From the Editor
Thanks for making Russ a Sparkpeople Motivator of the Day!
Whew lord, but do I have a lot to talk about the path I’ve been this month back in North Carolina. The whole ballgame’s changed. I’ve spent the two years of this Web site choosing my words very carefully: discussing maintenance, post-weight issues, and answering “now what?” is so rare I thought I had to temper every word I said.
I return to New Orleans this week and upon my return all of us on Second Helping are cutting loose. No more limits, no careful word choice, no more diplomacy, no more hiding.
In the meantime, I wanted to take a brief moment to thank you all for the tremendous response and outpouring of goodwill I’ve received at Sparkpeople.com. Today I was listed as their Motivator of the Day on their e-mail blast.
I’m nothing short of staggered by the gratitude. It’s humbling, and a breath of fresh of fresh air. All too often, those of us who have beat the odds are told we’re a ‘motivator” or an “inspiration.” I always reply: “That’s great! I inspire you to do what?”
The response is often deer-in-headlights. Bless their hearts.
I hear the word “inspiration” so often I’m not sure anyone still grasps its meaning. Someone told me once that inspiring someone was breathing life into what was dead.
Lately, I look around and see it’s become an easy selling phrase for NBC’s weight-related programing. “Inspiration” is jiggled in front of post-weight men and women because”
A) People have no idea what to say to those who’ve made a large achievement.
B) They use our achievement as an excuse to feel sorry for selling themselves out (and what does that accomplish?)
C) They just needed a reminder that you don’t have to tolerate anything — ANYTHING — as The Way Things Are.
So it’s refreshing to see such a vibrant community at Sparkpeople send their goodwill — those guys are really up to something.
But for little ol’ me, it does remind me how far I’ve come, the battles internal and external. Why I do what I do and why I fight so hard for it.
It’s easy just to accept The Way Things Are when so many around us do, despite the pain it causes them. I decided long ago that if pain is unavoidable, let it be in the name of growth, of possibility, of life expanding, of love. That brand of pain I’ll happily face head-on.
And that I found it within myself to believe that is the real inspiration.
Best,
Russ Lane
Second Helping
