Lying Lazy Butt

Hello Everyone,

Well my first goal, to start working out, is going slow which I admit. It is so easy to find excuses not to go or not to push myself. Most of the excuses are are just mind games my 'lazy-butt' part of my personality comes up with. We all have those inner voices.

Then I saw a post my son put on Facebook.

The post basically asked people to explain how they accomplished their goals and how do they defeat the Neigh Sayers in their lives. He never really got a real response. The comments people posted was more of the 'You can do it!' or 'Be your own cheerleader.' variety.

So, how would I answer my son....

First, I will freely admit that the biggest Neigh Sayer in my life are my own thoughts. It's the thoughts that get implanted after you hear it and believe it even though it is some kind of lie.

I am not saying that you can't accomplish your goals or that I can't accomplish my goals. What I am saying is that during the course of our lives we run into people (family, friends, co-workers, etc...) and we hear something that seems true, but isn't, but for some reason we believe the negativity. Those negativities become weights in our process.

Want to try to jump some hurdles? Try jumping with an extra 10 or 20 pounds of negativity. It makes it seems impossible with that extra burden.

So what do we do about it? How do we shrug off the extra loaded weight?

The only thing I can think of is that we got to change our way of thinking. We have to somehow get rid of the Inner Neigh-Sayer. That voice that repeats the lies we allowed into our lives.

Sounds easy? It won't be. We are so use to carrying that extra weight that we gave up on even trying to jump a hurdle.  It's always easier to keep doing the same-old thing.

How do we change the lazy-butt voices in our heads?

One, we got to take a moment and realize a couple of truths. One of those truths is this; we repeat the same behavior over and over again because we get something from it. So, take a long moment and analyze a behavior of yours and figure out what you are getting from it and ask questions; 'What am I getting from this?', 'Is this a result from believing a lie?', 'Do I really want to continue this?', and so on.

Challenge yourself. Even if you have to go to a dark place to do so. You might feel like crap while doing this, but at least you can start bringing some lies into the light and start replacing them with truths.

Another truth to believe is that we should not be afraid of those dark places. We all have been so conditioned to avoid pain and sadness and displeasure that we forget that those feelings are part of our human experience. We may not like feeling those ways, but for true healing and change, those places need to be experienced.

I remember being told once that once I get into a position that is normally avoided, was that I was to sit in it. Soak in it. Let it fill up the pores of my body. Basically, experience it. Then there will come a point where one makes a decision, a good and healthy decision, to get out and learn to deal with it.

Another truth is that we don't have concur all our goals all at once. Our society is face paced as it is. Technology is changing the ways we live our lives yearly if not monthly. Everything seems to be moving at a faster rate year after year, new technology after new technology. Have you seen this latest generation with the latest devices? How it's has changed our ways of interacting?

I remember hearing from a seminar a couple of decades ago, and that person was talking about how to reach your goals even if life is super busy; which it is. Even if you accomplish 1% of your goal on a regular basis, you will see results. Be patient with yourself. And I would like to add, Enjoy the Ride.

So now that I started working out, how is it going besides 'slow'?

It may sound lukewarm but...so far so good. Along with trying to work out 2 times a week, I am also working on not accepting excuses not to work out.

I also weighted myself for the first time in a very long time. And yes, I do weight more now than I ever have. A whopping 304 pounds. Also included a 'before' picture. Something to compare to in the future.

The hurdles, over time in this area, seem mounting and difficult to overcome. But, I am now seeing that, that is just a lie.

All good intentions lead to a bigger belly?

Hello Everyone!

Ever want to do something different? Maybe change the pace in your life, change your scenery, or your bored and want something new and different? Ever start something new, you are doing great and then somehow it fizzles away?

My last blog I stated that I was going to start working out. A change. The first of a few I want to make before I start my Route 66 journey.

So, how's that going?

I am finding out that some hurdles have hurdles. What do I mean by that?

Before I go answering that question, I want to do an unofficial poll. Have you ever done something, with the greatest of intentions, that you started, slowly stopped doing it, and continued paying for it?

About a year ago (or could be longer, I don't remember) I started up a gym membership at one of those places that are open all the time. You could go hit the treadmill at 3am if you want. I started to go on a regular basis at first. Then as time went on, I started to go irregularly. Then eventually stopped going all together. But I continued to pay for it. I had full intentions on going again, but didn't. I'd get monthly reminders that I had a gym membership (every time my monthly fee were deducted from my account) but made no effort to go. Yep, I'm that guy. Am I alone at this? Email me and let me know.

What did I learn so far? The road to a bigger belly is paved with good intentions.

The hardest part of starting any new habit is the start itself. There seems to be a few hurdles to jump before starting anything. But there is many more in continuing. Most of those hurdles are mental hurdles; 'Oh, I'll make up this time that I missed working out later this week', 'I'm too pooped. I don't even want to leave the couch', etc...

I remember learning, in a men's support group, that the reason people continue doing a specific behavior, either good or bad, is because they are getting something from it. 

I also remember listening to a sermon in church that was also talking about human behavior. My pastor made a statement that has stuck in my head, "The need that you feed will be the need that will lead."

If we picture a habit as an animal. What will happen to that animal if we feed and take care of it versus having another animal/pet and totally ignoring it?

Take a look at some parts of your life that you don't like or want to change and ask yourself, "Do I want to continue feeding this beast?"

For me, it's time to do something different. It's time to start starving my old habits and give some new ones the royal treatment. 

One of my hurdles, in starting my workouts at the gym, has been getting into the gym. I couldn't find my fob. I called the gym to get a new fob and I went there to pick it up before work one day. Later that week, I went looking for my new fob and I looked and looked and found it (I thought). When I got to the gym door, the fob didn't work. What I think I did was misplace the new fob and found my old one (which they of course canceled). In the meantime, I have been doing long walks in the neighborhood. I did set up another meeting with the gal at the gym to see what's up with the fob, so I will be hitting the weights and treadmill soon.

Bottomline, I am having a slow start. But, slow starts are okay. I just have to remember, "Trees that are slow to grow, bear the best fruits."

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think in the comment box below. If that is not working, feel free to email me at richhavlik@gmail.com 

I'd love to hear from you!