If the thought of not achieving it doesn’t scare you & excite you, you may be aiming too low.
Taking on a challenge that you know is currently outside of your wheelhouse, is the place where growth happens.
Take a look at the image below
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re stuck right on the edge of comfort but more into the “fear” side of things.
Fortunately, you know that:
Career progress
Life achievements
General success
is not linear.
The aim of this post is to help educate you (the learning zone) as to how you can overcome that fear by managing what actually lives in the growth zone, versus what you’ve been sold by the fitness industry.
What is it exactly that we’re fearing?
We’re born with two innate fears:
1) Falling over
2) Loud noises
Our animal brain knows if we fall & get hurt, that it may be detrimental to our ability to flee in the face of danger.
While a loud noise might also be indicative of a similar circumstance yet to arise.
Fast forward a few decades later, and we’ve conditioned ourselves to fear other less physically (but just as legitimately concerning) threatening circumstances.
Not achieving the goal we set (Fear of failure)
Thinking about what other people will say if we don’t achieve said goal (Social fears)
Feeling like we’re not worth the effort, or have a lack of confidence to at the very least, try (self-esteem/confidence).
These fears are rooted in the feeling of potentially either being left behind relative to “the group” and can leave us feeling inadequate or lesser than those around us.
Perfectionist vs Optimalist
The pessimist -> complains about the wind
The optimist -> expects it to change
The realist -> adjusts the sails
- William Arthur ward
Let’s work on adjusting your sails.
A few (or many for some) moons ago to when you were in elementary school, you received a grade that was letter based.
A = 90% - 100%
B = 80% - 89%
C = 70%-79%
D = 60%-69%
F = Below 60%
So, there are ranges to your success in school.
Around high school or middle school, we start to introduce things like + & - to help better establish which side of that range you’re on.
A “+” after the letter would mean you’re closer to the higher end of the range.
A “-“ would insinuate that you’re at the bottom end of the range.
When it comes to health, we tend to forget to embrace the constraints of reality & tend to live in a pass or fail as if life is a practicum in college/university (a course that is not graded by percentage).
When in doubt, zoom out & go back to basics.
Give yourself ranges to work in to build momentum.
We’re not graded on how we improve our health, yet we are in constant search of making sure we’re perfect in our approach, or would rather have no approach at all to the process.
“ I’m going to wait until the new year”
“ I don’t want to be a new years resolutioner”
“ I feel like I’ll be watched at the gym if I go there because of how overweight I am”
“ I tried & It didn’t work”
These are all stories we tell ourselves to delay action towards getting us to our goals, helping us stay in that comfort zone where things feel “safe” for the time being.
We’re familiar with what we’re doing, and we know what to expect & how to react to things, because it’s what we’ve always known!
Here’s the thing, though:
All of the numbered examples I mentioned above, feed into one another, and before you know it, it’s May or June and you’ve yet to take any action on improving your health.
Another year goes by, and another 10 lbs gets added to the scale, or another medication added to the list.
The image above doesn’t necessarily have to happen in sequential order, though.
If you read my article on “Levers of health” you’ll recognize that “health” is a relative term to the individual.
When we’re better able to come up with a plan that actually improves our health, it reduces the resistance to improving our circumstance.
Resistance is often a lack of clarity, and when we bette clarify what the goal is, it makes the process much easier to achieve success.
The current “image” of health most people think of is a version of themselves that looks:
Lean
Fit
Has a high degree of vitality
Calm & collected
Well put together
But for some, that isn’t always the case.
When I first speak to people on a lifestyle audit call after they apply for my program, we end up coming to the conclusion that though they want to lose weight, health to them actually means:
Getting off or lowering their medication dosage
Having a better relationship with their partner
Improved work life balance
Make more cognizant nutritional choices
When we have a better idea of what the goal is long term, it’s much easier to break it down into smaller “mini goals” to achieve & build momentum with over the long haul, which gets you to the place you’re actually looking to get to.
If you’re interested in figuring out what health means to you & what you’re looking to achieve, feel free to fill out an application here so you can actually map out & achieve what you’re looking to do.
It gets much easier to achieve the outcomes you’re looking for, once you know what the processes involved are to attain them.
- Santo