FFN Golden Nugget: Set Goals. Utilize numbers. Release Expectation of what that Progress has to look like and Live in the moment of the movement with Joy.
“Don’t put off joy and happiness. To so many people, goal setting means that after they’ve achieved something great, they will be able to enjoy life. There’s a huge difference between achieving to be happy and happily achieving.” -Tony Robbins
We use numbers, and science in our approach to training, even business. We see the different arcs that numbers produce or do not produce. But there’s one thing that I think numbers often times miss, and that’s a Feeling.
Just because the numbers don’t add up this week the way you Think they should add up, does not mean you are any less inspired about your goal. It’s more of a clue about the actions you’re taking in moving towards that goal. Possibly those actions need to be shifted or adjusted. Or maybe not, maybe you just need more time within what you’re already doing.
TIME & ATTENTION TO DETAIL
This is such an interesting spot to differentiate. Like I referenced in my recent post Dreams & Setting Goals, how do you know when to hold and when to fold?
When do you shift and take a new action step, and when do you hold steady continuing on the path that you’re on knowing you may eventually see gains even if you’re not seeing any now…
Maybe it’s an intuitive sense. Maybe it’s knowing yourself and how you operate. Maybe it’s the ability to come fully present and aware in the current moment. Maybe the action just appears, like Inspired Action.
Inspiration. I notice Inspired Actions most frequently every couple of weeks on training days. They’re never planned. They’re always spontaneous intuitive pulses. “I feel it today. I’m gonna try it. I can do it.” Is what it sounds like. Trying a new move, a new weight, and jumping a 20% range out of your previous training abilities/numbers to set a new personal record is what it looks like.
Who can explain that? What makes us Go For it on those days? Do we suddenly have an extra ounce of believing? Have we progressed through the numbers enough to know we can do it? Are we taking a chance?
Maybe we can’t predict WHEN we are going to feel this way. But maybe we Can BE ready for it. Maybe we can know our own personal signs when it’s coming on. Be aware that it Can Happen, and When it does, take advantage of the opportunity.
Maybe it’s a convergence of belief and awareness.
You are in the right place at the right time AND you are Aware of it.
Awareness. This is where the measurements, the tracking, and the goals come in. You need some sort of progression point, an assessment, a variable to tell you where you are.
The trick comes in not getting emotionally caught up in what you ‘think’ the numbers are telling you. Example; you’ve followed through 100% this week on your Nutrition Program, but the scale says you gained a pound. If you get emotionally involved in that pound you could throw all of your work to the wind. Just say F*#$ it! May as well eat and drink whatever you want because none of your efforts work right? You just gained a pound and you tried your hardest this week!!!
You have to STOP. You have to BREATHE. Accomplishments take time and attention to detail (Patience). You have to realize you did pay attention to the details this week. You honestly did everything 100%. This certain progress point just needs more TIME. I guarantee if your plan is on point and you follow through another week or two, by that 2nd or 3rd week your weigh in and weight loss will exceed the goals of all three weeks combined. You just have to STICK TO THE PLAN.
The other part is also this. You have to be ok, feel ok, in the in-between. You have to realize that moment to moment you are Always Progressing. Sometimes it’s a physical leap. Sometimes it’s a mental shift. Maybe sometimes it’s an emotional frequency.
Being able to remain patient, humble and ready, without back sliding, without beating yourself up, because you don’t SEE the progress or SEE the next best step feels like Peace in-between. I also like to call it Operating In Abundance, you can read more about that HERE. Others call it, holding space.
When you Operate in Abundance you are able to see and feel every accomplishment, big and small. On the scale of abundance everything is cause for celebration and you ride THAT wave. Everything ADDS VALUE to your Life and those around you. Every day you start new and fresh. Quite literally every breath is new and fresh. Your inhale is an act of acceptance for all of Life adding value to your Life. Your exhale is an act of gratitude for being given Life. Your actions throughout your day are a continuance of this gratitude.
