Yesterday was World Diabetes Day 2012. Truth is, I almost missed it! Why, you ask? One word:  depletion.

Diabetes demands a high level of attention, focus, and time. We don’t ever get a break from it, not even while sleeping. It’s a 24-7 companion and a full-time job. Diabetes burnout is real. It doesn’t take much to deplete our stores of energy and give-a-damn-itude for a while and check-out for a bit. At least for me. But when we’re depleted and burned-out, trouble is never far behind.  

Sure, sometimes, depletion happens because life happens: we become parents, start a new job, launch a business, our kids get sick, a loved one dies.

We deal, get exhausted in the process, then we recover.

But there’s another hidden and all-too-dangerous form of depletion I want shine a big blue light on today. This is the kind of depletion that we perpetuate because we’re afraid if we stop, we’ll be freed up to take action on what truly needs addressing, and we’ll have to, y’know, change things.

Only we’re not actually sure we can give it our all day in and day out and do what it takes in the long term. And some part of us is terrified things will change. Comfortable with the status quo, we stay uber-busy, unfocused and scattered.

Or at least I have.

Staying overcommitted to our defaults and uncommitted to things that will move our lives in the direction we secretly crave means we never actually have to pursue our deepest dreams and desires.

This kind of depletion can eat up some of the best years of our lives. This kind of depletion often degrades our mental, physical and spiritual health, and even take away our desire to have our heart’s desire.

I know this because I’ve seen it happen. Time and time again. To myself. And those I love. I can blame it on diabetes or a bad economy and an aging body, but I know better. That still small voice inside me knows the truth. And it still hums along, whether or not we’re listening.

What I know to be true for myself is this: years have rolled on by and I’m only a teensy bit closer to the body, health, and daily life I’ve dreamed of. The dreams are still there, but they’re riddled with excuses and for the time being at least, still remain just that:  dreams.

Truth is, they’re waiting for me. Achieving goals requires we take action and rededicate ourselves to the practice of _________ (fill in the blank) every day. Not just when we feel like it. Heck, especially when we don’t feel like it.

Rich, productive healthy lives don’t happen by accident. They require forethought, hard work, and healthy habits that get repeated again and again. And again.

What’s especially insidious about this kind of depletion is we are busy. We may even be taking steps toward what we desire and envision for ourselves—only we never seem to get very far because we aren’t quite taking the focused, bold or committed steps we need to take. Sure, we’re testing our bloodsugars, going to the endo, maybe even starting a new insulin or pump, but life keeps passing us by.