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OK Seafood Slimdown Teaches an Old Dog New Tricks BY ROB MORRIS
A wise old friend of mine recently shared a quote with me that has quickly become one of my favorites. It goes like this:
“Sow a thought, reap an action; Sow an action, reap a habit; Sow a habit, reap a character; Sow a character, reap a destiny.” Steven Covey “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” I’ve never really considered myself to be anything close to “Highly Effective.” I can be “Relatively Effective” most of the time. I have moments when I tiptoe up to the “Really Effect” boundaries. But frankly, self-discipline has never really been one of the outstanding characteristics of my life. If it had been I never would’ve stepped on the scales in January 2015 and seen a 390-pound reading laughing back at me. Change is hard. I’m definitely an old dog with a lifetime of unhealthy “old dog” habits built up.
But this simple truth has gripped me as I enter the fifthmonth of the OK Seafood Slimdown: if I change just one thing and I keep making that change every day, it will lead to a change in my life. That one change began after I stepped off the scales in January of 2015. I made up my mind that I was done with fast food and soft drinks. There were a few missteps throughout the year that followed, but I stuck to it and at the end of the year I had lost 20 pounds. It may not seem like much, but that’s progress, kids! As Mr. Covey had suggested, I had sown a thought and the dominos had fallen. Thought became action, became habit, became character…and now my destiny had been slightly altered. That brings me to the OK Seafood Slimdown. I’ve mentioned previously that I had never really gotten into cooking. When I was preparing to begin this journey back in March I made the simple decision that I was going to cook most of my meals using fresh seafood (as fresh as you can get in
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Oklahoma, I should say) along with fresh vegetables and fruits. No processed foods. After four months I can safely say that I absolutely LOVE cooking! I honestly expected to “endure” cooking. But now I find myself watching cooking shows and every single one of those cooking videos that pop up on my Facebook feed. The Pinterest page my girlfriend created is full of all sorts of recipes and cooking tips and we actually spend time every week talking about recipes and how different spices impact different kinds of food (She’s a heckuva a cook, by the way!). It was a simple choice for me — I’m going to cook my meals. But it has been a choice that has tipped the domino’s again: thought—action—habit— and it’s becoming a part of my character and will certainly change my destiny. I’m 59-years-old and I’m learning new things, creating new habits, and changing my life for the better. It’s not easy, friends. In addition to learning to cook I’ve also embraced a
healthy lifestyle that includes working out on a regular basis. But the rewards! Oy vey, the rewards! I’ve lost right around 70-pounds since I started this journey on April 1, I’m sleeping better than I have in years, my knees have stopped hurting, and I’m preparing to donate all of my shirts to charity and replace them with smaller sizes. That’s a harvest worth reaping! And I don’t care how old you are… it’s never too late to learn some new tricks!