photo credit: Brett Taylor

A few months ago, I realized that my day-to-day management of our finances wasn’t going so well. I wasn’t paying close attention to where our money was going, and as a result, we were overspending.

I began dutifully tracking every single expense.  The tracking helped me see exactly what areas of our budget need work, and I was able to trim some unnecessary items from our budget.

And then I got tired of tracking. And I splurged a little on some new clothing. And then I went out to eat a few times. And then I just stopped tracking my expenses.

Likewise, when I started Weight Watchers a few weeks ago, I faithfully wrote down the points values for everything I ate.  I watched what I was putting into my body, and I made an effort to work regular exercise into my schedule.

And then life got busy.  And I got tired of tracking.  And then there was a birthday party at a pizza parlor.  And that led to some snacking,  And then I just stopped tracking what I was eating.

It’s quite easy to justify these little slip ups. I was too busy.  There was a special occasion.  There was a great sale.

But in the end, it is about choices.  And I have no one to blame but myself for the choices I made.  No one held a gun to my head and made me buy a new shirt.  No one forced me to eat that third slice of pizza.  I made those choices.

And now I have to live with the reality that the choices I made will slow down my progress toward my goals.  I want to be a better manager of our money.  I want to lose 20 pounds. Neither of those is going to happen if I don’t start making better choices.

There is no “get rich quick” plan that works.  There’s no “lose weight fast plan” that works.  Instead, I have to do the work.  I’m the one that needs to take the responsibility.  I’m the one who has to learn that if you want something badly enough, you’ll find a way.

If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s this:  One little slip-up, can open the door to more and bigger slip-ups.  And pretty soon, those slip-ups form a great big snowball that gets bigger as it rolls downhill.

I’m taking a time-out.  I’m re-visiting my goals.  And I’m going to get back in the game.

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