In the small coaching group that Barb Shelton and I are both part of, Heidi posted the following questions:

In the past, when you have committed to letting go of extra weight and keeping it off, what has been your largest hindrance?  …  What do you think you can do to overcome this hindrance?”

Barb responded:

My biggest hindrance is staying focused and consistent, and therefore retaining the ground I have gained and keeping off the weight I have lost. I need to fully recognize and admit my weakness and my extreme need to stay focused and be consistent!”

Here is my – Kelly’s – response to Barb, and I hope it will minister to any of you who might be feeling discouraged…

I have two kiddos that play piano. My Rachel played for awhile, left piano to play violin, and then came back to piano.

Jacob, my youngest, has played since he was too little to reach the pedals.

Rachel practices with great passion and consistency. This has resulted in her racing right past her brother in terms of growth into harder pieces. She’s not scared off by the “hard.” In fact, she sees it as a challenge and goes for it!

Jacob, on the other hand, gets more and more discouraged as the music gets harder. He avoids practicing, he cries, he takes twice as long to learn a piece than he used to.

For him, it’s a real struggle. He does not practice consistently.

Are you following me? Ha!

Sooo, what this means for Jacob is that he has the ability to play. We know this! He just isn’t getting as far as his sister. He needs his musical dad, his  musical mom (me), and his advanced-piano sister to all come around him and help him!

We cheer him on, hold him accountable and support him to get through the hard stuff.

How much is this like us on this journey?!?

As our family did for Jacob, we in Thin Within want to do the same for each other…

   We cheer each other on…

       hold each other accountable, and…

           support each other through the hard stuff…

               to get through the hard stuff.

I was a “Jacob” for sure at the very beginning of my Thin Within experience. At times, I’ve been a “Rachel” and I’m more like her now than I am like my son in this way. (Thankfully, and by the grace of God.)

But I can relate to both. You get my drift.

Like Rachel, we want to not be scared off by the “hard.” In fact, we want to see it as a challenge and go for it!

Practice, practice, practice! And we will get there!