Few journeys follow a straight line toward the destination. Most take unexpected twists and turns and you will often cover the same ground more than once. The key is having a good map and being willing to keep going.
Today I hit a milestone on my journey. I’ve lost over 50 lbs. I began this journey on January 9th, 2013. I was 
successful in losing 40 lbs. and for the most part, keeping it off for almost 3 years. Then I took a few twists and turns and gave back all but 15. Since January this year, I have lost 35 pounds. Like I said few journeys are straight lines.
I am not an athlete, nor am I a fitness guru. I used no gimmick diets or fasting plans. Those that know me, understand that I have a passion for cooking and a bigger passion for eating. That has not changed. I eat smaller portions, I have reduced “white food” car
bs like bread and rice and potatoes, and I drink less. The biggest change is that I record everything I eat, whether a single strawberry or 4 Manhattans. If it goes in my mouth it goes in the app., and I walk; a lot.
What I have learned is that most success is about failure. Mo Berg the Red Sox catcher in the 1930s and 40s and OSS spy was once asked to explain Baseball to someone from Japan who did not know the game. Berg, who had an off the chart IQ and a 243-lifetime batting average responded, “Baseball is a game where you fail, way more often than you succeed.”
Most of life is the same don’t you think? So many so-called motivators make us think that the path to success is the relentless pursuit of excellence, never letting up and striving for perfection. It might make you think, why bother? I am not a superman or woman. I tried and failed, I am just not good at “X”. Voltaire quoted Vilfredo Pareto the Italian economist saying, “Dit que le mieux est l’ennemi du bien” or The best is the enemy of the good. Simply stated don’t let the fact that you are not perfect, or that you have tried and failed stop you from succeeding. Most success does not require perfection. Each failure is a lesson learned, each set back an opportunity to try again differently. Each day an opportunity to get #BetternotPerfect.
My journey is not complete, and I am sure there will be some twists and turns. I will try not to retrace too many footsteps, but for today, I celebrate. Tomorrow? Maybe I will buy some clothes.
Cheers!