Written by: Chris Deavin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In reading this article's title, what did you think? Was it 'finally, an easy way to get results I want' or was it 'yeah right. I've tried so many different things to get in shape, and I know for sure it's not easy’?
What you thought indicates your current mindset. Either you want an easy way to get what you want and would like not to work harder than you need to, or you accept that hard work and perseverance are the only ways to get what you want.
Even if the message isn't true, it becomes true to the people you are saying it to if you understand how someone thinks. When you see a message that speaks to you, ask yourself if it really does what it says or if it simply reinforces your current beliefs. If it is true to what I believe, then it is true.
When you believe instant gratification is your goal, you will search for information that will bring you that result. And you will convince yourself that this decision now is your best decision.
If you believe that things of importance are not achieved easily, you will doubt the information you are seeing and keep searching for the right answer to your question, “What is the solution to achieving the health I want?”
Try A Bit Of Self-Experimentation
As a health coach focusing mainly on long-term sustainable results, I know how appealing quick and instant results are to certain mindsets (and those who promote them also know who they are targeting). Working hard to achieve lasting results can seem unattractive to some people.
But is it wise to keep going down the same road but never really arrive at your desired destination? It makes more sense to stop and wonder why you never get what you want and then start looking for a more successful outcome.
When it comes to my clients, I tell them, "What works, works". The bottom line is to keep doing what is working, no matter what everyone else says will work.
In order to get the results you want, you will need to experiment with different strategies. Trial and error. You will try something, and it will work, and then you will try something else, and it won't.
It's hard for me to know how to best coach new clients. They're like blank canvasses. I can't give advice, support and guidance until I get to know them and understand how they think. If I give advice before getting to know them, it would only serve my belief that I know what's best for them, which is how health professionals sell quick fixes.
The thought of taking your time and working through different strategies in a world full of quick solutions and instant pleasure can seem off-putting.
Learn To Fail Before You Learn To Fly
But countless success stories are littered with failed attempts before success is achieved. Successful people will tell you they didn’t accomplish what they have now without experiencing failure first.
Failure doesn't necessarily happen instantly. It might take days, weeks or even months for it to happen.
Perhaps you are following a strategy that seems to be working at first but in the end, does not provide the results you were hoping for.
The key to success is how you perceive failure. Don't give up and believe it isn't possible to achieve what you want, but rather look for a better way to learn from it.
Accept that it's likely to happen, and then use it as an opportunity to do better next time.
It is all about self-experimentation. You try something for a while, and if it doesn’t produce the desired results, then change what you are doing and tweak it until you are satisfied.
It is essential to do more than just blindly self-experiment. Research and talk to people who have achieved what you want so that you know what you need to do in order to achieve it.
Once that knowledge has been sorted, adapt it to what works for you, even if it doesn't work for others.
Learn To Embrace Discomfort
If you do embrace self-experimentation, then you also have to embrace discomfort.
To succeed, you must change what you are doing, which means you will experience discomfort (stepping out of your comfort zone).
Just because something feels uncomfortable doesn't mean it's wrong. It is important to balance the discomfort you are experiencing with the results you will achieve.
If you value achieving what you want less than the discomfort you experience, you will stay in your comfort zone, waiting for a less uncomfortable solution.
So if you want to achieve a better body shape or anything of true value, start by researching how to succeed, experiment with different strategies, embrace the discomfort of change and accept you might fail along the way and use it as a learning experience.
Ok, it’s more than one thing, but the title did make you read this article.
Don't stop trying to achieve what you want. Life, like your health, is a continuum. You are either getting better or worse. You choose which path you want to take.
Chris Deavin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Chris has been a behavioural health coach for over 20 years, helping people change their lives through enhanced health and well-being. Through 1000s of hours of coaching, he has been able to identify the most effective strategies to enable people to successfully work through the process of change needed to achieve physical & mental vitality and wellness. Now specialising in health for the over 50s, his passion is helping people improve their health span and lifespan.
