Zhu Li, Do The Thing!
Greetings, Citizens of Earth.
Today I want to talk about doing the thing but, before we start, watch this.
…….back yet? Okay, let’s be real - no one likes to do the thing - you know, that thing you’ve been running away from (wink, wink).
Truth is, every thing you want in life is on the other side of the work you’re avoiding.
I’ll share a story, grab a chair and(or) popcorn.
Story Time:
Part 1: Fit M.
Last year, I did something. I did something that for the longest time I thought I would never be able to do.
I went on a weight-loss journey and did shed a good chunk of weight. Not once did I ever believe I would be able to do it - but I did, surprisingly…….I fell off this year but that’s besides the point 😂
Let me paint you guys a picture - stay with me, I promise it’ll be worth it.
December 2022, I got up from one of my many naps on my couch - poor thing, sigh. I noticed a very sharp pain in my back. It hurt so much I had to get help walking - CRAZY.
I thought to myself, how did I get here? What can I do differently? I was so embarrassed, I decided to get off my ass and do something about - best believe I did.
I challenged myself to workout everyday, eat clean (not diet, btw*).
What did I notice?
more energy,
better fitting clothes
the compliments???!
I was surprised that I was able to learn so much about exercise and health by myself that I believe (even now) you can learn anything you want to as long as there’s interest and a willingness to do the thing - every day.
I found myself tracking calories, doing cardio vs strength training, I even signed up for a Muay-Thai class!
I was really all in!
Part 2: The Fall-Off
Like all things, consistently being at your best requires motivation effort. The minute you stop putting effort is the minute things begin to slip.
The decline was a rather slow one, you know - one missed pull day, one day of binge eating, a few cans of soda later and all the good work done had been eroded.
It was terrible, all my progress gone down the drain and it only went down hill from there
Part 3: Fear My Return
Now, I am slowly getting back to past M - although I’m struggling with consistency at the moment, I am trying. I recently read about the “Three Daily Wins” you need and I am incorporating that into my life.
I love to think of the three daily wins as a framework that mostly keeps me sane. It’s fairly simple too. Everyday, I tick an item off the list and I get a rush of energy.
I feel accomplished. This is how I get myself to do things past me would avoid.
Away from my personal life, I am also applying into my professional life - racking up wins is rather addictive and I am sincerely hoping that I can keep this up.
Moving On:
Forget about motivation for a sec and picture where you’d be in 3 months or 6 months or even 1 year if you just did the hard stuff you run away from - I’m sounding like a motivational speaker right now but allow?
Think about how the quality of your life will improve from just doing difficult stuff everyday and getting it over with? Don’t get me wrong, you have every right to complain about doing it but you WILL get it done regardless.
If you need further motivation, here you go!
*I’ll probably speak on my hatred of diets in the future.