Thinking

#1 New Year’s Resolution - Getting Fit

Written by: L Jones

Picture from: www.fitnessproductsonline.com

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” –A. Einstein

Not again. You know this is three years straight now that you’ve resolved to get fit. “My New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight”, or “to get fit” you say. Aren’t you sick of hearing yourself say it? Over and over again with the same outcome; waiting for the ball to drop at Time’s Square to say it again. Enough already.

Okay. Forgive me for being so hurtful, but growth hurts; hence the term growing pains. Most people recognize short falls in their lives. We all want to see improvements in those difficult areas and we typically make great strides in our pursuits. The hitch is we don’t know how to go about fixing it, that’s why it’s a problem in the first place. In high school, I’d come home for summer break with 2.0 or below GPA. At the start of the next year, I was confident that I’d do better. I was more attentive, more assertive, more diligent, but as time passed, I was more or less a 2.0 or below GPA student. I knew that I needed to get better grades, but I had no idea that I needed to change my way of thinking. I just didn’t know how to succeed at the time. Success requires you to recognize when changes are needed and a willingness to change.

Lee’s Rules to Getting Fit

1. RECOGNITION: First, you have to recognize that what you’ve been doing doesn’t work anymore. Remember GI Joe’s “Knowing is half the battle” statement?  You have to know what the battle is before you can wage war against it. This is the most important step, because without recognizing the error in your ways, how will you know to adjust those ways. Then you’ll be stuck doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
2. Okay, I’m going to need for you to sit down for this one. You ready? The next step is to CHANGE. Change your routine. Change your way of thinking. Change the environment you frequent. Whatever it is that you recognize is hindering you from accomplishing your desired outcome, change it. I can hear you now. “You make it sound so easy”. Guess what? It is easy. The more difficult part is recognizing a need to change.
3. ASSOCIATION: The next rule is to associate yourself with other individuals that can help you grow and you can help them grow. Think of an AA meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to change; to grow; to become better. The environment consists of individuals who recognize the problem and are doing what it takes to change. Or better yet, here’s a workout analogy. You can workout by yourself, but think of how much more weight, or how much farther you’d run, or how much less likely you are of giving up if you had a workout partner or group. People sharing the same goal and enthusiasm for change. A built in support channel.

That’s it. Those three little rules for achieving success are the foundation for your guaranteed self improvement. Now you are wondering, this blog is supposed to talk about how you can look good in your bathing suit this summer. Guess what? I did cover that. It first starts with getting your mind reprogrammed for change. Everything else will take care of itself. You have to realize that what you do over and over again will typically bear the same results (let’s not talk about real estate right now). Continuing to grow and the willingness to change when can be applied in all areas of your bettering life.

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