For as long as I can remember, I have been on a journey of fighting fat. It’s been a never-ending battle of the bulge that began when I was a kid blessed with over-indulgent grandparents who pampered me and allowed me to eat more than I should have. Maybe it’s the genes, perhaps it was the early wonder years that set me up for this fight with fat, but it’s been an up-and-down journey, like a rollercoaster on the weighing scale.
The lean and mean me phase happened courtesy of boarding school. Yanked away from the comfort and calories that my grandparents provided and thrust into a world of exercise and calorie deficit-ness, that cut me down to size. Cross-country running, playing a sport every day, and regulated meal times and quantities did what no number of threats or diets had done before. This was one of the most valuable gifts I received from my boarding school experience.
Back in Chennai with my grandparents for college, I had to work hard to stay on this path. Tennis provided an outlet for the calories that I enjoyed consuming and then working off. However, it’s been a yo-yo of a ride. Up and down went my weight, and every time it hit a point when my belt started biting into my belly, another fight began to bring it down. The triggers that allowed my expansion and growth of girth have been different. Some happy times. Some stressful times. Something shifts in the external environment, and I lose my bearings, and before I know it, I gain inches.
Every birthday for the last few years has been a time of reckoning. It started when I was turning 52 and I set a target of 92×52 – 92 (kgs) by 52 (years). Then it became 93 by 53. And now, as I touched 54 on Saturday, the dream of 94 seems distant. In the past, I have always beaten myself up and used that “bad feeling” to help me get back on the fighting fat path.
This time, however, feels different. I am committed to finding my way down the weight hill. I am also committed to cardio and strength training as habits to inculcate. However, there is a different feeling as I go in search of fitness. It’s not a fight. It’s a kinder approach. No less intent and am sure will be equally intense and demanding in terms of discipline. The approach is one of wanting to be stronger and healthier; hopefully, the happy by-products of losing a few inches and fitting into my old clothes will be a bonus.
And in that shift, I can allow and embrace my current self with a much greater degree of kindness. It’s okay, some days I’m up, others I’m down, but on both days, I am learning to be joyfully me. In the world of fat, down is good. In most other worlds, being up is good. And that’s the see-saw of life, enjoying both up and down phases is what it’s all about.
As always, I try to see how my learning for the week connects to the worlds of communication and coaching. In the context of reputation, I see the similarity. If one is committed to doing the right things, for the right reasons, in the long run, a healthy reputation will be built. There will be slip-ups, there will be great phases, and because the core purpose remains central to how both phases are dealt with, trust will be built and a strong reputation will emerge.
Most important- the way a company treats its employees, clients, and other stakeholders, when it’s doing well and when it’s not, is defined by its mindset. If there is kindness and grace to accept the ups and downs, then there is kindness and grace in its dealings and engagement with stakeholders. Purpose and culture are the inner reflections that lead to healthy profits and a strong reputation.
In the coaching world, it’s about being true to who you are. Getting to see one’s core self and allowing that person to blossom and grow. There will be a phase when others’ expectations make you veer off your path, and then there will be times when you find the strength and clarity to come back to your true north. The key is to be able to find your way back to you, with kindness and acceptance; true strength comes from this place.
Finding fit in all spheres of life and doing it with an attitude of kindness seems a fitting place to end this piece. A reminder that “The Why?” matters. Why am I doing it? What is the purpose? Pause and examine the intent behind your actions, it has the power to change the way you feel. This deeper examination often defines the energy of the how. Target for next year: 95 by 55.
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