MINDSET MASTERY |
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Are you wanting to make a change, yet worried that you won’t be able to do it right, or see it through? There can be many reasons why we don’t commit to the thing that seems helpful. Sometimes, it’s just not the right time, or the right thing, or the right thing at the time. Many factors can hold us back, but often one of the BIGGEST is a lost sense of trust in confidence and abilities, resulting from a history of sensed failures. If you’re choosing to stay where you are over the risk of failing, I get it. But there’s good news… there’s a very specific reason why intelligent and successful people struggle with lasting weight loss and healthy habit change… MINDSET: A POWERFUL DISTICTION Whether it’s a program like the Plant-Strong Sculpt, or any other health, fitness, nutrition, weight loss or lifestyle shift, there’s an important distinction to be made… When it comes to specific goals and projects, most of us hold a results-focused mindset. This mindset can be very beneficial under such circumstances, and it guides how we go about defining success and strategizing our plans. With a results-focused project, course, or date-specific goal, we may… – go full tilt and burn the midnight oil in order to wrap it up – put other priorities on hold in order to hyper-focus – sacrifice important relationships and our own self-care needs, to get the task done As you’ve likely experienced, when success is defined by the end-result, there isn’t much regard to how we feel doing it. Although not healthy over prolonged periods, for short stints it can work quite well, especially when our “go-time” is proceeded by a beach holiday or enjoyable recovery period. Conversely, habit formation and lifestyle shifts don’t have end dates, which changes the strategy. Or so it should. Yet, over and over, despite the low-success rate, we continue to use a results-focused approach. When we apply this approach to health, wellness and body change goals (that require lifestyle shifts to maintain), we set ourselves up for inner rebellion; crashing and burning early; or petering out over time. We’ve all done this, and it’s so incredibly frustrating and disheartening. WHAT’S THE SOLUTION? Although not nearly as sexy or enticing as the fast-pace/fast-rewards chase, habit change does better with a process-focused mindset. This is what helps you play the long-game and… – stay committed, even when motivation drops – be consistent, even when actions feel hard or inconvenient – be resilient to obstacles and unpredictable circumstances, that would otherwise derail you – listen to your body and treat it well, rather than beating it up – observe and adapt your strategy from a curiosity based on feedback and progress markers, rather than judgement, impatience or shame Being process-focused leads to sustainability of actions that supports consistency and drives results long-term. ![]() photo credit: Tim Dardis Photography The strategy I used to get in the shape above was results-focused. Knowing your intention is very important for deciding on the strategy you want to use. If you want lasting success, process-focused is where you want to be. If you want to hit a goal by a certain date, results-focused may be better suited (but don’t expect the results to last). |
WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE? Recently, I asked two of my Plant-Strong Sculptors who successfully completed BOTH the 8-week Spring Plant-Strong Sculpt and the following 12-week Body Brilliance coaching group (a grand total of 20 weeks!), to share their personal keys to success. Here’s a sprinkle of what they shared: I let go of all-or-nothing thinking. I realized perfection wasn’t necessary – and was even holding me back. I focused on establishing a lifestyle over following a rigid plan. I asked myself, “What is sustainable for me?” and focused there. I used to push through exhaustion and injuries, which made them worse. This time, I listened to my body and focused on rest and active recovery activities as needed (eg. COVID, virus, injury). I noticed what makes my body thrive and realized that a ~90% vegan diet reduced my inflammation and joint pain. This kept me going! I redefined success. Unlike the past, it wasn’t about doing the program perfectly, but staying consistent and not giving up. Counting my wins and being kind to myself [instead of shaming/punishing], has helped me get back on track again, so much faster than before. ——————————————————————— WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? When you think about the change you’d like to make, what process-focused strategies do you think would be helpful? |