Why Not you?
I spent most of my life being a pessimist that I self-prescribed. Every time I found myself getting a sliver of motivation to change—to start losing weight, to post my journey on social media, to start living a life that felt true to me—my mind would immediately go through all the reasons why I couldn’t do it.
It’s interesting how this is the instant reflex for most of us. Our brains, through decades and centuries of adaptation and evolution, are designed to keep us safe and comfortable.
Thousands of years ago, our brains wanted us to stay in the cave with a warm fire because if we didn’t, we might quite literally get eaten. Life looks a bit different now (hurray for technology) but our brains are still wired to keep us safe and comfortable.
That means staying at a job that’s “okay” because it’s easy and the paycheck we get twice a month. It’s hitting the snooze button in the morning when you said you were going to get up and go for a run. It’s why, when that little voice in our heads tells us we can do and be more, it’s quickly followed by reasons why we can’t.
Because it’s easier to stay in the comfortable status quo than to look ourselves in the mirror and realize that the only one who can do the work to make our dreams a reality is the one staring back at us.
Why not you?
What is actually stopping you that isn’t your own limiting beliefs? I get it—trust me. I remember, as a senior in college, looking in the mirror and seeing my stomach showing through the one shirt I liked to wear because it usually hid my stomach hanging over my jeans. It felt impossible to come back from it.
But changing your life doesn’t happen in one day; it happens one day at a time. What can you do today that pushes you in the right direction? It doesn’t matter how small that step is—a small step forward is still a step forward.
It’s those small steps that create small wins, and those small wins create momentum. Momentum creates discipline to ensure lasting change. You don’t have to have all the answers to start—no one ever really does.
It’s such a small shift that has massive dividends: shifting from why you can’t do something to why you can.
“Consistency doesn’t guarantee you will be successful, but not being consistent guarantees you won’t.” Our biggest dreams and goals are not a guarantee of success.
However, I’m not sure about you, but for me, if I give everything I have to a goal and still fail, I will feel a hell of a lot better knowing I gave everything I could than if I were too afraid to ever try.
We get one shot at this thing we call life—why not give everything you have? Why not squeeze every drop you can out of your life?
Why not you?
Have a great week!
GTY
