I was thinking about challenges the other day, and why I have never been able to succeed at one. I start off with high hopes, plenty of motivation and a desire to do well, but eventually down the road, my motivations sputters and eventually comes to a grinding halt.
It’s not like I’m not competitive – just ask any of my siblings when we’re playing board games. But for some reason, even though my competitiveness springs into play, it’s not enough to withstand that little craving voice that’s constantly lurking in my head.
So no challenges for now. I’ll just keep plugging along and try to remain stable. You know – as I wrote that, it occurred to me that maybe that’s why challenges and I don’t mix. I do best when my diet and exercise remain steady – no ups and downs, no deviations off course. Maybe the challenge is enough of a deviation from that steady course that it throws me off. Hmmmm….something to think about.
Another mystery. Like you, I enjoy competition but the whole challenge thing taps into my rebellious nature. I have the same reaction to “cheerleading” – as soon as someone says, “You can do it!”, I want to eat to prove to them that they have nothing to do with it. Remember, I didn’t claim to be sane.
Maybe it’s oppositional defiance come to fruition as an adult.
I like that–oppositional defiance disorder. I don’t know exactly what it is, so I’ll google it later. But it sounds like me, both as an adolescent, and as an adult. I know that when told to do something or to NOT do something, I want to do the opposite even if it will hurt me. Maybe I’ve just defined ODD. Funny how that acronym fits the situation!
Gracie, it’s actually a term used by psychologists in therapy and is an actual disorder found in the DSM. Here’s more info on it – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppositional_defiant_disorder.