It’s easy to become really comfortable in life. We get in a daily routine and it becomes hard to deviate from that. This can be problematic when we have a goal we’re trying to accomplish.
A goal is something you want to achieve but haven’t yet. It requires work, patience, and sometimes sacrifice. It also means you may have to step outside your comfort zone.
But this is hard. We like being comfortable; we crave it. When we’re comfortable, we don’t have to try very hard.
The thing is our routines can be bad for us.
For instance, going straight home after work to watch tv instead of going to the gym or going out to eat everyday to order that not-so-good-for-you meal instead of ordering something better.
Now, I don’t mean that watching tv or eating a meal out is bad for you. The point I want to get across is when this happens more often than not, it can become difficult to achieve anything.
For example, let’s say you want to lose 15lbs. just in time for your summer vacation. You know you need to be in the gym more, but using the example above, you continue going home after work to watch tv.
You most likely won’t accomplish your goal because you didn’t take action. You didn’t do anything that would help you lose those 15lbs.
Consider this fable of the ants and the grasshopper.
“The ants worked hard in summer. They sorted food for winter. At that time, a grasshopper remained idle. When winter came, the ants had enough to eat. But, the grasshopper had nothing to eat. He had to starve. He went to the ants and begged for foods. The ants asked in return, “What did you do in summer?” He replied, “I idled away my time during summer. The ants replied, “Then you must starve in winter.”
This story makes the ants seem pretty bad, but let’s look at the true meaning.
The ants and grasshopper’s main objective was survival during the winter. So, the ants took action and stored up food in the summer. The grasshopper continued on his way as if winter wasn’t an issue.
When winter rolled around, the ants were fully prepared and the grasshopper, well you can guess what happened to him. The ants accomplished all they had set out to because they did something.
If you take anything away from this post it should be, action drives success. If we sit idly by we will never achieve anything.
But now the question becomes, How can we do this consistently? That answer lies in finding why your goal is important to you.
You need to figure how achieving your goal will help you physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Until you do this, your goal has no value.
Once you place value on something you are more likely to invest in it. That may be with your money or time, but you will see it as an investment.
One thing I’m constantly reminded of in the fitness industry is that you have to consider taking action as an investment. If I purchase a book or a course that will help me grow my business, I lose money in the short term, but the long-term is where my sights are focused.
The same applies to weight loss and fat loss. You may have to watch your favorite tv show over the weekend instead of the day of so you can get to the gym. Or you may need to cook at home instead of going out to eat so much.
These things pull us out of our comfort zone. That’s what makes them so hard. But remember, action drives success.
So maybe you’re about to start down that path toward becoming a better you or maybe you’re already on that journey, first figure out how what you are doing can positively affect you physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Ask yourself, what type of result will my investment provide?
In the story of the ants and the grasshopper, the investment of working hard in the summer to store up food resulted in the ants staying alive. They benefited physically from their investment. Once you figure this out, it will help you will add value to your goal and start taking action!
Photo credit: http://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/debunkingaddiction/2015/03/stop-arguing-and-start-taking-action-in-alcohol-recovery/
