We all falter when it comes to making choices. It’s the human in us all! It cannot be helped, and we need to come to terms with that fact before we start anything in this life, or it will drive us batty if we try to hold ourselves to a standard that can never be. The key to all this is to make more good choices than bad, and with those that are bad, we can in some way, shape, or fashion mitigate or lessen the impact of those rotten decisions upon us, on our minds, on our futures, and on those who are around us.

Making great choices is hard, especially when there’s a Wendy’s there on the corner, a new video game dropping, or that purse that looks so cute!  On every corner, it seems that these and more deeply felt and consequential actions can be taken. Who doesn’t like taking the easy way out/through/over or around? Choosing to make a guilt-free, impactful good decision isn’t always the easiest decision to arrive at. Even if we can look past the more self-centered options and selfishness itself, we need to practice as much as we can in weighing the best options for any decision we may face. What choices are you having a hard time with? Getting your health in good order? Nixing the temptation to your favorite vices? Getting to your spouse what they need? Finding a spouse even? How about locating how to get through a challenge or one of life’s obstacles? Making sense of all these life choices can be challenging, it’s not just you. And there are so many changes to make at the beginning that it makes it harder to get started, sometimes even when we can see the clear path ahead.

Every single one of us here at ThatAquaponicsGuy has been there. Every man, woman, and child, if they have drawn breath for any amount of time has felt it, it is a part of this human experience. We have found assists many people may not realize that can help, and we’ve heard all the excuses. Even the ones most of us only say to the person in the mirror. When it comes to getting yourself prepared for the hard times that are sure to come, we may not even like going down any rabbit hole of that kind. We do our best in our avoidance tactics to procrastinate the day to which we finally take action.

Our Excuses Be Like:

  1. I’ll start on Monday. I have a party to go to this weekend.
  2. I don’t like vegetables, so I could never eat healthy.
  3. Have you seen me ever do something like that? I would look like a wounded jackass.
  4. What the hey – Eat the chocolate cake; Jump off the ski ramp, or insert any impulsive act here!
  5. Diet soda is better for me than regular soda.
  6. The stupid stuff is everywhere, why should I even try?
  7. I’m just too tired and stressed to take care of myself. There is too much to do.
  8. I’m too fat to go to the gym or I am too old for it all, can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
  9. If I just indulge in it right now, I can start doing things right next week.
  10. I didn’t see the results last time. It just makes me hungrier, more frustrated, more depressed, etc..
  11. But this doesn’t seem like the right time, I need to prepare if I’m going to do this right.
  12. I can’t buy all the new and necessary products, I’ll put it off until I can.
  13. I have always failed at this.
  14. Tonight is a good night to sit around and eat ice cream while watching Netflix. I’ll start tomorrow.
  15. I can’t do anything like I am thinking, so what’s the point?

There are plenty more excuses where they came from, and we’re here to tell you to – just start somewhere. We are here for you with tips and support. We’ve all been there before, so let us help you. You don’t have to do it alone. The only thing you need to do to make it happen is… START SOMEWHERE!

Start Somewhere

We’ve all heard – “The journey to self-mastery starts with the first steps.” How many Mondays have passed since you first looked in the mirror and knew you could do better? Start somewhere now, or more Mondays will come and go where you aren’t feeling YOUR best. There is plenty to choose from in the beginning! Don’t compare yourself to others or feel like you must do it, just like anyone else does. Some people have been doing health or finances, or your chosen profession, or desired hobby for longer than you. Start somewhere! Start where you are.

Subtract from your daily routine what might be holding you back. Don’t forget that you need to replace it with something good, wholesome, or of good report because the vacuumed space which is left will attract anything else… you don’t want to go from bad to worse. Identify what you want to change, learn, earn, or become, and then take the first steps towards the good decisions.

Be Patient

It can take time to start seeing results, but you will start FEELING them after a couple of weeks of consistent action or practice. Some you will feel sooner. Your body, mind, or mental state deserves that patience. If it is your health don’t just look at the scale on the daily anyway. Keep track of the incremental changes you see. When you achieve the smaller steps they tend to gather together and look like the bigger steps as you get past them. It takes time for you to get rid of inflammation (the stuff that irritates) which takes away the inches of lethargy and builds muscle, physically, mentally, and spiritually. It takes time. If you don’t start today, feeling good and being healthy is just further away.

You don’t need the perfect; use perfect form, word sequencing, or the like each time. You don’t learn how to play Mozart’s 5th Symphony the first time you sit down to it. Develop that muscle memory. Practice makes permanent. If something is blocking your way, get rid of it, and throw it away. It’s not wasteful; it’s investing in you. Everyone starts from somewhere, so nobody will judge you for how you do things or if you have some extra weight when you are working out at the gym. Literally and figuratively. If they do, who cares? Right? Of course right!

Be Kind to Yourself

Take time for yourself to take care of yourself. Most of us are our own worst critics. Don’t beat yourself up about it all. Keep moving, keep plugging, practicing, gathering, learning, achieving, and accomplishing what you have set to do. I know sometimes you feel overwhelmed and stressed out. You can’t give to others if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Taking care of yourself will help you feel less overwhelmed and stressed. You just have to start somewhere. It’s one choice at a time.

Beware, however, of letting this be an excuse for NOT STRIVING to do your best. Let this be a help, not a crutch in this Good Decisions and Choices Journey.

Don’t be hard on yourself if you miss a note or two, a detail on something you are learning, or “coloring outside the lines a bit.” It’s part of the learning process. When it comes to your health, you spent years being unhealthy. Give yourself some time to learn to be healthy. Maybe it’s one gluten-free sandwich. Or one time passing that Micky D’s and preparing a healthy meal instead. Just maintain your momentum moving forward.

The Good Choices Add Up

Those little choices add up.  As I mentioned before the baby-stepping you are doing, turns into large leaps, benchmarks in your progress, and soon becomes the habit you prefer, the character you are known for, and what others can draw strength from. You don’t have to do everything right away. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect. Those little choices will slowly add up. Every little change is meaningful. As you start to feel better, those choices get easier and easier.

Do it right now. Not later. Start making one decision at a time to be a healthier, better version of yourself. You may have failed before, and you will fail again. But each time it has taught you what you need to know to improve this time. Keep going, others have done it, there is no reason you cannot!

We are here with you. We understand the obstacles, but as your friends, we’ll tell you to get going after that better you! Your excuses only go so far. If you start making good choices today, in a few months, you’ll be proud of who you see in the mirror: A healthier, happier version of yourself. You’ll still have to make healthy choices and pass those vices that have plagued you in the past, but over time, those choices will feel less overwhelming. The only difference between healthy and unhealthy, weak and strong, good and bad people is whether they take the advice to “Start Somewhere!”