Why the F^$% am I Doing This…?
Let me paint you a picture. Close your eyes. Actually don’t because you need to read this… You know what I mean.
It’s raining, and you’re in a small clay hut with someone that you will soon come to know as Yoda. You’re young, impatient and eager to find this Jedi Master but before this creature will take you further in your journey he asks:
“Why wish you become Jedi?”
Now, you’re not Luke Skywalker and I’m not Yoda but we could be… Aside, it takes us to our topic of the week--nay, of our lives. Yes, that is exactly how passionate about this I am. Becoming a Jedi--sorry.
The journey of a healthy lifestyle and making changes that will better your overall physical and mental health is a long one; and if you plan on reaching your goal, you’re going to need to first know why you’re doing it. Whenever we offer advice to people it always starts with asking them to tell us why they are going to commit to this trial. The reason why you commit has to be something that is going to fuel you for weeks, months and maybe years.
Many a padawan will tell you that they want to get beach ready; that they want to look good in their wedding dress; or that they need to lose a few pounds for a trip. Those people might make it to that short-term goal on the fuel of vanity but I promise you that it will not last. In my honest opinion, the reason that most people fail in reaching their health and fitness goals is low aim. And you can take that at face value, too. You want to lose a couple pounds for a trip? Seems kind of silly because that trip has an open bar and a breakfast buffet so that you can bring those pounds home with you.
Low aim can be interpreted as a poor goal setting process. Luke wanted to be a Jedi because his father was a Jedi. Well, whoopidy-doo, Luke. That’s not gonna cut it because once you become a Jedi--then what? Luke ultimately understood that he wanted to become a Jedi because he had a calling to play his part in bringing balance to the force. It wasn’t just so that he would be able to move things with the Force. Or look good in his sister’s steel-plated bikini.
When we translate this to the rest of us, it’s important to make your goal something real. And it truly is a personal, soul-searching endeavor. It might be difficult and uncomfortable to come to terms with this goal but the closer it is to your heart the more it will fuel you to stay the course.
I did some online ‘training’ many moons ago giving advice to fellow fitness goof-balls and I always led with, “First of all, why are you doing this?” When people didn’t give me a good answer, or something that was superficial I actually turned them down, telling them that our philosophies weren’t going to jive. My favourite reason was a guy from New Jersey--Let’s call him Colin. At the time he was in his late twenties, worked as a sous chef in a restaurant and was a father of a little 3-4 year old boy. On top of that, he was about 50-60 pounds overweight, according to his doctor. Colin was at risk for heart trouble and all sorts of trouble down the road if he didn’t change his tune. While this medical synopsis is a pretty good reason ‘why’, I asked him if there was anything else, a little more on the emotional side of his life that might be a better, more encompassing reason. Again, a goal of losing weight (read: changing your body composition) isn’t really something that I think is good enough for the long haul. We made a deal that he would come back to me in a week with another reason as to why he was starting this journey.
I honestly didn’t think he was coming back. And I get it--I’m not the nicest person. I can come off as holier-than-thou and I’m really good-looking. But as sure as the sun will rise in the East, Colin came back a week later and emailed me with his reason. I’m paraphrasing, and I should have kept that note:
“Vince -- I’ve got it and if this isn’t a good enough reason then I’m going to die trying to get there. It’s my kid and my wife. It came to me while kicking a ball back and forth with my son in the backyard and after ten or so minutes I was exhausted! He was so happy that I was playing with him but there was absolutely no way that I could keep going. I thought to myself, ‘what’s going to happen in a year; 5 years; 10 years?’ If I can’t keep up with him and bring him that joy now, how am I going to keep up with him when he’s not an infant running circles around me? Simply put, I owe it to my family to be better--to be there for them and experience things at their side instead of on the sidelines.”
Again, that’s not word for word but it’s damn close. And let me tell you: if I had the physical ability to shed a tear I would have. That was the kind of goal that would carry Colin for years and would keep him following his plan for a healthier lifestyle overall. Fast-forward a full two years and a bunch of hard work later and Colin is off his medications and he’s lost 40-50 lbs and it’s staying off and he’s running, jumping and playing with his son like it’s nothing. Happiness is everywhere.
I will never, ever take the credit for the success of others--you put in the work, you avoid that third, fourth and fifth cookie of the night. But if there is something that I will gladly take credit for, it’s helping you understand and appreciate the power of a proper goal for your health and fitness.
That, and the triangle solo that was played at the March 25, 2008 Foo Fighters concert in Winnipeg (true story, ask literally anyone that was sitting next to me).
Feel the force around you. Or think about your reason why. Both work.
-v
