“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” ~ Jim Rohn
I love that quote.
It reminds me of the simple (not to be confused with easy), choice we all make numerous times a day.
Discipline versus regret.
Which do you choose, dear reader – especially when the going gets tough?
Where do I get me some more discipline?
There is no discipline gene. No one’s born with it.
It’s a skill that can be learned. It’s all about dealing with the ‘fruit salad’.
Riiiiiiight.
More about that in a sec. First, a crucial pre-fruit-salad reminder.
Seduction
When we make changes in our life (lose weight, get fit, quit smoking….any new intention) we push our zone of comfort zone.
It’s unfamiliar.
Uncertain.
We feel vulnerable.
Recall, there’s a primitive part of our mind that abhors change. Its remit is to seduce us back to the safe and familiar territory of our comfort zone.
It does this by playing mind tricks. It beguiles us back to the ‘way it was’, coaxing us back to behaviours we’ve previously sworn off.
Seduction pure and simple.
Like when you snaffle that second helping despite being full-to-bursting, you take a drag on a fag even though you’ve quit, or you walk for five minutes even your intention was to exercise for an hour because you’re feeling, “Oh sooooo a bit tired and sweaty.”
Suddenly, you’re back where you started. In your comfort zone. Full of regret.
If this is you, you’re not alone.
The good news is you can resist the seduction and defend your new intentions.
Here’s how.
You’re now ready for the fruit salad.
Fruit salad of the mind
We all have crazy, insane, completely irrational bullsh*t in our heads.
Every day. Every night. Every one of us.
This is the fruit salad.
It’s the second-guessing, doubting-Thomas, scare-mongering naysaying thoughts that scare us back to where we started.
It’s the: “Just this once, go on” and “Have a bite, you know you want to,” and “It won’t make any difference.”
It will.
Fruit salad: the antidote
The good news is – you are not your thoughts. Sure, you have thoughts, but you are not your thoughts.
Even people you admire, those good folk who have achieved what it is that you want to achieve – have fruit salad in their heads. All of ‘em.
What’s important is…they ignore it.
They know that just because there’s a thought in your pretty little head doesn’t mean you automatically need to act on it.
They know a thought is just a thought is just a thought.
This is positively revolutionary to many of my weight loss clients.
How different would your health be if instead of heading to the vending machine when you had the notion “I’m peckish”, you just ignored the thought?
Or, better still, you back chatted with something stronger, “Hunger is my friend.”
Remember, you have thoughts, but you’re under zero obligation to act upon them.
If you feel unable to ignore the ‘disciplined’ choice, and you feel yourself falling for the ‘regret’ choice, agree to do try this:
Defer that ‘bad’ choice for 10 minutes
It’s like the If You’re Angry, Count to 10 Before Speaking rule.
It sounds childish but it’s very effective.
If you’re tempted to ‘cheat’ by abandoning your walk, defer quitting for 10 more minutes. Chances are the feeling will pass, and you’ll be high-fiving yourself (your confidence increased), as you complete your intended walk.
Or, if you’re seriously tempted to binge on those Tim Tams, give yourself a 10 minute time out.
Breathe. Pop. And, if after setting a 10-minute timer, you still fancy them, go for it. Chances are you’ll make a disciplined choice and leave the biscuit tin unmolested.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how effective deferring can be. Because you create enough space for the real you, (not the fruit salad you) to show up and make a disciplined choice.
People will look at you and marvel at your ‘discipline’. All because you know how to handle your fruit salad.
Disciplined love etc, Avril
PS: For more cool mind tools so you can feel confident and in control around food, c’mon over here.
