STOP COLLECTING THE DOTS

Raise your right hand as high as you possibly can... Now raise it slightly higher.

Did your hand go any higher? I'm hoping it did not, but if it did, blame our text book mentality that has taught us not to give our all. We rarely give 100% because your trainer, teacher, boss or coach will always ask for more. And you'll be safe because you have more to give.

We have been taught to do things a certain way. We reward the one who can memorize the most facts by taking them to the next class. We reward a collection of working years or a collection of certificates with a job promotion. We reward those who eat the least number of calories with a number on the weighing scale. We are all busy collecting dots and the one who collects the most gets the biggest reward.

At the end of the day, we do it for the test, we do it for the weighing scale and we do it for that job promotion.

Woe unto you if you try connecting the dots... Your parent gets summoned to school because you're doing a lot less memorizing and a lot more art & sports. Try not counting every single calorie that goes into your mouth and your trainer decides you're on your own.

When you stop collecting the dots and start connecting them it stops feeling like work it starts to feel passionate, insightful and artistic.

That is where we should be headed, that's the path that should be celebrated, but is it?

If you dread Monday morning it's because whatever you're doing is a chore and you aim to do less of it. Have you ever heard an songwriter say I'm going to write 1 less song this month, or an artist, I'll paint 1 less painting this year or a striker say I'll try not to score in this game..  Neither have I.

So you've started working out because you want to be thinner or weigh less, but why do you want to lose that weight(Which I'm hoping is fat) or to be thinner. What will you do better once you attain your 'ideal' weight?  Your answer to that should be the focus. It should make up the entire process. It's not the number on the weighing scale or the calories in your food.

Do you really want to eat less or you just want to eat better?

This shift from collecting to connecting requires Deliberate Effort. Efforts to decide which dot will connect to which dot, not just collecting them whether they make sense or not. Deliberate Efforts to create, enjoy and feel the entire process not just the small parts that will tip the weighing scale or will appear in the test. And finally Deliberate Efforts to put yourself in a situation where you'll fail or be criticised and be ok with it because you enjoy and are passionate about the process.

Follow less, think, engage, question and enjoy more. Get to the point where you want to Deliberately do more.

The weighing scale is important but it's NOT THE MAIN THING NEITHER IS IT THE ULTIMATE GOAL.

Counting calories is neither fun nor sustainable.

Creating my own path... And I'm happy about it

This week's challenge: Forget the standardized tests, toss out the weighing scale, just connect the dots, YOUR DOTS, and be ready & willing to fail.

It's Nutrition Monday today at Deliberate Fitness at the YMCA State House Rd. 5.25--6.30pm
The only thing that our sessions have in common with other sessions, is that we don't have anything in common.

Cheers!

P.s Today's train of thought was inspired by Seth Godin; marketer, leader & author. Linchpin is one of my Favorite books by Seth.