Shifting Focus from Difficulties to Benefits
Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.
George Washington
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2
Most of us are all too willing to latch on to the first excuse we can find to explain why our health is out of our control. Here are a few excuses specifically related to physical health:
That last one reminds me of a joke I heard recently. An overweight man goes to his family doctor for a checkup. When the doctor shows concern over his weight, the man says, “Doc, the problem is that obesity runs in my family.” The doctor replies, “No, the problem is that no one in your family runs!”
The excuses that fill our minds make us believe that we are at the mercy of things beyond our control. So we throw up our hands, convince ourselves that we are doing okay compared to the next person, and forge ahead with life, excuses firmly in place. Even if we can recognize the pattern of blame shifting, it is hard to break because—let’s face it—being a victim takes the responsibility off our shoulders. We feel better about ourselves and have an easier time justifying the poor health choices in our lives if we can blame our current health situation on something other than our own daily decisions.
But no matter how much we try to outrun it, we can’t get away from the truth that the apostle Paul so clearly levied in a letter he wrote to some friends thousands of years ago: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6:7 NIV).
If you sow seeds of poor health into your life, poor health is what you will end up with. But the good news is that the truth works both ways. If you are intentional about sowing seeds that lead to good health, you will reap good health. If you sow seeds necessary for good relationships, you will reap good relationships. If you sow seeds of rest and restoration, you will experience less stress and less fatigue. If you sow seeds of connection with God, you will experience more of his presence. You get the idea.
Sowing good seeds looks a lot like taking responsibility for your life. It looks a lot like taking a hard look at where you are and where you want to be and deciding to do what needs to be done to bridge the gap. It is refusing to make excuses and choosing instead to make better choices—choices that lead to health and wholeness and to the life you want to be living. And, again, it is never too late to get started.
Debunking the Two Most Common Excuses
When you cut through all the excuses we are all guilty of using to justify our poor choices and bad behavior, most of them can be filed under two main categories: “I don’t have time” and “I’m too tired.” Let’s look at what is really behind each one.
“I Don’t Have Time”
A lack of time is the number one excuse people offer up for neglecting their health. Unfortunately for the excuse makers, it is never a legitimate claim. We are all busy. There is always something else on the to-do list that has to be taken care of right away. But we would suggest that no matter how busy your life is, you will always find time for what you consider to be most important.
Do you have time to get quiet before God each day? Do you have time to spend with your kids? Do you have time to put in an extra hour at work on that big project? Do you have time for that show on Netflix? Of course you do, because you understand the importance of those things (well, maybe not the last one). Likewise, when you understand the importance of being proactive about your health—and hopefully that won’t be at the point of a life-or-death crisis for you—you will find the time to do it. Staying healthy is not a question of time; it is a question of priorities.
Still, most of us love this excuse because it makes us sound self-sacrificial. When we don’t have time to eat well or work out because we are busy taking care of our kids, working long workweeks, or investing in the relationships in our lives, well, that is just the price we pay for being responsible to our obligations, right? Wrong. This is nothing more than a righteous-sounding excuse for not taking care of ourselves.
In reality, eschewing your responsibility to practice healthy habits today means that more of your time will be occupied by health problems tomorrow. Going to doctors’ appointments, waiting for prescriptions to be filled, and continuously checking your sugar level and blood pressure take a great deal of time out of your schedule. Those are precious hours spent away from your family and your work. Better to make time for healthy living now than to be forced to spend time (and money) dealing with health problems down the road.
Once I (Nelson) committed to making exercise and healthy eating part of my routine, I became addicted to the results. What they do for me physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is hard to overstate. Thanks to prioritizing my health, I am now more efficient with my time and better able to be there for the people I had been using as an excuse. I have a clearer mind and more energy to tackle every day’s work. Healthy living is an investment of time, not an expenditure, and one that seems to multiply the hours exponentially.
“I’m Too Tired”
Unhealthy foods combined with a lack of exercise is a recipe for constant tiredness, which makes this excuse a self-perpetuating one. If you play the tired card, remember this: the biggest reason you are so tired is because of your unhealthy lifestyle. The longer you justify this kind of lifestyle, the more tired you are going to be—which will make the excuse even harder to break free from.
The only answer is to be intentional about taking a first step toward health. Make a healthy meal even though you are tired. Go for a walk even if you don’t feel like it. Turn off your phone and get to bed a little earlier. Over time, with consistent effort, you will have more and more energy, and this excuse will begin to evaporate.
Shifting Focus
Excuses are nothing but a by-product of wrong focus. They come from concentrating on the obstacles to a healthy lifestyle rather than on the benefits of good health. Instead of dwelling on how hard changing your bad habits will be, shift your attention to all the ways being healthy will transform your life for the better. When you have a big enough why, the how won’t seem so intimidating. Here are just three of the best benefits of a healthy lifestyle:
Now let’s take a look at the third key commitment to getting your health on track: start taking small steps toward change.