I believe that as a whole, we value discipline, self control and will power way too much in our fitness culture.
Here's why: All too often we blame a lack of discipline and will power on our failures.
Break down and eat a whole pizza? You lack self control! Can't seem to make it to the gym every day? You lack discipline you weak and pitiful soul! Here is a challenge for you: Take a barbell and load it up with 1000 pounds and try to lift it.
Can't do it? Then you need more discipline and self control! Still can't lift it? Then you need to focus on your goal, use affirmations and lift with more discipline! That should do it.
Yes I'm sure that will help.
What?! You still can't lift it?! Oh How weak and pitiful you are! You don't have the discipline and you lack will power.
You sorry soul.
Can we see the serious error in this way of thinking? Not only are you not accomplishing your goal, but we end up blaming ourselves and essentially abusing and beating ourselves up.
How can this possibly be a healthy habit? No matter how much self control and discipline you have you still probably can't lift 1000 pounds.
It has nothing to do with who you are as a person, it has everything to do with the simple fact that the task is more than you could handle.
It's simply too hard.
I propose a radical new way of thinking.
Anything you have failed to do in the past, you fail at not because you lack discipline, but because the task is simply too hard and hence beyond your current capabilities.
Just like lifting a weight, we all have various levels of strength when it comes to changing our habits.
For some people, cutting back to drinking one or two beers a week is not all that hard and hence it's a pretty easy task.
However some people have a lifestyle that would make drinking a couple of drinks a week a truly insurmountable task.
It's not about how much discipline you have, it's simply about tackling something you can handle.
Tackling something that is too hard is not good.
It results in lost time, energy, money and often harms the soul within.
I say let's make things as easy as possible.
Tackle things in small steps.
Step by step as easy as possible to increase our chances of success.
We often believe that changes need to be radical, complicated and difficult to be effective.
It stands to reason though that anything that's harder just becomes a larger obstacle on our way to success.
So if cutting back to 2 drinks a week is too much, and then cut back to 4 a week.
Then you can cut back to 2 a week once you have mastered that step.
Is it going to be easy? Probably not, but change is seldom easy.
You probably won't ever make change easy, but the goal here is to make change easy enough so you can at least stand a chance at success.
Sure discipline and self control are important, don't get me wrong.
But I find a serious flaw in always looking at a lack of will power and discipline as a reason for a failure.
Asking someone to do a huge task just on will power is like filling a Honda Civic up with high test fuel and asking it to outrun a Ferrari.
It doesn't matter what the fuel within is, if it can't handle the task, then something about the task itself needs to change.
So let's cut ourselves some slack, let our ego off the hook and make things a little easier.
Step by step, inch by inch and before too long what once was too hard is just a hop, skip and jump away from our grasp.
Be fit and live free,
Here's why: All too often we blame a lack of discipline and will power on our failures.
Break down and eat a whole pizza? You lack self control! Can't seem to make it to the gym every day? You lack discipline you weak and pitiful soul! Here is a challenge for you: Take a barbell and load it up with 1000 pounds and try to lift it.
Can't do it? Then you need more discipline and self control! Still can't lift it? Then you need to focus on your goal, use affirmations and lift with more discipline! That should do it.
Yes I'm sure that will help.
What?! You still can't lift it?! Oh How weak and pitiful you are! You don't have the discipline and you lack will power.
You sorry soul.
Can we see the serious error in this way of thinking? Not only are you not accomplishing your goal, but we end up blaming ourselves and essentially abusing and beating ourselves up.
How can this possibly be a healthy habit? No matter how much self control and discipline you have you still probably can't lift 1000 pounds.
It has nothing to do with who you are as a person, it has everything to do with the simple fact that the task is more than you could handle.
It's simply too hard.
I propose a radical new way of thinking.
Anything you have failed to do in the past, you fail at not because you lack discipline, but because the task is simply too hard and hence beyond your current capabilities.
Just like lifting a weight, we all have various levels of strength when it comes to changing our habits.
For some people, cutting back to drinking one or two beers a week is not all that hard and hence it's a pretty easy task.
However some people have a lifestyle that would make drinking a couple of drinks a week a truly insurmountable task.
It's not about how much discipline you have, it's simply about tackling something you can handle.
Tackling something that is too hard is not good.
It results in lost time, energy, money and often harms the soul within.
I say let's make things as easy as possible.
Tackle things in small steps.
Step by step as easy as possible to increase our chances of success.
We often believe that changes need to be radical, complicated and difficult to be effective.
It stands to reason though that anything that's harder just becomes a larger obstacle on our way to success.
So if cutting back to 2 drinks a week is too much, and then cut back to 4 a week.
Then you can cut back to 2 a week once you have mastered that step.
Is it going to be easy? Probably not, but change is seldom easy.
You probably won't ever make change easy, but the goal here is to make change easy enough so you can at least stand a chance at success.
Sure discipline and self control are important, don't get me wrong.
But I find a serious flaw in always looking at a lack of will power and discipline as a reason for a failure.
Asking someone to do a huge task just on will power is like filling a Honda Civic up with high test fuel and asking it to outrun a Ferrari.
It doesn't matter what the fuel within is, if it can't handle the task, then something about the task itself needs to change.
So let's cut ourselves some slack, let our ego off the hook and make things a little easier.
Step by step, inch by inch and before too long what once was too hard is just a hop, skip and jump away from our grasp.
Be fit and live free,