When a parent was having difficulty with one (or several/all) of their children, a statement that was often used by the parent in the “old days” was: “He (or She) is being IMPOSSIBLE”. This weas meant to imply that controlling the child and having the child exhibit good behavior was something that could not be done. Of course, this phrase did not reflect a true situation as although the parent was quite exacerbated by the child’s behaviors, a positive impact could be made in the future. Yes, teaching the child to behave in a better manner was difficult but not impossible.
This brings us to the concept of the difference between “Difficult” vs. “Impossible”. There are some situations when/where despite any of our efforts or wishes, the outcome of those situations will be impossible to change. Here are some examples:
- The weather
- Mortgage rates
- Our favorite sports teams’ performances in critical games
- Behaviors of certain people in our lives such as bosses at work, co-workers, etc.
On the contrary, there are a number of situations when/where, despite this being difficult, changes can occur due to our efforts. Some examples:
- Changing behaviors of our children/spouses for the better
- Changing jobs for a healthier/less stressful work environment
- Transitioning to a different area, making new friends and establishing a presence in the new community
Now, to the weight control arena: At times, people that have chronic weight control issues start thinking that it is impossible to shed the weight. When this mindset occurs, the “I Give Up” mentality sets in, because if something is impossible to achieve, why even bother? This thinking, of course, will provide a self-fulfilling prophecy: It was IMPOSSIBLE to lose the weight.
Losing weight and keeping that weight off is DIFFICULT, but yet, NOT IMPOSSIBLE. There are many reasons why the quest is so difficult to achieve (metabolism, chemical, hormone, and many other challenges). This is the reason why 70% of our country is overweight/obese. However, despite the difficulty factor, please remember it IS possible to achieve a happier and healthier weight. YOU can do this!
Here is THE KING singing “It’s (IM)Possible”