The Things Which Inspire Us

My weekly blog will still be published on Wednesday but I learned this week that one of my heroes had passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. Neil Peart was the drummer and lyricist for my favourite band, Rush. What they meant to me cannot be summed up in words but the loss of him in the world does make me think about my journey.

The late and, unfathomably great, Neil Peart

I first found LighterLife when I was in my early twenties, I did a week and lost 13lbs. I was so happy about it, I went right ahead and ate enough pizza to feed a family of four. I’d earned the right to spoil myself after all…

By the time I came back to LighterLife around five years ago (then in my early thirties), I had discovered Rush and I lost five stone. There were a lot of things about that time which all came together to create the perfect stepping stone for me to be successful and one of those, was setting my alarm tone to Something For Nothing.

Every day, Rush, in their relative youth would blast in my ears, singing “you won’t get wise with the sleep still in your eyes” and “waiting for someone to call and turn your world around”. I realised I had been waiting, dreaming. Hoping for a genie or miraculous surgery to change my life for me. It galvanised me, made me want to get up and take life in a positive direction – and I did. I made that change. Every day I got up and decided what I wanted my life to be and did things which would help towards my goals.

For perhaps the first time in my life, I was living in the present. I looked at the day ahead and chose to stick to LighterLife. I chose to go swimming. I chose to work my way up the ladder in a career I loved. And you know what? I succeeded.

For a limited time.

Something which happens to a lot of us when we’re successful with a diet is that we tend to think we know everything. We’ve been there, done that and fought through any obstacle with ease. Pizza isn’t a problem. Cake? Who cares! We are never, ever going back to how we used to be because we’ve reached the finish line and won the race.

Congratulations, but what do you do now?

For some people, myself included, getting to where you want to be is both elating and deflating. Everything you’ve done has been about this moment – for me, it was being able to wear a dress I’d bought some years earlier in 4 sizes smaller than I was at the time – and now you’re here, elated, feeling fantastic, amazing, confident!

Then, life goes on and it can feel a bit flat – a bit like some nice food would make everything brighter…

Before you get to that stage, stop. Before you reach for whatever you would have gone to before you started this incredible journey, stop. You did this for so many reasons and beyond the moment of feeling flat, a whole life is waiting for you, full of possibilities.

You are amazing, unique and wonderful with a precious life to live. Don’t waste it.

To Rush and the late Neil Peart in particular, I dedicate this entry in thanks for inspiring me every day to choose this wonderful and challenging journey.

Goodbye, Professor.

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