Deadlock, impasse, standstill, stand-off, draw and tie are all fancy ways that describe that “stuck in a rut” feeling. That horrible feeling that no matter what you do, your progress has come to a complete halt.
In the game of chess, when that moment comes when there are no legal moves to make, a STALEMATE occurs. It can be used as an ADVANTAGE if a player is in a bad POSITION and moves towards a draw instead of losing the game.
Refracting on my stint as a TOPS member, there were many times when I had that “stuck in a rut” feeling. No matter what I did, there was little or no progress towards winning. As members, we tend to refer to those as a plateau.
When I heard plateau, I asked myself how an area of level ground connected to my weight loss journey. Maybe because the path to wellness is curvy, rough and has many hills to climb. Regardless, it was a good time to reflect on making a new STRATEGY.
Now, I am going to use the term STALEMATE when I am on that plateau, because, as it is in chess, that period of time can be used to reset the board.
I remember my first STALEMATE; my chapter gave me several ideas to create a new OPENING. I was able to talk candidly with two Kings in my chapter. The first ACTIVITY they told me was to change one small thing in my daily routine. Just one and it worked.
As I said, there were many STALEMATE moments along the way, and I am sure there are more to come. However, I know these do not have to become a BLOCKADE. Weight loss and gains are never linear. There will always be ups and downs, so I use these STALEMATE times to refract on my current POSITION and enhance my DEVELOPMENT.
I encourage you to use your STALEMATE moments to create more SPACE for yourselves. Learn from your latest HOWLER and make the right move into a new OPENING.
“Even if you are not where you want to be, you should appreciate this version of yourself. You are a work in progress.” – Kirsten Hill
