One of the other things I do in my copious spare time is run a little fitness blog called 60 in 3. I do that for the same reason I run Equally Happy, because I love hearing myself talk! Well, plus I like sharing what I’ve learned with the world in the hopes that other people can learn from my copious mistakes 
One of the most common things I try to get across on 60 in 3 is that being healthy is actually pretty easy. Eat less, eat healthier and exercise more. People always try to focus on the little things, the things that they think will give them an easy solution. They focus on eating slow carbs or eating less fat or doing some kind of insane cabbage only colon cleanse. However, the truth is that it’s not really that complicated. Eat less crap, eat less in general and move your ass a bit more than you are now.
The problem is not how, the problem is why. People who are trying to be healthier know they shouldn’t be eating those twinkies, they know they should be getting to the gym, they just keep making the wrong decision over and over. Some people write this off to lack of willpower, I write this off to lack of motivation. Specifically, I think these people are killing their own motivation by approaching things like these with the wrong attitude.
This Is Going To Suck
I have a networking event coming up. It’s a bunch of alums from my business school drinking beer and eating chicken wings at a local brew house. I am going to be miserable for an hour just so I can meet some stuck up people who know nothing about the world around them. Maybe I can escape after just an hour.
This Is Going To Rock
I have a networking event coming up. It’s a going to be awesome! I’m getting a chance to meet dozens of interesting people while also getting some free food and drinks. This is totally going to rock, I love meeting new people.
See the difference?
We’re short sighted creatures. We want what we want when we want it. We also want to avoid misery as much as we can. That makes sense, who would want to be miserable? So what do you think is going to happen when you approach a new healthy life style with an attitude like:
This is going to suck. I am not going to eat all of my favorite foods, I’m going to be hungry all day, all I’m going to get is stupid rabbit food and then I have to go to the smelly gym every day.
If this is your attitude then I guarantee you right now that you will fail. Your own subconscious will sabotage your efforts because it doesn’t want you to be miserable. It wants you to be happy and wouldn’t a large piece of that chocolate cake make you really happy right now? Wouldn’t you be happier just sitting at home and watching the latest episode of American idol instead of working out? Of course you would. It’s ok, you’ll eat healthy tomorrow and you’ll work out too, but today you earned that cake and the break, so just enjoy it.
Come on, admit it, isn’t this the exact way in which you last few attempts to be healthier have failed? It’s ok, it’s not just you, it’s a ton of people who should be healthy and just can’t quite get their act together. The fact is no one wants to be unhappy or feel deprived. If you go into a project of any sort, be it a new healthy lifestyle, a new job, a new relationship or even a new hobby thinking “this is going to suck” you will eventually fail. You will sabotage yourself because you don’t want to feel miserable.
For me, I go into just about anything with the mind set of “this is going to be awesome!” (Julie tells me I use the words wonderful and awesome too much. I don’t think I use them enough). Yes, this new diet is going to be awesome! This new job is going to be wonderful. Being a parent will be amazing. Going to this networking event is going to be fun. This business trip I am about to fly off to is going to be a ton of fun. I say this with a smile (which at first felt artificial but now feels perfectly natural) and I feel good about what I’m about to do.
Life is fun people, it’s an adventure! Let’s treat it as such and enjoy ourselves.
