Mental Barriers to Success

This topic started going through my mind today as I began my jog home from work. To tell the truth, I really didn't want to run home. I had ‘decided' to get a ride home and put off my exercise until later. I'm not sure why I didn't want to run, but an inner voice was telling me I was tired and I didn't feel like it - I started out anyway. For the first 10 minutes my breathing was laboured and my mental attitude was bleak. Why the heck was I doing this when I felt so terrible? Regardless, by the time I reached the arboretum (15 minutes from the start), I was feeling better and actually enjoying the weather. I was really enjoying the fact that I was getting my exercise done earlier in the evening.

The point of I'm trying to make is that I had almost allowed my ‘mental' state to prevent me from doing something that was going to make me feel good. I know that we all put up mental barriers when it comes to exercise and eating well, but the challenge is recognizing them and then persisting through. We must overcome barriers that prevent us from eating the way we should and barriers that stop us from exercising.

A lot of our barriers are fear based and thus, baseless fears. We are afraid of the unpredictable, the future and the consequences that might befall us if we make the wrong decision. We may be venturing into unknown or unfamiliar territory in our lives. There are a number of invisible boundaries that hold us back and put us into emotional isolation. Most often, we are simply selling ourselves short. We really don't believe we can do it, or believe we ‘can't do it properly'.

The fascinating aspect about all of this is that we are battling our own thoughts and feelings. We are not being judged by anyone but ourselves. Ultimately, most of our feelings of self limitations are repetitive thoughts we have had for years and we just repeat them over and over again.

So, begin each day with this simple thought: You are good at what you do, and it's your birthright to go after whatever you want in life...and get it! Don't sell yourself short. If necessary, forget any immediate needs and focus on long-term goals. If it's about weight loss, don't fret about what you had to eat today, but rather think about how you want to eat over the next month or six months. You want to learn the art of small portions. You want to learn how to resist snacks when you aren't hungry. If you are concerned about exercise, you want to learn how to push yourself to just start, rather than putting off the activity because you feel tired.

I think what is most important, is to learn not to listen to any negative self-talk. You might recognize it's there, but fight through it. The biggest obstacle we have for success is ourselves and how we talk to ourselves. Don't listen to the inner negative self, push beyond that and do those things that will make you feel better about yourself. Don't have dessert just because it's there. You know you don't need it. Go for a walk, even though you are tired-you will feel much more energized when you finish.

Don't wait for magic ‘motivation', just do it. Start today. Do some exercise. Aim for small portions. Think about how good you will feel in a few months if you develop healthy habits now.

Don't ever give up. You can do it...

Dr Doug