Blissfully Ignorant Fitness
Recognizing and Dismissing Self-Sabotaging Stories in Your Mind
Hello there, my friends! How the heck are you? I hope you are treating life well. I want to ask you a question, if you don’t mind? Have you ever become super excited to start an exercise program–I mean really excited, motivated, and psyched? I am talking about the kind of motivation that got you so excited that you drove to the store to buy new workout clothes, a new high-powered alarm clock to wake up at 5 in the morning, and a pair of new running shoes to go along with it!
Remember how you started out strong, fast, and determined? You found yourself up at 5 a.m. to the tune of your super-charged alarm clock and excited to go the gym. You got your workout done, and you felt like a million bucks afterwards. This pattern continued for at least a month, but then you began to pay attention to “them.” “They” continued to haunt you and welcomed themselves right into your thoughts. At first you wondered, “What is happening? And where did my motivation go?” You fought back for a while with small bursts of self-control, but then you finally succumbed to “them.” “They,” my good friend, are the voices in your head, spinning all sorts of stories as to why you could not go on with your goal.
Our minds are filled with voices and stories that pervade our thoughts from day to day, and from second to second. These voices either strengthen our resolve and our character, or they slowly but surely destroy it. They are always active, and they are always at work.
I am a man who believes in privacy, and I respect your right to it, but, for the next few moments, I am going to crack open your skull, dive in, and read your mind. Yes, I am going to remove all of the stories “they” told you, all of the stories that have stopped your progress. I’m going to put you right back at square one so that you’ll ask yourself, “How did I get back here?” So dim the lights, strike up the fire, and get cozy, because it is story time, my friend! I will share with you your initial thought of passion, optimism, and hope, and then I will share the subsequent stories and thoughts that your mind used to counter them.
Originating Thought: “I am excited to start working out again.”
Mind Story: “I know that working out is good, and I should continue to do it, but my life has become so busy at the moment that I cannot continue. Being the responsible adult that I am, I am going to shelve this for a while and get back to working out when life slows down again.”
Originating Thought: “I am in control of my daily schedule, and I will prioritize time for exercise.”
Mind Story: “I am a victim of my schedule right now. I cannot possibly fit in exercise, and I have no control over my time. I am completely ruled by external circumstances. Even if I wanted to, I could not exercise.”
Originating Thought: “I am in control of my body and can change any habit that I desire.”
Mind Story: “I have never had good self control. I think it is just the way I was born. Nobody in my family has ever had self control, so I should just accept who I am and be happy with it!”
Originating thought: “I feel energetic and alive when I exercise, and I love the way I feel afterwards!”
Mind Story: “Exercise does make me feel better, but after a long day’s work, that is the last thing that I want to do! I don’t have the energy to expend with exercise at this time in my life.”
Originating Thought: “Exercise feels good.”
Mind Story: “Exercise is painful, boring, and cumbersome.”
Originating Thought: “I need to exercise now!”
Mind Story: “I will exercise come New Year’s.”
Originating Thought: “I can change my life right now at this very moment. Nothing can stop me except my own limiting thoughts. My ability to achieve my desires is limitless.”
Mind Story: “I need to wait until I am ‘ready’ to exercise. If I have learned anything in life, it is that nobody will change until they are ready. I have found this wisdom to be true in my life, and I will know when the time is right. In the mean time, I will continue to prepare myself mentally, but I understand that this is going to be a very slow process.”
Well, there you have it, my friends. These are just a few examples that I have heard from my clients (and have used myself) over the years. The solution to these stories is surprisingly simple if you understand that these stories spring from your subconscious mind into your conscious mind at the very moment of choice.
The Solution
The next time one of these “mind stories” pops into your head, you must raise your AWARNESS! The problem is that we live our lives thinking that our mind stories “are the way that it is,” but this could not be further from the truth! These so-called mind stories are nothing more than conditioned beliefs that you have been nurturing for years on end, and they have been RULING your behavior because you have been unconscious of them.
Once you become aware of your thoughts and label them for what they are, you can take control of them and replace them again with your originating thoughts! Your newfound consciousness will help you once again realize the powerful potential that you indeed have. It is time to take yourself out of the “blissfully ignorant” state that you have been in, and begin again to live your life on your terms! Life is good!
God Bless,
Griff