Clarity of Process

Clarity is a great thing.  It's so much easier to attack a problem if you know what you're trying to accomplish.  If your path is clear, it doesn't seem to take as much work to stay on the path.  If your path is clear, it's easier to see landmarks that allow you to mark your progress.

I was just talking to some workmates about creating a clear path for our new fitness center members -- it's challenging enough to get yourself here -- the road from work to the FC is loaded with opportunities to turn the car toward home and never even get here.  If you can get yourself here, wouldn't it be great if you had a clarity about what you should be doing once you're through the doors? 

That is one reason why lots of people think dieting is the way to lose weight.  You buy a book, a program, rent a video, join a group and viola!  Instant clarity.  You are going to be told what to do, what to eat, and what you should avoid.  And it works just well enough to keep you coming back.

But then what happens?  You fall out of love with the "clarity in a box".  You want more choices than someone else's version of clarity allows.  You want to walk your own path.

There are some positive things people learn from dieting.  Think about the last diet you were on.  Which part of it did you find easy to follow?  Take that and use it as part of your new found clarity.  Add bits and pieces you find almost-hardly-not-at-all-painful.  Create your newer, clearer vision for yourself.

Clarity -- it's a wonderful thing but it takes work.  I can clean my windows in the spring -- but by this time of year, I dread accidentally ending up in the living room as the evening sun streaks through (or tries to anyway....they're really, really dirty!)

Your clarity about your eating is the same way.  You create a clear vision -- but if you don't actively work on keeping your clarity, smudges happen.  Usually, most of them aren't very big but given enough time and they will add up to obscure your vision.  That's when you notice that you can't see anything. (that's also the time some of us avoid looking so we don't have to come face to face with just how obscured our vision has become).

I can't promise you very many things -- but I think I can safely say -- just like I am always glad when I tackle the dirty windows and can walk through the living room and enjoy the view, I bet if you tackle your vision for your eating behaviours, you will be glad with your renewed clarity, too.