What’s Your Elephant?
I recently came across a movie starring Bill Murray (odds are good it’s a comedy—it was) and an elephant by the name of Vera. In a nutshell, it’s about a motivational speaker (Bill) who learns his circus clown father died and left him Vera. Since elephants aren’t like dogs when it comes to traveling, eating, sleeping, etc., Bill found himself in quite a quandary. The movie tells the story of how he and Vera managed their new partnership as they traveled across the country. 
Although I’ve never seen an elephant up-close and personal, I’ve seen some fascinating documentaries and think they have many traits similar to us. They’re pretty interesting looking, not to mention HUGE.
So, what is the elephant you’re facing today? What is the problem in the middle of the room that feels as big as Vera? Need some clues? It could be the one thing that is keeping you stuck and out of alignment with your health and fitness plan.
Maybe your elephant is:
- Too many snacks in the house because your family “needs” them.
- Eating late at night.
- Taking care of everyone else and not taking care of you.
- Working too many hours.
- Difficulty in planning meals.
Here’s the thing Bill discovered in the movie: the more he wanted to avoid Vera, the bigger she got. He couldn’t make her go away by eating, drinking, sleeping or running. He finally had to face the fact that he had an elephant and he had to deal with her.
Today, what if you could just whittle away a piece of your elephant? Is there one small thing you can do to make your Vera a bit less daunting?
Like:
- Exchange one of those snacks in the house for something a bit healthier.
- Figure out if your truly hungry, or simply bored, then make an adjustment.
- Ask for help with one thing that you really don’t need to do.
- Shave an hour off of one workday.
- Plan one or two meals ahead of time for your busy week.
Don’t worry about the WHOLE elephant today, simply a piece of it. Face your Vera, make a plan, and take one small action!
“The very things that hold you down are going to life you up.”—Timothy Mouse from Dumbo
The movie: Larger Than Life