Not Try Harder....Try Different.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 90
Not Try Harder....Try Different.
I sometimes follow a blog from a person who has quit drinking. Something really resonated with me from a recent post and I am sure people have mentioned this but this writer brought a great analogy.
It’s not “try harder.”
It’s “try different.”
Think about weight loss for a minute. I’m trying to lose weight, and every day I start with good intentions, and maybe I do well for a few days, but then I eat a piece of cake. Then I start the diet again, thinking “I just have to harder.”
How about instead of trying harder, I could try different’?
What would different look like? I can remove the processed food from the cupboards – give it away, donate to the women’s shelter, throw it out. (Remove the alcohol.)
I can go to the store and get healthy food. (Get sober replacement drinks.)
I can tell someone that I’m starting a new eating thing and ask for their support. (Ditto.)
I can find a blog written by someone who has successfully changed their eating, and I could read their blog from day one to see what they struggled with, and how they coped. (Ditto drinking.)
I can have an appointment with a food person. (Ditto drinking.)
I can subscribe to a podcast about healthy eating. (Ditto drinking.)
Or I can continue to do what I've been doing, trying harder. I can get up tomorrow, with all of the same booze still in my house, with all of the same stress as yesterday, with the court case and the in-laws and the car brakes and the snow and the vacation and the fundraiser and the laundry and the special needs child, and I can promise that starting now I’m going to “try harder.”
Or I can try different.
It’s not “try harder.”
It’s “try different.”
Think about weight loss for a minute. I’m trying to lose weight, and every day I start with good intentions, and maybe I do well for a few days, but then I eat a piece of cake. Then I start the diet again, thinking “I just have to harder.”
How about instead of trying harder, I could try different’?
What would different look like? I can remove the processed food from the cupboards – give it away, donate to the women’s shelter, throw it out. (Remove the alcohol.)
I can go to the store and get healthy food. (Get sober replacement drinks.)
I can tell someone that I’m starting a new eating thing and ask for their support. (Ditto.)
I can find a blog written by someone who has successfully changed their eating, and I could read their blog from day one to see what they struggled with, and how they coped. (Ditto drinking.)
I can have an appointment with a food person. (Ditto drinking.)
I can subscribe to a podcast about healthy eating. (Ditto drinking.)
Or I can continue to do what I've been doing, trying harder. I can get up tomorrow, with all of the same booze still in my house, with all of the same stress as yesterday, with the court case and the in-laws and the car brakes and the snow and the vacation and the fundraiser and the laundry and the special needs child, and I can promise that starting now I’m going to “try harder.”
Or I can try different.
Last edited by 02022018; 02-09-2018 at 11:19 AM. Reason: qualify a sentence.
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
