by: Conrad L. Jones
I bought a new treadmill a few months ago with the intention of developing a personal exercise program to keep in shape. After I had set everything up, I sat down and put together a pretty interested workout routine in which I'd wake at 6a.m and run/walk for 30 minutes, 3 days per week.
Please Don't Laugh
I was able to stick with this for about 3 days. It's amazing how good plans look on paper but when it's time for action, they often change. Every time I looked at that monthly schedule and saw what I had to do for the month, I'd loose my willingness to get out my warm bed and go on a cold treadmill. I mean, I could always do it tomorrow; but tomorrow never came.
Every weekend it was the same story; I'd feel bad that I'd missed a week out of my routine and promise myself that this coming week, I'd get things done, but come Sunday, I'd again be apologizing to myself and promising that come next week, I'll start.
Now I'm usually able to get things done when I need to, but I've noticed that there are a few things that I have a hard time bringing myself to do especially when I need to do it consistently. I usually have good intentions; but good intentions alone never gets anything done.
Is It Just Me???
Why does it seem that when we need to develop a good beneficial habit, that we struggle so much, while building bad habits are so easy.
Well, I've learned that some of the bad habits that I had, usually are directly related to how I feel about them. Some of them make me feel good so I associate the good feelings with them and that makes it easy do them.
On the other hand, some of the good habits either require work, moves me from my comfortable zone, or just don't seem like fun. But should we do only the things that's easy, makes us feel good, and seem like fun? If we did, we'd probably be in poor health, die young, gain nothing significant and worthwhile in life, and the world would be a totally different place from what we know today.
So, how do we deal with doing the things we know we should do, but don't want to?
We simply learn to renew our will everyday.
Say Do What???
Here's what I mean.
I know I should get up each morning and go through my exercise routine why? simply because I want a healthier body and my work hours don't always allow me to go to the gym. "But I don't feel like getting out bed!", well, I could kiss my fading dream of a healthier body goodbye because it'll never happen.
I realized that my problem was more mental than anything else, so this is what I did to deal with it. Remember I said earlier, to make this work you need to renew your will each day?
Well, first I had to recognize that nothing would ever happen unless I made it happen.
Next, I just had to do it today; I stopped looking at exercising for the whole week and just concentrated on doing it today, not tomorrow, not yesterday, just today.
I Finally Just Did It
So, at 6a.m today, I got up, put on my exercise clothes, and got on the treadmill for half hour. I told myself, "Conrad, you just have to do it for today, tomorrow may not come, and yesterday is long gone, you only have today."
My today, has now become six weeks later. I have actually made it to 6 weeks of exercising 3 days per week and have even increased it to 6 days per week. Remember, this was something I once thought I'd never be able to do, and do you know what else? I'm actually enjoying it so much that now, I don't want to stop. Funny isn't it?
Just Do It
So, whether you want a healthier body, a better diet, more passion/love in your relationship, more education, whatever you desire, just remember to go out and do it for today; not yesterday, not tomorrow, just today. And when tomorrow comes, it will become today.