By Christian Thoma BSc MSc PhD ACSM-Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
How and what we think has a big effect on what we do, which in turn determines how close and how fast we get to our goals. Let's look at two scenarios, and then see how we can harness them to help or hinder our progress by applying different perspectives:
Your goal might be to reduce your blood pressure, build strength or muscle, or anything else readily measurable.
There are two ways you can respond to either of these scenarios:
How would each look? Let's say you are making good progress. You can do A and say to yourself this is great news, now I know I'm on the right track, I'll use this progress to evaluate what's working and motivate me to be diligent and dedicated. Or you could do B and say to yourself I've done so well, I deserve a break from all this effort, let go a little and use my feeling of virtue to justify acting against my chosen goals. Ok, you would probably choose to say it slightly differently. Still, if you opt for the second option, you might feel good about your decision for a while, maybe even until you get the next assessment, but you've just undermined your earlier efforts and are unlikely to be proud that you let 'defeat by snatched from the jaws of victory'.
Now let's say scenario 2 applies and things didn't work out so well. You could say to yourself well that isn't what I hoped for, I'll have to look at what I can do to improve the outcome next time and come up with a workable plan/be more faithful to the existing plan. Or you could say to yourself well that was all a big waste of time, I'm going to console myself by indulging myself/quitting.
At the end of the day you can use either outcome to stop you in your tracks and derail your efforts, or you can use either to draw strength and motivate you. It pays to remember that progress is seldom linear, just like children grow in spurts, so our progress toward our goals comes in spurts even when it feels like we've been consistent. If you consistently use your outcomes, even the not so pleasing ones, to motivate you to both become fully aware of your goal-related actions, and to reassert your commitment, then you are doing all you can to get the results you want. Taking a positive attitude also feels better in the long run.
Bonus Tip
If getting into the success mindset after a setback is a real struggle, you’re probably being too hard on yourself. It may seem counterintuitive, but research frequently shows that if we are very critical of ourselves we feel bad and get stressed. When we feel bad or are stressed, we look for anything that might take away that feeling; all too often that means doing more of the thing that cost us our progress in the first place like a food binge or missing a planned exercise session for some junk television (1).
Take Home Message
Use your outcomes to motivate you to:
References and further reading
1. McGonigal, K. Maximum Willpower. (Macmillan, 2012).
How and what we think has a big effect on what we do, which in turn determines how close and how fast we get to our goals. Let's look at two scenarios, and then see how we can harness them to help or hinder our progress by applying different perspectives:
- your goal is to get leaner and your latest body fat assessment shows your body fat has gone down quite a bit since the last measurement; or
- same goal, but your body fat hasn't budged or has even gone up since the last measurement.
Your goal might be to reduce your blood pressure, build strength or muscle, or anything else readily measurable.
There are two ways you can respond to either of these scenarios:
- you can use them to motivate you to keep going, maybe even increase your efforts when appropriate;
- or you can use them as an excuse or 'licence' to undermine your efforts.
How would each look? Let's say you are making good progress. You can do A and say to yourself this is great news, now I know I'm on the right track, I'll use this progress to evaluate what's working and motivate me to be diligent and dedicated. Or you could do B and say to yourself I've done so well, I deserve a break from all this effort, let go a little and use my feeling of virtue to justify acting against my chosen goals. Ok, you would probably choose to say it slightly differently. Still, if you opt for the second option, you might feel good about your decision for a while, maybe even until you get the next assessment, but you've just undermined your earlier efforts and are unlikely to be proud that you let 'defeat by snatched from the jaws of victory'.
Now let's say scenario 2 applies and things didn't work out so well. You could say to yourself well that isn't what I hoped for, I'll have to look at what I can do to improve the outcome next time and come up with a workable plan/be more faithful to the existing plan. Or you could say to yourself well that was all a big waste of time, I'm going to console myself by indulging myself/quitting.
At the end of the day you can use either outcome to stop you in your tracks and derail your efforts, or you can use either to draw strength and motivate you. It pays to remember that progress is seldom linear, just like children grow in spurts, so our progress toward our goals comes in spurts even when it feels like we've been consistent. If you consistently use your outcomes, even the not so pleasing ones, to motivate you to both become fully aware of your goal-related actions, and to reassert your commitment, then you are doing all you can to get the results you want. Taking a positive attitude also feels better in the long run.
Bonus Tip
If getting into the success mindset after a setback is a real struggle, you’re probably being too hard on yourself. It may seem counterintuitive, but research frequently shows that if we are very critical of ourselves we feel bad and get stressed. When we feel bad or are stressed, we look for anything that might take away that feeling; all too often that means doing more of the thing that cost us our progress in the first place like a food binge or missing a planned exercise session for some junk television (1).
Take Home Message
Use your outcomes to motivate you to:
- reflect on your efforts without moral judgement; and
- take actions in line with your goals.
References and further reading
1. McGonigal, K. Maximum Willpower. (Macmillan, 2012).
RSS Feed
