Do you like the consequences of procrastination?

Have you experienced the consequences of procrastination? For example, did you ever procrastinate in school? Like, rather than read and study the class materials throughout the semester, it came down to a 48-hour cram fest to see how much you could retain and regurgitate once you had a No. 2 pencil in hand? Yeah, I did that once or twice…

Think about the focus of cramming. It’s to pass the test. Then, consider what likely does NOT happen? The purpose of school to begin with: life-long learning, increasing intellect and skills for a particular purpose.

So, the consequence of procrastination, and then cramming, might have been a decent, maybe even good, grade on a test, but we also short-change ourselves. We take the quick win over the long-term gain.

What happens if someone approaches weight loss like a test? She does a cleanse, fast, diet…anything to lose weight quickly. And because “cramming” for weight loss is unsustainable, she reverts back to old habits and the weight comes back.

Lasting weight loss is a side effect of day-in-and-day-out healthy habits: of mindful, healthy eating, of moving and strengthening your body, of getting proper rest, of managing stress… a lifestyle of wellness. It’s like consistently studying and applying the knowledge learned in a class to grow intellectually.

But expecting weight loss to be the first thing that happens when you implement a new exercise program or change your eating habits. That’s short-term thinking that ends – usually – in disappointment. (There IS one kind of short-term thinking I recommend! I talk about it here.)

Instead, what if you made the decision that you’re “in” no matter what? Then NOT losing a pound on day one, or any other day, isn’t a reason to quit or to beat yourself up. What if you focused on what you’re doing to get the result? And what if you worked on your mindset to produce the actions that will ultimately get you the results that you want? That’s where the magic happens, right?

Are the consequences of procrastination worth it? Ultimately, you need to decide. Be clear on which side effects you want: quick weight loss that comes back as fast as it went, or a lifetime of feeling free and being in control, able to maintain your ideal weight.

It is that simple.