I was talking with my doctor during a routine visit the other day. One of the subjects that came up during our conversation was about succeeding or failing with diet plans. What he said during our talk has stuck with me since. And frankly, applies to not only diet plans, but to anything we want to do.
The reason people fail at hitting their goals is twofold:
- Not doing the things I know I should be doing
- Doing the things I know I should not be doing
This has stuck with me because I believe this is true with much more than diet. It’s true in all areas of our life. For me, it has been true in diet goals, business, personal goals, exercise goals. Any goals, period.
One example of this is my goal of eating a plant based, whole food diet and no gluten. I have some health issues I’ve been working on and I know from experience when I consistently eat this way, I notice a significant reduction in body pain, I am clear headed, I perform better at work and activities like swimming, I sleep better. I can go on and on, but you get the picture.
But, even though intellectually I know the benefits of eating that way, I go through periods where I don’t do it. I break rule number 1, for example, by not doing meal preparation in a way to set up my success. I then break rule number 2 by not reading food labels and making an exception to my “no gluten” plan out of convenience.
Then I wonder why I’m in so much pain. Or not sleeping. Or that I have brain fog in the afternoon.
Since our conversation a few weeks ago, I’ve been following my doctor’s two simple rules for success with diet and exercise. I’ve been:
- Doing the things I know I should be doing
- Avoiding the things I know I should not be doing
I’ve been meal prepping, not straying from my menu and making some really great meals with my wife. I started swimming again and for the last 4 weeks have been getting in the pool 2-3 times per week for 30 minutes, rain or shine. I’ve had many opportunities to make excuses along the way, but am committed to experiencing results and have followed these rules for success.
Because at the end of the day, it is the stories I make up in my head that determine whether I follow the rules or not.
Where have these rules shown up in your life?
