October 31. “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” (Conrad Hilton)

As I have been progressing through my journey to better health, I have been writing a blog on my path, which you can read here. I also have been reading a lot of blog posts from others who are going through a similar journey to mine. Most of the bloggers I find are women, so when I find one that is written by another man, I have a particular interest.

Not long ago I was reading a post by a fellow male who was working to lose weight. He is around the same age as me, and we are both looking to reach approximately the same weight goal. He is closer to his goal than I am, owing to him having started earlier. In this particular post he was talking about, perhaps even lamenting about, how this journey isn’t just to a weight loss number, but that he would be counting his food, and exercising for the rest of his life. I commented that I have had the same mental discussions as him.

The truth is that a journey toward better health is a lifelong commitment. Success isn’t a destination when it comes to weight loss, it is a journey. Sure, I will celebrate when I hit my goal number, but I won’t sit back, wipe my hands and say “well, that is that.” I know that the moment that I stop trying to be more healthy, the moment that I allow myself to slip back to my old habits, I am lost. About 14 years ago I lost a lot of weight, and I celebrated how great I felt and looked. And, I stopped trying. Within a few years I had gained it all back, and then some. From the lowest weight I reached on that run, to where I was when I started this one, I had gained back over 125 pounds. On the day I hit my lowest weight I felt successful, but it would be difficult to look back to that day and see my overall path as anything but a failure.

In today’s quote, the Hotel mogul, Conrad Hilton, sums up my journey on weight loss quite nicely. He points out that to be successful one has to be constantly moving. The moment that I stop because I have made a mistake, or reached a milestone, I will begin the process of failure.

Yes, when I am 80 years old I will still be watching what I eat, and I will still be going to the gym and taking long walks. To me that is a major key to being successful at being a healthy person, and will be a contributor to my blowing past my 80^th birthday on my way to 90 and beyond.

Today my reflection is on success and motion. I know that to be successful I must always be moving in the direction of my dreams and goals. To do anything else is stagnation, and the end of success.