Are You Looking For a Reason to Stop?

A few weeks ago I went to Vermont to work with the amazing company Mama Sezz.  Soon they will be shipping delicious, hearty, ready to eat plant–based meals to customers all over the northeast.

Because I am friends with the founders and because working with groups is what I do, I was excited about facilitating a Community Meeting to gain insight about customer ideas and learn more about the remarkable benefits of plant-based eating.

We had varied great tasting food over several days – all of it plant-based (no animal products, including dairy and eggs).  Wow – a big change for someone who eats yogurt everyday, but I agreed, as did everyone else, to take a 28–day challenge to eat only plant-based food.

It was much easier than I had thought.  The positive change for me was immediate. No more cravings for salty snacks (my downfall). I had great energy and focus.  However, there was one unpleasant change I hadn’t counted on – and I won’t describe it.  Let’s just say after three weeks, it no longer felt temporary.

At last I had a “reason to stop!”  And I could have.  But I made a different choice.

Instead of using the “reason to stop” to stop, I used it as a reason to experiment.  I asked myself:  What can I do so I can continue?

I recognized how many times I have been willing to allow a “reason to stop”, a reason not to go, a reason to withdraw, a reason not to try, to give me an out, when something is hard or when I’m afraid I might fail.  How delightful to have an excuse for stopping when I wasn’t determined enough or fierce enough to see something hard through!

But not this time.  I experimented with some of the “new” foods I was eating and discovered a way I could continue.  I feel proud AND a bit sheepish when I think about other times when I allowed that “reason to stop” to stop me.

Look at the challenges you are facing.  Instead of looking for a reason to stop, look for a way to continue.

Let me know what you discover.

Until next Tuesday

Elizabeth