Moving Forward vs. Wasting Mental Energy
New Years Resolutions are in full swing. The gyms are full and busy. The roads and trails are busy. Supplement and nutrition sales are up. 2012 is the year it’s going to happen. Right?
Right is right. And here’s three simple tips of WHAT NOT TO DO to help you stay on track with your fitness goals.
2 Stupid questions and a waste of time
Stupid Question #1
“How did I let myself get into this condition?”
Now this first stupid question needs a little unpacking. I’m not talking about taking an objective look at the smoking gun. Namely, the excessive amount of high glycemic carbohydrates and the complete lack of physical activity. What I am talking about is HOW YOU GOT into the condition your in isn’t as important as HOW YOU GET into better condition.
HOW YOU GOT vs. HOW YOU GET
Here’s a simple analogy: You walk out to your car and see that the tire is flat. You don’t know how it got flat nor how to change one. You have two neighbors who see your distress and come over to help. One says,
“I saw some roofers working on the roof next door and they dropped a lot of nails in the road. Look, there’s one in your flat tire.” (How you got)
The other says,
“I’ve changed a thousand flat tires. Let me help you.” (How you get)
HOW YOU GET vs. HOW YOU GOT
I think you get it. Moving on.
Stupid Question #2
“Who’s fault is this?”
Listen, I’m all for exacting justice in merciless terms but ONLY if it’s useful. Going back to our analogy for a moment: Getting the name of the roofing company that left the nails in the road so that you can sue them for pain, suffering, mental anguish, lost wages, and attorney’s fees DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO GET THE FLAT TIRE CHANGED.
In both this stupid question and stupid question #1 above unless there is an immediate obvious answer that yields useful information than it’s just not worth burning up the mental energy over. What qualifies as “useful information?” Simple, useful information HELPS YOU GET TO YOUR FITNESS GOAL.
WHO’S FAULT vs. WHO CAN HELP
A Waste of Time
“My life would be better IF ONLY _______________.”
By imagining, dwelling on, fantasizing, or telling yourself something along the lines of “If only ____________,” you really engage in a mental exercise that literally gets you no where.
Now I’ve lived in the land of positive thinking – SoCal. I walked amongst “vision casters,” “innovators,” planners, dreamers, schemers, hopers, believers, actors, and fake it ’til you make it-ers. I get it. I get it. I get it. Positive thinking has it’s place to be sure. As an aside, I’ve also lived (and currently live in) New England and we are so nailed to the ground here that we, quite frankly at times, are complacent. And it shows. I mean physically. I miss living in a more physically fit culture. Yup, I just called you unfit NEW ENGLAND. Throw down. Prove me wrong. . .
Anyway, back on topic. There’s a difference between envisioning, believing, and making a reality based plan to reach your fitness goal and wallowing in the envisioning part alone. Some people are so good at the envisioning part that they can actually feel the results. Or I should say they fantasize about what it would feel like IF ONLY they had already achieved their goals.
I’m not kidding, I run into a lot of people who do this so well that they experience the satisfaction of having achieved their goal and therefore undercut the motivation necessary to ACTUALLY WORK FOR IT. They fantasize that the work is already done.
Now hear this,
Fantasizing that the work is already done is fatal to reaching your fitness goal
No one pays you for believing in yourself. Your dreams literally have NO PLANET EARTH VALUE. Thank God for score boards, pay checks, and awards (except the counter productive ones they give the kids in little league these days just for showing up).
Just don’t go down the road of If only _________.
Now what
So when it comes to your fitness goals and WORKING toward your beach body this summer as part of your New Years resolution do yourself a favor. Well, three favors really –
1. Don’t dwell on how you got to where you are. Dwell on how you get to your fitness goal.
2. Don’t look for someone to blame (yourself or others). Look for someone who can help you.
3. Don’t play the IF ONLY ____________ fantasy game. Ask yourself, “What’s my next step?”
Continually ask yourself,
“What’s my next step?”
By the way, the caption at the bottom of the thumbnail read, “Excuse me, is this the Society of Asking Stupid Questions?”
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