Today I hit 60 years of age. I had set myself a target of losing 50 lbs by this date, to bring me to 215 lbs. I missed my goal by 2.4 lbs. The question now is, how should I react, with disappointment or delight?

Disappointment comes easily when one fails to reach a goal. This is particularly so because I was so close last week, just before the family Christmas get together. During that time, I managed to gain back 3 lbs I had lost, and so here I am. I have no one to blame, however. No one forced me to eat the things I chose. No one twisted my arm to have that glass of scotch in celebration. I made the choices, and I would make them again.

Disappointment comes easily, but I choose rather to be delighted. I choose to focus on the accomplishment, rather than the failure. I lost 47.6 lbs!! Who would not be pleased with that success? That's better than the examples used by many fitness clubs and diet programmes on their television commercials and in newspaper ads. It's 95% of the target I had set. Would I not have been ecstatic if I had been able to reach 95% in my courses at university?

If I give in to the disappointment, my energy is drained, and I soothe my sadness with sweets and beverages. If I allow myself to feel the delight, I am energized to continue to strive for the final goal, reaching a healthy weight range by Easter. It's achievable; it's admirable; it's mine for the taking!