---“If you cross your eyes too many times, you could end up that way permanently.”
---“It’s OK to tell your mother a little white lie, as long as it “makes her feel better.” (or as you get older, maybe a little bigger lie!)
---“Don’t remove this tag under penalty of law”. (I wish I would have thought of that!)
---“If you do something wrong, it will go on your permanent record.” (where do they keep that “permanent record?”
…or we make up our minds about our own personal limitations, such as…
---“My brother got the brains in our family, so I guess I’m just a screw-up.”
---“I would never be able to make it through college because our family doesn’t have the money.”
---I am not really fat, just “big boned”! ( Or I heard this one- “I can carry more weight because I’m long-waisted!.”
As a child, I always loved being the biggest kid in school. I was WAY bigger than everyone else my age- taller, bigger, and stronger- the fat part came later. Along with that came the fact that I ate more- my parents always told me “eat as much of meat and potatoes as you want, and drink all the milk you want, and it will make you bigger and stronger” (another questionable rule!). So I did- I ate steak and potatoes and all the trimmings every meal, along with about 7 gallons of whole milk per week.
When I got into adulthood, I still ate a lot of food, even though I was obviously through growing taller, just wider. I always told myself that “I was just a bigger person than everyone else, and I needed more food to maintain”. Everyone always told me “You’re not really fat, just big boned.” Somebody even once told me that “You’re not overweight, you’re just under-tall!”
Fast forward to February of this year: I had been diagnosed at a Type II Diabetic about 5 years ago, having to take insulin for the high blood sugar, medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In addition, I had been diagnosed 5 years ago with sleep apnea because of my morbid obesity and was using a C-PAP machine to help control that at night when I slept. I had lost 50 pounds 3-4 years ago (down from 390) to now weigh 340 pounds, but couldn’t get any more weight off because the insulin makes you gain weight.
Even better, I have also lost a lifetime of pre-conceived ideas that have held me back all these years:
---I am not doomed to be “big and fat” all my life”. I can choose to be the size and shape I want to be.
---My knees (which I have had 5 surgeries on) don’t have to hurt all the time. I can now walk 7-8 miles hard and have no pain.
---I no longer believe that if I work out 3 times per week, I can improve my health, because I am dedicated to working out EVERY DAY, no matter what.
---I also am saving about $500-$700 every month simply because I no longer feel that I need to eat out at a restaurant every meal. (I can even drive by a Zaxby’s without pulling in!)
My point is this…
You can be anything you make up your mind to be. If you choose to be fat, you will be fat. If you choose to be unhappy, you will be miserable. If you choose to keep your business (or your career) in the same mediocrity it is in today, you will be stuck with that mode forever. Instead, decide to change your life and your business for the better. Take the limitations off of yourself, and go accomplish something! Get excited about what you are doing in your life, even if it means changing your life completely.
Give me some feedback and tell me what you want to change in your life or your business today.
Bobby Bland PWCA, CIC
Vice President
Commercial Risk Service
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