Determination

Last night at church my pastor preached on where we plan on going with our lives in the new year. He asked the congregation "Where are you going?" He was not speaking of eternity, but where we are planning to go with our lives here on earth. Are we going to settle, or are we going to strive to be better.

He mentioned that determination plays a big part in whether or not we make it. This struck a chord with me and put me to thinking more on the subject as I got ready for bed. Not only did I apply this sermon to my spiritual life, but to my weight loss journey as well. I even looked up the word determination on my iPod touch in bed to remind myself of exactly what that meant. I found the following:

DETERMINATION:

–noun

1.

the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose

the quality of being resolute; firmness of purpose

fixed direction or tendency toward some object or end.

So, as I lie there I began thinking...

Where am I going this year with my weight loss journey? Will I have the determination to get there?

I don't believe much in making New Year's Resolutions, especially when it comes to weight loss because I've failed so often in the past, but this year I'm setting two goals. They are goals I've been thinking about setting for the last month, so really nothing new to me. Since I have a lot coming up in the next day (my twins' birthday is tomorrow - the 31st) I decided to post it now.

In 2011 I will

1. Reach my goal weight of 130 lbs, or as close to it as possible. If I hit 135 and get stuck, then I'm okay with settling there. It puts me in the middle of a healthy range with room for movement. I'm okay with that. :)
2. Run a 5K in less than 35 minutes. I call this a "normal" time. My first 5K took me 43:44, great for a 200-pound girl, but I want to sail smoothly along by the end of 2011 instead of trudging along. :)

Determination is going to play a huge part in these goals, especially #1. It's taken me one and a half years to get halfway to my goal weight. I've come a long way, but now I'm ready to take it up a notch and finish what I've started.