Authenticity Over Effort

It’s the end of January, where Resolutions and Best Laid Plans go to die.  That cold turkey diet you’ve been on is making you miserable, the intense exercise is feeling unsustainable, and you’re wondering if Dry January is really worth the health benefits.  Health goals are only one example, but I use them because they are proven to be the most failed resolutions.  Why?

We work toward goals based on what we think we’re supposed to do: cutting out whole food groups, signing up with a personal trainer five days a week, making elaborate checklists that we must rigidly go through.  0 to 60, yet we wonder why we fail.

If you’re an introvert, I’d bet nothing sounds worse to you than personal training.  A better fit would probably be a big gym where you can hide and work out in peace.

If you’re someone who doesn’t like being told what to do, strict diets with lots of rules probably aren’t the move.  For you, “I can’t have it” means “I want it even more now!”

If you’re a go-with-the-flow person, that checklist is going to do nothing but frustrate you.  My Type A friends might need that structure, but it doesn’t work for everyone.

It doesn’t matter how you get there, it matters that you keep trying.  The only way you’ll have stamina is if you work with yourself, not against.  The goal is not to change who you are or how you operate.  Instead, work to achieve your goal in a way that celebrates who you are.  A low-pressure, once weekly group class at The Y could actually be fun, and it’ll likely be way healthier for you in the long run.