Since I let all of my social network friends know about my plans to fast for a month, I have gotten a lot of feedback. Some have done 2-5 day fasts before. Some regret not going longer and others said they were surprised they made it. It gave me anxiety to think about this last night. Why would some people wish they had gone further while others barely held on? Which person was I?
Well, I am typically a lazy procrastinator. I think I like to keep peoples expectations low so that I can either choose to be lazy OR exceed their expectations with flying colors with only the mildest amount of motivation. I am the underachiever. The guy who, in high school, was told by all of his teachers, "If you just applied yourself..." When I turned 27 I married a teacher. She is the most amazing teacher I have ever met and I am convinced if she was around to play a part in my education, things would have been a lot more positive, but perhaps fate has made her my wife so I can learn to be a better adult and father to my children. So, in the case of fasting, am I the lazy procrastinator who finds an excuse to bail on the juicing? Or do I put in a little bit of effort and exceed everyones expectations?
I am preparing to be the latter. I am making a mental list of things that I can refer to when times get tough so that I can be positive and try to enjoy this. Aside from the blog I am going to try to avoid making a big deal about this. I will remain as humble as possible and focus my mind on tasks OTHER than fasting. I think about the two types of juice fasters out there and this example comes to mind:
It's the 9th inning in the big game. Juicer A bangs up his knee when diving for a ground ball at short. He lays there, wincing in pain, and eventually leaves the game. His team loses and he talks about how much his knee hurts afterwards and maybe cries a little. In the same game, Juicer B takes a fastball off the ribs while batting. The trainers come out of the dugout to check on him and he sends them back. He walks it off and hits the game winning home run. An xray later shows he has 2 broken ribs.
The point is, if you focus on what needs to be done, there are no physical limitations that can stop you from achieving your goal. This example is completely fictional and hypothetical BUT I am sure it brings to mind a lot of real-life situations that you have seen or experienced (ask Kirk Gibson about his 1988 Home Run). I think my mind is headed in the right direction and I am confident I will find that comfortable place that allows me the strength to go 29 days without food.
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