Lesson 2: Why people fail
In the previous lesson we talked about the importance of having and/or developing a strong sense of “why” before embarking on any sort of self-betterment journey.
After all, how often do you see people throwing themselves head first into the world of health and nutrition only to fall right off the wagon within the first handful of weeks?
The keys to long term success aren’t inspiration and enthusiasm.
They are discipline and consistency. [More on this in the next lesson].
The problem is that we live in societies that are NOT conducive to health, fitness, and wellness.
Have a look around: we live in a world where 40% of adults are overweight and nearly 1 in 3 people are struggling under the weight of metabolic disease.
- We are chronically stressed.
- We neglect our sleep and recovery.
- We fuel our bodies with processed sugar and caffeine.
- We saturate our systems with pharmaceuticals.
- And we drink far more than can be considered reasonable.
So is it really a surprise that cardiovascular disease, cancer, and sexual dysfunction are on the rise?
Look, I get it – life is equal parts chaos and mayhem, and if you’re struggling to get into the shape you want to get into, I want you to know that it’s NOT your fault.
Work gets crazy. Business trips are exhausting. Managing a household is, for lack of a better phrase, a complete shit show.
And let’s face it, sometimes it’s just easier (and much more fun) to abuse the ol’ Uber Eats account than it is to eat like a responsible grownup.
But what if I told you that there was a solution?
What if I told you that you could take back control of your health and fitness and start making the best progress of your life starting from now?
The truth is that getting in the best shape of your life starts by winning the mental game.
More often than not, people disqualify themselves from the race before they even step up to the start line.
Here are some of the most common reasons that cause people to fail despite their very best intentions:
- They are overwhelmed by the prospect of change
- They don’t know what to do or where to start
- They subscribe to transient fitness and diet fads
- They don’t have a support group
- They don’t know how to properly deal with peer pressure
- They automatically fall back to what is convenient and not what is beneficial (drive throughs, food delivery apps, convenient stores, happy hour, wine nights)
Wherever you fall on the spectrum, I want you to take the time to think about what caused you to fail in the past, and more importantly, what you can do to set yourself up for success this time around.
Don’t worry too much about getting it perfect; simply answer the questions presented below with as much detail as you can so we can identify and overcome your obstacles and set you up for success.
Exercise:
- What training and/or nutritional plans have you tried in the past?
- Why were you not successful? What have been your biggest obstacles and/or temptations?
- What could you have done differently?
- What can you do right now to rectify the situation?