I am no stranger to making drastic dietary and fitness changes and than stepping on the scale every morning or looking in the mirror and feeling defeated because the results I want don’t happen over night. This has created a vicious cycle of disappointments vs gratification, ups and downs, and has made it impossible to take my goals past first base. No matter how bad I want to make it to home, I’m my own worst enemy because of this idea that I should see results over night. We live in a society that expects immediate gratification for their efforts.

Imagine what would have happened if people 100 years ago just gave up when their hard work went unnoticed for long periods of time. Instead, they continued to give it their all even when they had nothing because they had faith their small efforts would add up in a big way someday. This is how cities and business were built, how inventions were made, how food was grown, and therefore how life was lived.

This reminds me of a book that emphasizes this very way of thinking, The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. The slight edge is that which you gain over or fall behind others with small daily efforts that add up big over time. He states “the same things that are easy to do, are also easy not to do.” The decisions we routinely make, add up big, whether negative or positive. Olson stresses the concept of what you do each and every day…matters, and that each decision you make all lead you somewhere.

The real question is, is what you did today, what you did yesterday, taking you where you want to be a year from now, 5, 10, even 20 years from now? Every day, every decision counts. Immediate gratification is a false expectation that leads us nowhere but back to what feels safe.

A new year is a time to reflect on what you want for the future and how to implement small changes along the way. Make sure above everything, to love and be kind to yourself, and to enjoy THE PROCESS.