Now is good.
Now is good, so have a go…
The motion vs action paradox is something that has been studied extensively. Most recently, James Clear wrote about it in his book Atomic Habits (p.s it’s a great read).
We spend so much time waiting for the right moment, waiting for things to fall into place when deep down we all know there is never a right time. It’s all too easy to fall down the rabbit hole “paralysis by analysis” where we spend too much time acquiring knowledge or analysing data or information: We start looking for the “best” way to do whatever it is. Well the best is the enemy of the good, and we forget to take action. So look in my eyes and in the eyes of many others, there is a stark difference between the two even though on paper they appear similar. When you’re in “motion” it’s planning, learning and preparing which are all good things don’t get it twisted and I’m not saying don’t do those things, but none of them gets you no closer to your end goal without action, the action is in the execution of those plans and strategies.
Ok, here goes another Irish proverb for you (yes I was raised in Ireland if that wasn’t clear to you already) “You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind”. Put simply, merely thinking about something won't get it done. No matter what it is, writing a book, starting a business and I guess most importantly getting your health in check, now is as good a time as any to take that first step.
Again don’t take life too seriously, none of us are getting out alive. Go.
Good news! You suck.
I have been deadlifting a barbell for more than 8 years (cool story, bro).
In that time, I’ve had different views about how to do it correctly, what cues to use, and the significance of the movement itself. One thing hasn’t changed though – the view that you are always a student of the game.
No one, ever, in the history of the world, has been ‘perfect’ at deadlifting, and if they claim to be…. Stop listening to them. Some of the best powerlifters and coaches in the world won’t tell you they’re perfect at it, because they know they can’t be.
Only recently, I’ve had another ‘breakthrough’. I can now very consciously ‘feel’ my lats stiffen, and stabilise my lower back. I had always thought I knew this feeling, after cueing ‘tight lats, shoulder blades to bum’ countless amount of times. However, after the 17,516th deadlift (who’s counting?) I’ve made this mind-muscle connection between my lats and my lower back (again, cool story). But, this raises the whole point of this piece.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is an interesting phenomenon, and one that’s very fun to observe over internet arguments. In it’s simplest form, beginners think they’re experts, and experts think they’re beginners. It also touches on the idea that ‘the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know’, and that the pursuit of knowledge is an endless and too-vast endeavour (albeit, worth undertaking).
Almost subconsciously, after years of deadlifting, I had started to think ‘you’re getting pretty good at this, and know what you’re talking about’, only to be taught another lesson by the barbell and feel like a beginner all over again (How come I hadn’t properly felt my lats before!?).
Right when you think you’re getting on top of something, ‘check yo-self’ and adopt a beginner’s mentality. Always approach something as though you suck at it and need to absorb as much of it as possible. No one has ever had too much knowledge. No one has ever been too good at deadlifting.
Control the controllables
Why Worry
In life, there are only two things to worry about—
Either you are well or you are sick.
If you are well, there is nothing to worry about,
But if you are sick, there are only two things to worry about—Either you will get well or you will die.
If you get well, there is nothing to worry about,
But If you die, there are two things to worry about; either you will go to Heaven or Hell. If you go to Heaven, there is nothing to worry about. If you go to Hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands with your friends, you won't have time to worry!"
P.s I don’t actually know who wrote it, an old school teacher shared it with us.
I know I know, that got rather heavy, rather quickly but let me explain. We all live busy lives either by our making or just by circumstance, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I find myself asking the question” WHY WORRY?” anytime I start getting overwhelmed or stressed about anything from work to personal.
This is then followed by a series of practical steps to identify what I am in control of and what I can do absolutely nothing about. The way I see it, if something is in my control, I am doing all I can to control it and if something is out of my control, I have given my all to bring it within my control. This is a nice follow-up to the ‘Love the process’ blog. I hope you utilise them both.
Oh, those practical steps I talked about look like this;
Be brutally honest with your time and manage your expectations. Every time you say ‘yes’ to something unimportant, you unwittingly say ‘no’ to something more important. In essence, there is enormous value in getting good at knowing when to say ‘no’. Know your priorities and know your goals and then act accordingly.
Now this is a new one for me and so far so good. Swap your ‘to-do’ list for a success list. It’s simple really. At the start of every day, prioritise your success list. Choose the top three items and label them one, two and three. Do item number one until you can do nothing else with it. Then before you move onto item number two, re-prioritise the list or in other words, go back through your success list and make sure that item number two has now become item number one.
Four D’s principles of time management. Another lesson I am still learning myself. Do it now, Delegate it to the right person, Dump it or Diarise it for another day or time.
As always take from this what you will but if it helps one person that's good enough for me. Remember, smile, relax, and don't take life too seriously, no-one gets out alive.
Make it happen
Something that has become apparent over the last two months is that humans have an amazing ability to ‘make it happen’. Businesses, restaurants, cafes and the like, have had to make the greatest unplanned leap laterally, in order to survive Covid-19.
Turning to completely take-away, completely online, or completely remote, has invited innovation and growth in ways we haven’t seen before. Whilst this innovation was probably inevitable, the virus certainly accelerated its development. It has proven what we’re capable of, when pushed a little by external forces.
Ask yourself; What changes could you make happen, if you were pushed a little? Trying to save for that holiday but have a binge-spending habit? Give yourself a self-imposed lockdown with your family or partner every second weekend (can’t spend if you can’t go out…right?). Wanting to eat a little healthier? Try buying one extra ‘healthy’ item each time you go to the shops. Or want to be a better communicator with your loved ones? Schedule in a call well in advance and have a friend or family member keep you accountable.
This virus has proven what we’re capable of when we’re pushed. The person you’re striving to be is just a small series of behaviour-changes away. Act as though you’re constantly being pushed (hopefully not always by a virus) and make it happen.
Love the process
“The secret to change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new” – Socrates
Now bear with me for a second and I'll explain before everyone freaks out. I'm not saying don't set goals and I'm not saying don't aspire for greatness. As far as I'm concerned, you go Glen Coco.
I'm sure when Rona first kicked you, you said something like this; "It's fine I'll come out of this fitter than I went in". I know I did, but then the reality kicks in and you realise working out at home is actually really hard, and you struggle to set up a routine or a training space etc.
So here's my advice for falling in love with the process of health and fitness. Take from it what you will.
Accept your current self and situation (manage your expectations)
Remember that your "normal" has changed, you can no longer do what you did and therefore you cannot feasibly expect the same level of success or results (this applies to all things).Be rational, objective, & reframe your situation (what will your new ‘normal’ look like?) Everyone falls off the wagon & loses their way. The worst thing you can do is beat yourself up for it. Instead of criticising and self-loathing, approach this as a chance to reset. Look at the past objectively, be optimistic with the present situation and look to the future with endless possibilities.
Just focus on doing (good habits and rituals)
Feels like I haven't hit you with a quote in a few sentences so here's one for you, although I don't know who said it; "Half of life is showing up". You can’t control the timetable for results and other outside metrics, but you can control the actions and habits necessary to give yourself the best chance of making the desired outcome achievable.
Now I'll stop there just before I go off on another tangent. You get my drift; ‘control the controllables’, look after yourself and remember no-one gets out alive.