Like a Bigfoot

Motivation, Mindset, Positivity, Endurance, Adventure, Perseverance, and Possibility

Category: Goal Setting (page 2 of 3)

Random Friday Thoughts

“Would you rather aim to high and miss or aim to low and hit?” – Don’t know who came up with this quote, but it was the feature of a great discussion on the Joe Rogan Experience with John Dudley.

“You are more powerful than you think you are.  Act accordingly.” – Seth Godin

  • If you think your actions are not being noticed or are not powerful, I’m here to remind you that you are wrong.  People are observing, kids are picking up on your behaviors.  Act like the person you want others to become.

“To spend your life in fear, never exploring your dreams is cruel.”- Once again I’m not sure who said this…I need to become better at writing these things down!

“Try hard, be honest, help others and ourselves.” – The Obstacle is the Way (book by Ryan Holiday)

  • The three rules of life according to Ryan Holiday

“Trust the PROCESS.  Do the right things right now.” – I think this is a concept of Nick Saban (head football coach of Alabama)

Happy Friday!  Hope you are taking the right steps towards your dreams today!

The Path

At first running a mile was hard…my back ached…my feet hurt…my lungs were heaving.

Then it wasn’t.

Then running 3 miles was hard…I would put on rock music to try to distract myself from pain and misery.

Then it wasn’t.

Then 10 miles was hard…around this time my body would run out of fuel…my ribs hurt…my back cramped.

Then it wasn’t

Then 20 miles was hard…

You get the point.  Of course starting off was hard.  You have perceived limits.  Your body hasn’t adjusted to the discomfort.  It takes months, if not YEARS, to adjust.  If you are a new runner you shouldn’t be intimidated by these challenges and you definitely should not expect to be a gazelle right away.  It’s a process.  It’s something you have to adjust to.

One day, without warning, you will go out for a run and realize “holy crap! I actually enjoy this.”  Running will become a relaxation.  It will be WONDERFUL!

That day is in the future for you new runner.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Be consistent (show up) and persistent (don’t stop showing up).  This is the path you must take.

Happy Tuesday!  Hope you get outside and enjoy the day.

Information Overload

How do I get in shape?

Crossfit, bodyweight movements, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s books, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), heart rate training, aerobic training, anaerobic training, high fat diets, high protein diets, “Bulletproof Coffee”, Vegan, Paleo, and on and on and on and on.

Figuring out which path to take gets OVERWHELMING.  So overwhelming to the point of “screw it.”

“The one path that never works is the most common one: doing nothing at all.”

-Seth Godin (my newest life hero)

The only guarantee is that not even trying will certainly lead you to failure.

Keep this in mind as you move forward in any of your goals.

Have a happy Thursday!

A Few Things we are REALLY Good at

There are a few things we are REALLY good at:

  • Creating Excuses– If I try this than _________ will probably happen
  • Procrastinating– I can start tomorrow
  • Distracting Ourselves– Constantly checking social media, binge watching TV (Recently guilty of this!)
  • Choosing the Path of Least ResistanceFalling into the trap of comfort
  • Overthinking– Seth Godin calls this THRASHING.  Constantly second guessing, brainstorming, “One More Thing”, spinning your wheels.

Good thing you can become better at:

  • Trying Something New AND Failing at it
  • Accepting Failure as a Necessary Tool for Learning
  • Focusing on One Important Activity at a Time
  • Working Hard and Being Uncomfortable
  • Making a Decision and Going With it

Decisions

Every decision we make is faced with doubt.  Am I doing the right thing?  Is this the path I should take?  How will this blow up in my face?

When you have a kid this is amplified, because now the decision doesn’t only affect you it affects the person you love more than anything in the world.

My wife is finished with residency next September and we are now trying to decide what the next move will be.  It is stressful.  Being faced with change and choices is a difficult path to navigate.  You start thinking about every single thing that could go wrong.  How the decision might destroy your happiness.

