Finish the Job

The other day I went to take a shower and there was no hot water. I went down to the cellar and realized the water heater was gushing water, but not enough to flood the cellar, yet. I shut off the water valve and called the plumber. He came right away and gave me the good news. I did not need a new water heater. He could fix the old one. He came up and gave me the bill (ouch) and I wrote him a check. As he was putting on his coat, I went downstairs to check out his work and realized that he had "repaired" the leak, so it was only dripping slowly. He had found a bucket and put it under the leak.

I was furious and told him so! He said I only had to empty the bucket once a day and I would have plenty of hot water to take a shower. I told him I paid him a lot of money, so finish the job! He said he didn't have time and he ran out the door!

Now, if you've been in my meetings, you know most of my stories aren't true and if you know me at all, you know I never would have paid a plumber before I checked his work. But I do like using stories that have nothing to do with losing weight and being healthy to illustrate a point. I was in my personal training gym, Get in Shape for Women, in Danvers and all the women were talking about how long they have been attending the training sessions. We all thought we'd gotten stronger and fitter, but some had felt they had not lost enough weight or had not made great strides in improving how they looked. One women asked if everyone had been tracking what they ate and drank, because that really makes a difference. The one that was struggling the most said - "I don't have time."

She wasn't finishing the job.

She was making her training appointments all the time. She was working hard and sweating, at least when I was there, and felt she should have gotten more for her investment. But by not tracking her food intake, she was letting her progress slip away, drop by drop. She was not plugging the leak. Oh, she may have made progress, but by not completing the last step, she was slowing, or even stopping, her progress towards her goals.

My Weight Watchers members tell me the same thing. Linda - I worked out 5 times this week. Linda - I only ate Filling Foods. Linda - I did not drink or have dessert at the 3 parties I went to this week. They feel like Wonder Woman or Superman. And then they get on the scale and it's not what they expect. They ask me what to do. I ask for their Tracker. They just stare. I need it to help them. Most of all, they need to use it, or eTools, to help THEMSELVES! Take the time to track or you'll use more time getting upset and need more time to get to your goal weight.

The plumber must fix the leak. The plow driver needs to clear the whole driveway. The Chef must cook your whole dinner. Why start if you're not going to complete the task?

If your REALLY want to change your body, track what you eat and drink.

Finish the job.