It's all or nothing! I mean, listen, you only live once and you need to push the petal to the metal and give it all that you have every minute of every single day. Anything less than do or die is for losers! I'm a winner and winners push it hard enough to see blood and sweat hit the floor, right? If I die in the middle of the next set of squats or leg presses, so be it. I'm ready to die. In fact, if I die under the leg sled while pressing 1800 lbs, I wouldn't be any happier. The good Lord will welcome me into His heavenly Kingdom and I will thank Him for the new legs and spine that I crushed in the workout that killed me. Wow...would that be awesome :)
Yes, I'm being facetious. But believe me, the aforementioned words are not far from the truth of my extreme mentality--at least the OLD me. I could bore you with endless stories of my excessive determination. For instance, there was the time I did thousands of situps consecutively because I heard someone doubted my ability to do it. It took hours to complete and my abs were sore for weeks. Then there was the time I bench pressed over 500 lbs on a broken weight bench that was unable to hold the barbell and ME at the same time. I didn't care. Tony is not going to let the broken bench get in the way of his new lifting record. Heck, if I end going through the floor, so be it.
LOL...Yeah, those were good times. However, I learned early on that winners learn how to cultivate patience, temperance and balance. Without balance and self-control, you will wind up being a waste product of fallen dreams and misspent aspirations. I know it's not easy. As you can see from what I wrote already, I speak from experience.
Do you really want to make your dreams come true? Do you want to be as strong 20 years from now as you are today? Well then, it will require losing the all or nothing mentality. You might ask, should I lose it completely. The answer is no. I'm sure many so-called experts would be curious as to why I would say that. But I will save that for another post.
Have you ever given up on eating clean and healthy because you missed a workout. Or maybe you ate something off plan and then immediately determined the day was lost so you skipped the gym. Or how about this: You slip up and eat something off plan and then begin a two-hour bingefest that ends with a groggy carb coma. It's all or nothing baby! Either I do it 100% or I don't do it at all. Well then, maybe you don't do it at all. Sound familiar?
The "all or nothing" mentality will ultimately destroy your goals and dreams if you don't learn how to put it aside, control it and diffuse it. Notice I didn't say that you had to get rid of it completely? Again, I'll save that for another post. For now, let's just say it's imperative to bring it down more than a few notches if you find yourself in this excessive compulsive prison. This type of thinking and living can only lead to anxiety, disappointment, burnout and a lot of heartache. If you are an "all or nothing" person, YOU are your OWN worst enemy. And, chances are, YOU already know this.
Do you want to get it under control? Here are a few things you can do.
1. Always Keep in Mind that this is Your Triumphant Story and NOT one Moment in Time
Today's victory comes from winning MOST of your battles but maybe not all of them. If you slip up on your eating, commit to finishing the rest of the day strong. If you're too tired to exercise or you're having a weak workout, push through it and do it EVEN if you need to cut it short and take it easier. Lose the word "perfection" from your mental vocabulary and instead just give it your very best. Do this and you will find that you're getting closer to your goals with every step you take. If you knew that you had traveled 99 miles and that you only had ONE more mile to go before you reached your Utopia, would you turn around and walk back? No. In fact, you would crawl that last mile on your hands and knees if you were absolutely sure that it would bring you to your dream place. But when we abandon our healthy eating and exercise programs simply because of one little mistake, we do that very same thing. Think about it. This is YOUR Story. This is a story of victory. A story where YOU are the hero and YOU will rise above the rest. No great story comes without obstacles to overcome. That kind of story would be boring. Obstacles make you stronger and give you moments to grow and learn from. Overcome them...one at a time with a smile on your face and heart filled with passion and persistence.
2. Regain Focus as Soon as You Lose it
The very moment that you fall, get right back up and do the things that you know are going to bring you closer to where you want to be. Remember why you're doing what you're doing and how good it will feel if you finish the rest of the day strong. If you eat off plan, begin to drink your water and try to get back into the healthy mindset by reading through your goals. Go for a long walk or get in an extra cardio session. Get right back to where you need to be without wasting a second to think about it. You must immediately see the rest of the day or night as you would want it to be and then live it in victory.
3. See the Setbacks as Opportunities
Spend time considering why it is that you may have failed. If you can find the emotional or situational trigger, then make a commitment to stay clear of it in the future. But, don't over-analyze. Oh my gosh...why did I eat that burger? Was it my emotional reaction to the girl at the gym who looked at me funny and told me I was still chubby? Was it the way my boyfriend in high school always looked at the cheerleaders instead of me? is it because the guy next to me at the gym pushed up more weight than I did? Stop it! Enough with the Boo Hoos already! Maybe the food just tasted good. It's important to find the triggers if you can, but not good to get lost in it. Say to yourself, what can I do tomorrow to make up for my mistakes today. Then, move on soldier.
What's going through your mind right now? Do you struggle with this? Be strong and be encouraged because you hold the keys to turn it all around.
