No Excuses, Just Action
You’ve made a decision to live your best fit and healthy life. Excellent! Now, it’s time to make a plan for side-stepping your “But [insert excuse]” moments, overcoming procrastination, and taking action.
Human nature dictates that much of what we do aims to either moves us away from “pain” or toward “pleasure.” Often, the pain of not doing something needs to be greater than the pleasure of doing it (or having done it; like accomplishing a challenging goal) for us to take action. Think about it: How many times have you waited until the last possible moment before doing something important? Countless times.
It’s what we humans do.
We all have our own ways we put off committing to and acting on changes we want to make. Often, many of us use “but” to help us stay where we’re comfortable. And sometimes we procrastinate because we feel overwhelmed or even intimidated.
Do these thoughts sound familiar?
It’s too hard.
It’ll take too long.
It’s overwhelming.
I don’t have time.
There are plenty of other excuses, but let’s take a look at these four, as well as ways you might deal with them.
It’s too hard. Long-term change is hard. But it’s also worth the effort because you’re taking care of the most important person in your world: You. So, if you start thinking that reaching and maintaining your best fit life “is just too hard,” consider why you set fit-life goals in the first place—the ultimate reason(s) why living a fit and healthy lifestyle is so important to you—and then refocus on creating or working your way through a step-by-step plan to reach your goals.
It’ll take too long. What’s the rush? Long-term change is just that: long term. Living a more fit and healthy lifestyle requires sustainable changes. Making those kinds of changes takes time. Time is going to pass whether or not you make changes. Wouldn’t you rather reach your fit-life goals, even if it takes time, than not even try?
It’s overwhelming. You’ve envisioned a future you that’s healthier and more fit. You may feel overwhelmed when you think about what it will take to reach your goals because you’re thinking big. It’s essential to see the big picture, but it’s also crucial to break down your goals into the specific activities and milestones that will help you keep moving forward and stay focused on the positive. Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-framed—and be sure they’re sustainable), prioritize them, and then build a plan with monthly or quarterly milestones and weekly and daily activities and habits that will make your changes manageable.
I don’t have time. We’re all busier than ever before with countless demands on our time. That’s all the more reason to make time for yourself. There are creative ways to add fitness to your schedule; they might include getting up earlier for morning yoga in your living room or making a weekly “fitness-walk date” with your besties to catch up. There are also simple ways to improve your eating habits (e.g., plan some meals for the week in advance), mindset (drop limiting beliefs and adopt empowering beliefs), and sleep (e.g., set a routine) without making time-consuming changes to your schedule.
Work It Out
Now, ask yourself these questions to help you work out why you’re stalling and to get you past the buts, excuses, and distractions.
What are you currently avoiding?
Why do you think you’re putting it off?
What “pain” are you avoiding by not doing this thing? (Having to get up early?)
What “pain” will you experience by using excuses or procrastinating? (Not reaching your goal?)
What “pleasure” will you gain now by doing the thing you’re putting off? (Getting one step closer to your goal?)
What “pleasure” will you gain over the long term by doing it? (Reaching X goal?)
How will you feel if you stop making excuses or procrastinating and take action? (Accomplished? Confident? Proud?)
OK, now that you’ve thought this through, are you ready to take action—right now?
Then, go do what it was that you’ve been putting off. If it’s something big, a least take the first step. You’ll be glad you did.
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