Choosing The Long-Term Solution Mindset
I want to present a functioning idea that can help you transform different components of your life. No, we aren't talking about quick fixes and wild frog poison ceremonies, yes people do that under the muse of self-help and spirituality. Give me 1,367 words, your imagination, and an open mind, and you'll leave here with whatever value the frog guru is trying to give you. We are talking about a realistic approach to behavior and mindset, which will generate the results and success that we desire.
I have a friend who is on a new diet.
This is at least his seventh diet in as many months. I don't say this to shame him or anyone who is attempting to gain control. Look, it's hard, even I have issues with sugar since sugar is in everything. I have nutritional issues that I am proactively working on trying to improve too. I would argue that I am above-average health, but even still, I also have room to grow, don't we all. Please note, I am not coming from some preachy place when it comes to him. However, I am attacking his mindset (not him) and attempting to illustrate how a few slight shifts will help us as far as our goals are concerned.
Someone in power instructed that he take on the vigorous challenge of doing 900 calories a day for 'x' amount of time to lose weight, yikes!
I did not want to discourage him from his weight loss journey, however, as soon as he told me about this, I said, "Sir, I'll be honest, I think there are better alternatives to this choice. We need behaviors and patterns that support us in the long term. I don't see 900 calories as something you could sustain for the rest of your life."
His response was, "I'm not worried about the long term; for me, I just want to lose weight now."
Instant Results
As a guy who wants to lose weight, he looks at this alternative as a way to get the weight off quickly. I don't see anything wrong with that desire. That desire itself is perfectly normal, but we must find the path that will give us a long-term benefit so we can consistently reap the benefits of the results of the desire.
In my opinion, a temporary challenge does have the ability to create long-term change in your life. My birthday is coming up (August 23rd), and I am thinking about doing two types of challenges. One, I am thinking of writing a 1,000 essay every single day to practice and get better at my profession. Secondly, I am thinking about doing some fitness challenge where I work out in the morning and at night for 30 days.
In the grand scheme of how I train, as an athlete and as a writer, both of those possible ideas will personally help me because I already have the proclivity of consistent practice in both fields. A fitness challenge or a writing challenge would be excellent for someone like me, even if it were extreme. I want to make sure you understand my logic here. His 900 calorie experiment for his lifestyle is radical. I don't believe that the process he agreed to do aligns with the results he wants.
Starving yourself literally or in the figurative sense is never the answer to long term success.
Imagine if I started a foreign language training program while only knowing English, but doing so expecting to master the new language in one calendar month. Even if I mastered introductions, greetings, days, months, and other transitional phrases, we know that it will take me years to learn a new language because there is still so much more to master. Learning a new language for me – in my thirties – would require a plan of consistency and longevity, and most importantly, a practice that feels good and rewarding.
So How Do We Attack Change?
I believe an essential part of making any change is to ask two questions:
What result do I want to achieve? And this needs to be answered in great detail. A short, superficial answer is not good enough here. This answer needs to precise.
What old behaviors am I getting rid of, and what new practices am I adding to align with my targets.
To make those two points memorable, let's call them the target and the aim. The objective is number one, and the aim is number two. Picture a guy with a crossbow trying to shoot the arrow at the bullseye. He needs the right alignment, angle, and release point to hit his target; we are no different.
How To Implement, An Example
I am going to take on the writing challenge that I mentioned above. I am going to write a 1,000-word essay every day for the next 30 days. I am going to work out once a day for the next thirty days as well. At first, I was thinking of doing two, but honestly, my one workout is more than enough, and I am okay with that.
What Results Do I Want
What results do I want to achieve? Well, I want to be a prolific writer, and the only way to do that is practice. I may not post and share every single article, or I may, who knows. I do know that I need to do the work. One thousand words should take me anywhere from 60-90 minutes, aligning with my goal of writing for 90 minutes per day, at a minimum this month. In the fall, I hope to start writing for 3-4 hours per day, as I am inspired and have some projects lined up that I would love to start with some electric energy. Jumping to a 4-hour writing session expectation per day right now would be akin to doing the 900 calorie diet and calling it an answer. It makes more sense to ease into 90 minutes per day and then graduate into 2 hours, and then three and then four.
The Aim
The first behavior that I have to get rid of is writing whenever I feel like it. Sometimes I write at night, and sometimes I do so in the morning, and on other days I'll do an afternoon session. For this thirty day challenge, I am going to write in the mornings after I workout. That is what I am going to add; the consistent morning writing session that will always follow my workout. Now, if, for some reason, I sit down and don't have any quality work coming out of my brain, then I will forego that morning session and revisit later at night, after dinner to be specific. Sometimes, a great dinner can inspire you. Speaking of dinner, allow me to share a recent discovery I had that relates to long-term thinking.
I want to add one final component to this essay. I ordered a meal prep service, and I utilized it for about two months. I canceled it recently because, honestly, it doesn't support the idea that I am pitching here. At least for my life, that is not a long-term solution.
I love cooking, and I love smelling home-cooked meals brewing up; having the meal prep delivered takes that away. I love going to restaurants and having high-quality meals. I love pairing foods, flavor, mixing cocktails, and having wine. I love the whole food experience. The meal prep company experience wasn't enough for me; it wasn't inspiring. I love doing meal prep myself. Canceling that service also put money back in my pocket, which was another benefit.
As you shift through life, I challenge you to ask: are these behaviors and approaches going to give me the long-term solution I need? Is this type of energy going to provide me with the long term solution I am looking for? Introspecting and investigating the processes that you do will give you freedom; it will now provide you with total self-awareness. You have full control to know if this is temporary or if it is a long term solution, and knowing that it is complete freedom. Free Your Energy!
Friend,
We have created open slots for all three of my new courses, How To Stop Overthinking, Deep Healing, and Restore Balance and Purpose To Your Life. The strategically designed class will be easy to take and digest. We want them to be direct and to the point. Click this link to see them all and register. I hope you have a great week. Next week, I will bring you another 1,000-word essay about a topic that has recently inspired me! If you have any friends who enjoy this type of thought-provoking content, please, be my guest and send them this link to sign up for the newsletter.