Don’t Go Back

Good morning!

Have you ever bought new shoes just a tad bit small?

When I flew back to Hungary to visit my parents over the holidays, I went shopping and — after being seriously scolded for my awful taste in clothing — bought a pair of semi-dressy shoes, a nice mix between the lace-less “dad shoes” I was used to and dress shoes that “click” as you walk.

At first, as I tried them on, they were a bit tight and my toes felt slightly squished, but as I continued to wear it, my feet adjusted and I was able to comfortably wear them.

However, as the polar vortex really chilled down California, I started wearing my boots more, and I even started going back to wearing my old shoes around the house and at work while it was cold.

Now, even though my old shoes don’t look nearly as good as my new shoes, they are comfortable; they’re slightly more insulated, a tad larger, and provide way less discomfort after being worn for several hours. The issue this causes is that when I once again switch from my old shoes to my new ones — as I did this morning — I remember the initial discomfort of the transition.

When it comes to shoes, it’s no big deal; however, when it comes to us reverting to the ways we used to be, we can often find ourselves in situations of grave discomfort in our souls.

Let’s say you make a big life-changing transition; you used to eat ice cream every week but you cut it out to safeguard your health. You start feeling better about yourself, perhaps even start losing a bit of weight here and there, and you love the change you made.

Then, something bad happens: let’s say a dearly loved pet passes away, life gets cold once more, and you rush right back to comfort food and ice cream; once you revert back to your old ways, however, you find that going back to your “new shoes” is far too uncomfortable, and you get stuck where you used to be.

Here’s some tough advice: don’t go back. From someone that managed to lose 30 lbs in half a year and gain it all back in the second half of that same year, I give you this advice: don’t go back. If you revert back to your old ways, it’ll be just as hard — if not harder — to go through the life-changing transition you made once more.

God bless you, have a great day!