We get so hung up on the “wrong” that we tend to imagine all the things that could (and probably will) go right.  How the decision might amplify your happiness.

You can weigh your options forever; constantly playing ping pong with your self doubt.  In fact, for major life decisions you should consider the advantages and disadvantages.  But eventually you just have to make the choice.  Will your decision end up like your best imagined outcome?  Probably not.   But I’ll tell you this, it sure as heck won’t end up as your worst imagined outcome either.

So make the decision.  Once you do, don’t think twice.  There’s no need for second guessing or “what could have been”.  The decision is in the past.  Now you are living with your choice and you have the responsibility to make the best of it.

Hope everyone has a happy Friday!

I’m hoping to have some kickass hiking experiences to share over the next week.

Define your Limiting Beliefs

To move forward you must first define your LIMITING BELIEFS.

These are the ideas that are ingrained in you that are holding you back.

“I’ll always be _____________.”

“I could never do ___________.”

“__________ will never happen for me.”

Define your limiting beliefs.  Just observing them puts the silliness of some of them into perspective.     (Mine filled up two whole notebook pages)

How to Handle Falling Out of Routine

Yesterday I fell out of routine.  Instead of writing after waking up, I plopped down on the couch to watch an episode of Daredevil (when you are a parent of a 2 year old, you have to watch ‘your’ shows whenever you can).  The episode was awesome (Punisher!!!), but I felt guilty.  Instead of moving forward with my writing goal, I felt as if I took a few steps backwards.

This has happened before (‘cough cough’ didn’t write for a whole year).  I know that falling out of routine for one or two days can lead to completely abandoning goals (‘cough cough’ why I get inspired to play guitar for one month and then don’t pick up the guitar for the rest of the year).  This time I am adamant that I will not let that happen.

The way I see it when you fall out of routine there will be two routes you can take.

  • Route 1: Completely abandon your routine, goals, etc.
  • Route 2: Get back on the path to accomplishing your goals.

That’s it.

Those are the only options.  Simple.

You take one step back?  That’s okay, just take another step forward.

You take 20 steps back?  That’s okay, just take a step forward.

Don’t let one misstep lead to complete abandonment of your goals.

That’s why I’m back in front of my computer writing at 5:20am instead of watching TV.

Have a fantastic Wednesday!

Consistency is Key

Consistency.

It’s the key to forming any good habit.

It’s also the key for eliminating any bad habit.

You won’t accomplish your goals without consistency.  Good things don’t just happen.  Good habits do not just form themselves.  They happen because you are willing to show up day in and day out and PRACTICE the habit.  

You have the capability to accomplish whatever it is you want to accomplish.  The question is…are you willing to practice the art of consistency?

Eliminating Self Doubt

One thing that can destroy your mission to develop good habits or accomplish your goals is self doubt.

The little voice inside your head questioning your worth.  Being critical of every little decision you make.

How do you eliminate self-doubt?

You build momentum.  You start small.  You make good decision day after day after day.  Each small act of good habit lays the foundation for your inner monologue to change.

Slowly you change self doubt into self advocacy.  Now the voice is telling you how much you rock!

Self advocacy becomes self love.  Strive for self love- over time you can get there!

“Self esteem is earned through esteemable acts.”

– Someone on the Rich Roll Podcast

Forming Habits and Newton’s First Law

Holy crap!  A few things happened this week that all blend together to help me understand one idea….INERTIA.  

Newton’s first law, Duke basketball, and my third year running the Green Legs and Hamstrings trail race.

First of all, my Clark Kentesque personality during the day is mild mannered 8th grade physical science teacher.  This week we learned the classic “Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion” concept and if you don’t remember Newton’s 1st law is thus:

An object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest stays at rest, unless acted upon by an outside force.

 

This is the idea of inertia.

Here’s another way of putting it:

It’s a challenge to build momentum.  Starting something new is really hard.  The beginning is the most difficult part. Once something is already in motion it gets easier and easier.  Eventually it’s hard as hell to slow down.  After awhile, stopping is nearly impossible.

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