I wholeheartedly believe in doing some form of Active Gratitude every single day. You have to actively remind yourself of the things in your life that are a cause for celebration. If you don’t, you’ll forget, and moments where the numbers in life don’t add up will have a tendency to make you feel like NOTHING adds up, NOTHING is working.
“The Good News is that the moment you decide that what you know is more important than what you have been taught to believe, you will have shifted gears in your quest for abundance. Success comes from within, not from without.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (as quoted on @redcheetahyoga Instagram)
Operating in Abundance. Gratitude. Celebrating everything is like a constant emanation of Joy. It feels like moving with the current in a stream of Love. You know the people that operate on this type of platform, they are just naturally inspiring. They don’t try to be. They just are.
“When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him. In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
-Albert Camus (as quoted on @thebenbenson Instagram)
We ALL have the capability to inspire. I see it in everyone through glimpses and moments. Almost like an ebb and flow. Some can hold the flow longer than others. I really find it quite interesting to witness. This article about Holding Space for Others by Heather Plett is amazing. It’s about how to be in the current of flow, and hold it (space) for others as they’re moving through very difficult situations in their lives. But, before you can do that, you need to know how to hold space for yourself. Here’s another article Plett has written on How to Hold Space for Yourself.
When you learn how to hold space for yourself, it naturally expands to others. It’s a beautiful dance that I am learning how to balance. It is my belief that everyone has an opportunity to operate in this way through every facet of their life. I have such a deep belief in the human spirit and what people can accomplish for themselves and those around them that it tends to get me in trouble. I believe in others more than an individual is ready to be believed in, and I’ve learned the hard way, that I can’t inspire or motivate anyone to do anything until they are internally at a place where they are ready. The desire has to be there, inside their own heart. It’s the power of free will. You get to choose where you want to go. When you’re truly ready inside your Heart, Life will show you the way. And even if you’re not consciously making this choice, you’re still choosing by Not choosing, by ignoring your Heart. And that’s why you feel unfulfilled.
Elite is the definition of someone who has mastered this craft. Their own craft. They are able to BE in the in-between, peacefully. They have mastered the art of holding space because they treat their life as constant progress. Even for themselves, even with Life gets tough. They see every movement, action, occurrence as an addition towards the goals they are aiming for, even if it means peacefully sitting still. They are able to see an opportunity in a tough situation, even if that opportunity is just holding space for another. That’s what they run with. And that’s why they never backslide, because it’s not even in their vocabulary. They know how to always move productively, always stay inspired, and live an inspired life. They have learned how to marry their desires, needs, wants, and create fulfillment through what life gives them. It really can be done in any avenue. Fitness, business, art, teaching, coaching, writing, musicianship, LIVING… See the opportunity. Believe. Stay true to yourself. Take Action. And always be that internal Coach that is raising you up to the next level.
WHO is THAT Coach I reference above?
Stay tuned to the next blog post for thoughts and insights on that.
Until then. Have a great week! Walk the walk. Talk the talk. And relax in-between.
References:
Robbins, Anthony. (2015). Anthony Robbins Daily Quote: 16 April 2015 [Facebook]. Retrieved from http://facebook.com/anthonyrobbins.com
Plett, Heather. (2015). “How to Hold Space for Yourself First.” [website] Retrieved from http://heatherplett.com/2015/03/how-to-hold-space-for-yourself-first/
Plett, Heather. (2015). “What it Means to ‘Hold Space’ for People, Plus 8 Tips on How to Do it Well.” [website] Retrieved from http://heatherplett.com/2015/03/hold-space/
14 April 2015. Quote: Albert Camus [Instagram] @thebenbenson. Retrieved from https://instagram.com/p/1erOxvJVct/?taken-by=thebenbenson
14 April 2015. Quote: Ralph Waldo Emerson [Instagram] @redcheetahyoga. Retrieved from https://instagram.com/p/1dcGKMpAS5/?taken-by=redcheetahyoga
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