“America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, bad ass speed.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
As Tom says, we all have 3 black belts in beating ourselves up and a PhD in self criticism. I believe we are all so caught up in how the neighbours are doing that we are always competing for the bragging rights. The problem is we tend to compare ourselves to those that we know are in a much better place than we are. Self induced stress to be bigger, better and on top of the world. Everything is a race these days!
This reflects in our New Years Resolutions when we have overly ambitious goals to make a million dollars, lose fifty pounds, and become enlightened… all by March. As a hopeless optimist myself I am changing the way I structure New Years Resolutions for ’16.
Get used to winning, it’s easier than it sounds.
We simply put such high expectations on ourselves that it’s too hard to keep up to. Tim Ferris with his nature of hacking outcomes in his favour always comes back to one point: if the circumstances in which we decide to implement change are outside of our habits/routines, we absolutely will not stick with it in the long term.
So set the bar stupidly low!
If it’s weight loss you want to achieve by beach season, don’t even require a single pound of weight lost in the first month. Use that time to implement small changes that turn into a habit.
One more glass of water adds 8oz more enzymes necessary in important bodily functions.
Starting your day with a high protein hit has tons of case studies for weight loss through increased metabolism.
Adding more healthy fats into your lifestyle helps battle cravings for feel-good foods.
…make it your mission to find the EASIEST way to implement marginal changes with the Pareto Principle (80/20) involved for maximum returns. Make happiness the goal rather than the speed of results.
“Rule #26: There are no small victories”
-Budweiser
The first time you implement a microscopic change to your lifestyle – BOOM that calls for a celebration. Once you’ve stuck to it for a week (whether that means doing something once or 7x per week) – BOOM it’s time to celebrate your stickiness to your goals. You’re becoming a daily winner just by setting your standards stupidly low! And winning creates confidence to take it to the next level.
Energy flows where attention goes, so be consciously amazed at your commitment stickiness. As we layer these changes, slowly but surely they begin to develop tiny little buds called confidence – something winners have a lot of! Before you know it, beach season is here and you are a hot piece of strutting sexy.
Enjoy the taste of victory, winner!
photo credit: man’s pic via photopin cc
photo credit: Paulgi via photopin cc