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Follow these 3 rules, and they will provide you with lasting change, growth, and results.
We all need some clarity, and something to work towards; something to improve upon.
Goals. A reason to make the changes we toil over and hyper-focus on.
A new year is sexy in that regard; a ‘clean slate.’
Here are the ‘Big 3’ to know and follow going forward if this is going to be a year of great change for you:
1. You Don’t Need to Be Motivated
Kinda strange to say, right? Motivation leads to productivity, doesn’t it? Motivation is the mindset to get sh*t done?
It is, if that’s how you see it. Motivation is fleeting, and short-lived. Can you remember when you’ve been truly motivated for anything consistently, unwaveringly, for a long, constant period of time?
Life will attack, and things will get in the way, moods will change. If you tie the work that needs to be done, the work you need to do such as a focused and intentful training session, writing your day’s plan out ahead of time, shopping for your foods, cooking and preparing them, going on a walk; if you associate those necessary actions with only being accomplished according to a presence of motivation, you will fail.
Instead, adopt discipline, structure, consistency, resiliency, grit.
These will take you further than motivation ever will, because they can be developed. They can be honed, and can become a characteristic, or a trait of yours that is a catalyst for your success.
They are all about you, not about your mood, what happened today, what you’re upset with, how tired you are; it’s a skill to be able to brush all that aside and still get what needs to be done, done.
Can you manifest motivation within yourself? Absolutely. Ask yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. Keep asking why, and be honest. Once you can’t get anymore whys, you’ll likely have regained some clarity. Ask yourself who you’re doing it for, why are you feeling resistance at this point? Is it because it’s as far as you’ve ever gotten?
Getting out of your comfort zone? In unnavigated waters? Ask yourself “why” when you’re feeling unmotivated and you can relight your fire so to speak, but above all, be disciplined.
2. Plan for the Whole Year, & Plan to Fail
This might be the simplest, most ‘low hanging fruit’ of all 3.
Of all the people embarking on a New Year’s resolution, or just getting back on track, course-correcting, and moving into regular non-holiday life, 9/10 have no real plan.
You might tell yourself “let’s just make it through January and February.”
Or “we’ll see where I’m at come summertime.”
As much as I’m ecstatic to hear you wrap your mind around all of this, I see the ‘out.’
If you only plan for the beginning of the year, or the first half, or until a landmark date, once that date arrives it’s judgement day.
When judgement day arrives, if you’re unhappy, struggling, feeling the burnout, losing clarity, and the discipline isn’t there and motivation is dwindling, then it’s your way out.
This is what happens with the broad majority of resolutions.
Instead, plan out your entire year, through December, and even beyond!
Take those rather lofty goals you’ve set for a few months, and spread them out for the entire year.
Allow yourself to fail, but most importantly allow yourself to constantly succeed.
You have to find ‘wins’ to be invigorated by your efforts, and to keep yourself on board, but by planning for the whole year, you naturally allot for failures.
A staunch timeline of the first quarter of the year is commendable, but achieving those goals over the span of a year allows you to build the habits and relationships and discipline and lifestyle to support those goals going forward.
Aiming for them to soon will likely not create much change, but will rather likely be a means of ‘muscling it’ and we know it’s all about technique.
3. Enjoy the Process
Oof, I’ve dropped a cliché.
It overused, often non-contextual, and just a blanket phrase tossed around, so let me clarify.
Enjoy the process as I’m referring to it means:
To have the goal set, but not focus on that goal or outcome, but instead focus on the actions and habits that elicit that goal or outcome.
Stop thinking about the weight that you want shed, or the fat you want incinerated, the muscle you want to add; instead think about the feeling of accomplishment and pride you feel after yet another completed workout. The power and control you feel not mindlessly eating as you watch your favorite show. Love the feeling of ‘the pump’ when training, the slow and consistent progression. Enjoy yet another night of great sleep, which will bring a morning of productivity and perspective.
Enjoy the process means to fall in love with the work that achieves the outcome, without thinking about the outcome.
See, there are many reasons why we may be overweight, constantly jumping in and out of diets and training plans, why we can never add any real muscle, why we can’t lose the fat and keep it off.
There are habits and relationships that must be addressed, and we can only address them by rewiring them. Those habits and relationships aren’t tackled in a couple weeks, or even months.
Dissociate from the outcome of “losing 15 lbs of fat” or “looking amazing in my bathing suit” or “being 200 lbs of muscle,” instead love the in and out of eating in a way that’s conducive to those goals, training intently and showing up for all those sessions, hibernating every night, and celebrating the win of every day.
Those are the big 3.
These will take you further than even the best training plan the world has to offer paired with the most optimal diet plan and macro ratio ever could if these rules aren’t implemented.
1. It’s not about motivation, it’s about discipline
2. Plan plan plan
3. Love the day in and day out
If I can provide you with sound, intelligent, and individualized training and nutrition, along with accountability for these 3 rules (because that’s what a great coach does) then please click here and apply for coaching!
Commit to you, it’s 2021.
Thanks for reading, talk soon.
-codytoofit