I’ve broken a few of my own personal rules in the last few weeks. What kind of rules you may ask? Pretty silly rules in retrospect.

AFG Rule #1: Offer no apologies.

I was always that person that apologized to everyone for everything because I thought everything was my fault (all the time). I adopted this rule over the last few years because I decided, you know what? I don’t need to apologize to anyone anymore. Why should I apologize for… BEING ME?

The fact of the matter is, there are times that you should apologize and times that you probably shouldn’t. It really makes no sense to live at one extreme then graduate to another extreme, does it? (All or nothing, anyone?)

I’ve apologized to my body – a lot. All of the crap I’ve fed it and how I’ve mistreated it, it’s a miracle it’s still working and able to reverse some of the negative effects of all of my poor treatment and choices.

Most recently, I sent a few apologies to friends of mine that read my douchebag letter. They thought the letter was directed at them (it wasn’t) and I felt horrible about that. Sometimes you just have to put it out there and acknowledge it so that you can move on from it.

AFG Rule #2: If you leave, quit, or move on – NEVER go back.

Mostly this has related to old relationships and particularly jobs for me. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to re-interview for a similar position that I held in the past at a local company. Normally, I would NEVER break rule #2 – which means I wouldn’t have interviewed or sent in my resume – but I did both of these things this time.

Why? Sometimes the rules don’t always apply. Sometimes when you leave or move on there’s a reason, and it’s not because you didn’t like something, it was because you just HAD TO leave at that time to experience bigger and greater things. Self growth and improvement.

I think the same is true for this weight loss journey. You have to try new things and see what works for you and your body. You may need to try something new, see if it works, and if it doesn’t then go back to what DOES WORK. That doesn’t mean you’re a failure or that it can’t work for you once again. It might work better for you this time.

After all, we’re all on a journey in this life. We’re all learning and I truly believe there is a reason for EVERYTHING that happens. If we make the right choices, we’ll end up where we should be. There will be some falling down, some forks in the road guaranteed. If we take the wrong path, there’s no reason why we can’t backtrack – or go back – and take the other path.

The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Have you ever taken the road less traveled even though it was a hard decision? Do you have any personal rules that you follow?

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