had a different reason (excuse) for derailing, but the result is all the same. I start losing. I start failing. I give up altogether. I start over. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

When considering the idea of entering the new journey, it is always with great apprehension. One would assume that someone my size would be excited to start a weight loss journey. Besides, other than missing out on chocolate cake, what could possibly be negative about deciding to lose weight? In three words: Fear of Failure.

To someone who has never been on the weight loss/weight gain roller coaster, the Fear of Failure is a confusing thought. Not trying is failing, right? WRONG. Not trying is telling everyone that you're "happy" being fat. That means that if you eat the chocolate cake, it's totally acceptable amongst your family and friends, because, well, you're not trying to lose weight. You're fat and happy.

However, if you announce that you're trying to lose weight, suddenly, all eyes are on you. Every move you make is under a microscope. Your mother is calling, asking why you haven't talked about exercising in a week. Your coworkers are looking at your lunch portion, and asking if that's on your diet. Your spouse is telling you that it's probably not a good idea to order pizza. Then, when you crack under pressure, you fall off the wagon, and you gain some of the weight back...everyone knows. Everyone sees your failure. Everyone knows you made an attempt and you gave up. You weren't strong enough to do it.

The question is, how to defeat the fear of failure before I ever really get started well? I'm no expert, and chances are I'll fail again before this is over with - at least, I will if the fear is proven right. I'm still researching some things, and giving a lot of thought to this, and plan to make it a series on this blog. Not because I think you, my dear followers and friends, need it. I mean, I love y'all, but this is about me. My fear of failure is holding me back. So this is about me continuing to seek the answers to the things that have kept me from success in the past. And if they happen to help any of you - BONUS!! :)

For me, and I'm betting for a lot of you, each time I give this weight loss journey a whirl, I start the journey with high hopes, enthusiasm, and tons of excitement. I start out staying within my calorie range, enthusiastic about exercise, drinking lots of water, and doing everything within my power to reach my goals. Then, little by little, I let go. I skip exercise when I don't feel like doing it. I allow myself to go over my calorie goal here and there. Until eventually, there are more days of not trying than days of trying.

So what if, every morning, I treat each new day as if it's Day One? Every morning, I wake up with the mentality that today is the only day that I'm trying. This may seem a bit silly to some, but I've been putting it into practice, and for some reason, psyching myself out mentally and convincing myself that today is 'Day One' of my journey all over again - is working. It's really a bit like setting your clock radio a few minutes fast. You KNOW that it's fast, but somehow your mind still works in such a way that when you're driving and glance down at the clock, you feel a little bit of a panic and the need to push a little harder so you don't run late. We all say the catch phrases: "Today is a new day." "One day at a time." Blah blah blah. But I think those have become so cliche, that they don't even phase us any longer.

Tomorrow is Day One of my journey. I will be tracking my calories, staying within my calorie range, drinking plenty of water, increasing my activity level, and having an enthusiastically fabulous day. And I will not fail tomorrow, because, well, it's Day One!! Can't wait!