Disenchantment is Dangerous

Have you ever had a friend who started a new habit, a healthy habit, and they were so excited that they filled every moment that you gave them with excitement over their new path.  Emails, voicemails, at lunch, at church… Facebook.  I have seen CrossFit do this to many people.  Back when there were few doing it, we were all so excited about our accomplishments that we wanted the world to know.

You see the same thing over dietary changes, or finding a new version of tupperware.  Yeah, we get excited about all sorts of things.  And it is often a good thing, even though those around us might be feeling less than excited by our new found zeal for something.

This early feeling that comes from “new” is often a very good thing.  It helps fuel our fire, and if something healthy, it will help us gain momentum in the right direction.  I have seen this thousands of times over the last decade and a half in my practice.  However, with any new feeling of enchantment, the feeling of disenchantment is soon to follow.  That moment when we are no longer excited about the cool shiny new thing that we had found.

The title of my article suggests that disenchantment can go so far as to be dangerous; what I am referring to, is that when a health habit loses its excitement, it is easily lost.  So many people flirt so closely with making lifetime changes, only to let the ruse of culture take back its control.  How many times have you seen someone lose a great amount of weight, only to gain it all back.  To have embraced a new lifestyle that is leading them to great changes with their health, their energy, their desire to engage the people around them more and more, and it all collapses.

This change would not be possible if we still held the love for our new found habits.

New is always exciting.  I heard my pastor utter these words this morning.  And I quickly thought about how old should not always be sacrificed for new.  Relationships are the best example of this.  It made me question how to make these new enchanted habits, old habits that die hard.  What I came up with is that there is simply one more step.  Commitment.

My commitments are greater than my feelings in this moment.  However we need first to utter these words – I am committed.

Be well, be blessed and be committed.  – Dr. E