A fitness goal isn’t always easy to accomplish. Common ones include: losing excess weight, getting 6-pack abs, performing your first pull up, or deadlifting your own bodyweight. These types of goals can take weeks, months, even years to accomplish.
I’d venture to say that the majority of our society has some sort of health and fitness goal they’d like to achieve. According to previous research, most want to shed a few pounds. Whatever it is though, everyone has a specific way they want their body to look like.
And there’s nothing wrong with this. I think it’s good that we all want to improve ourselves. You can’t really grow as a person without having a goal, in my opinion.
Because as you strive to accomplish that goal, you learn a lot of valuable lessons a long the way. You will be faced with struggles and challenges that push you outside of your comfort zone. And it’s in these times that you’ll grow, mature, and eventually accomplish what you set out to accomplish.
There’s a struggle I’ve recently come face to face with though. I didn’t even realize it at the time, but it’s something I’ve struggled with for most of my teenage and adult life.
I’m not sure why I do it, but I constantly compare myself to others. Can you relate? I’m sure most of us would say yes.
After some reflection over the past few weeks, I realized I’ve done this in most aspects of my life. When I was in high school and college, I remember getting angry if someone did better than me on a test or project.
I’ve done this with my family as well. Before Candice and I began dating (we celebrated 4 years of marriage this year), I remember watching a lot of my friends find that special someone. I would get jealous because they found someone before me.
I’ve even done it professionally. I’ve seen friends go on to do some spectacular things in their field and I’ve wondered if I measure up. Even recently this year, I had my 10 year high school reunion and caught myself asking if I had accomplished enough to feel confident talking to others.
It’s easy to fall into this trap of comparison. With the growth of social media, we’re continually updated on everyone’s life. We get to see all of our friends and family’s achievements, while we often feel stuck in a rut.
And this breeds a negative mindset.
Mindset is a powerful thing. There’s a famous quote by Earl Nightingale that says “You become what you think about”.
I’m a huge believer in this. If you are constantly being negative, nothing positive can happen in your life. Because your view is skewed. You’ll see only the bad instead of the good.
When it comes to our fitness, this happens all too often.
You go to the gym and see tons of healthy people exercising and you think to yourself “I’m never going to be as fit as they are.” And eventually you stop going.
Or you see that person on Instagram who’s lost 40 pounds over the past 6 months, while you’ve only managed to lose 10 in the same time frame. Even though you’ve been exercising more and eating healthier.
You think “Well if I’ve only lost 10 pounds with all this work I’ve put in, then it’s not worth it.” So you give up. You confine yourself to a more sedentary lifestyle and choose to eat whatever you want.
The comparison trap can entangle you at any moment of your life. And once you get sucked in, it can be an uphill battle getting out.
As this problem has reared it’s head in my life recently, I started to think about the best plan of action you can take to finally break free and overcome this negative self-talk. Fortunately, I realized with a simple shift in mindset it’s possible.
So if you find that you are comparing yourself to others, thinking you’re not good enough, or that you will never accomplish anything important, I want you to do 2 things.
1. Remember that there is only one of YOU in this world.
Candice and I had a daughter about 3 months ago. Her name is Reagan, by the way, and she’s pretty much the cutest thing I’ve ever seen 😉
Before she was born though, we received a lot of children’s books at our baby shower. One of the books is called The Wonderful Things You Will Be. And in it, there’s a line that says “This is the first time there’s ever been you, so I wonder what wonderful things you will do.”
Think about that for a second. When you’re born, it is the first and last time there will ever be YOU. You are you’re own unique person will all kinds of special talents and abilities that no one else has.
Just because you see someone succeeding in their fitness journey, while you’re struggling, doesn’t mean they have it all together. It may just mean you need to change your plan. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you.
So instead of thinking about how you’re failing, you could analyze what you’re currently doing and see if you can make some improvements.
You are one of a kind, and what works for one person may not work for you. There’s no need to compare yourself or your results to anyone else.
2. Focus on what you have achieved versus what you haven’t.
Going back to our weight loss example from above, instead of thinking about how that person has lost 30 more pounds than you, celebrate the fact that you’ve lost 10.
That, in and of itself, is an achievement. And just because you’ve only lost 10, doesn’t mean you can’t lose more. Again, you may just need to change your plan.
If you don’t feel as healthy or fit as all the people you see at the gym, focus on the fact that you are there.
I tell my clients all the time, the most important thing each week is that you show up. They may not always feel 100% but the fact that they are there and ready to workout is most important.
It’s no different for you. You have chosen to go to the gym today. You have chosen to better yourself. And that is a victory in my book.
Shift your mindset to all you’ve completed versus what you haven’t completed……yet. You will get there. The fitness path is funny thing, and there will be many ups and downs along the way. But when you focus on the ups, nothing will be able to stop you.
Wrapping Up
I’m sure you can relate to the comparison trap. It’s easy to become entangled in. It’s also the easiest way to sabotage your health and fitness goals.
Negative thinking will paralyze you and prevent you from accomplishing all that you want in life. If you find yourself tempted to compare yourself to someone else, remember these two key points.
This simple change in mindset is all that you need to recognize your true potential. And when you find it, you’ll be amazed at everything you can do.
