Showing Up…
Greetings dear friends & fellow navigators, welcome to my world this week. Following my recent heart events, well five months & three days ago now; I was advised by two cardiologists to get back in the pool in a month. Apparently my heart was resilient I was advised, because of the last 41 years of swimming…
Our transformation journey, be it in the gym, or in our daily life, goes through a lot of uneven progress. No one has back-to-back months of improvement. Sometimes, it is immediate & other times, it is slow, as mine was with 10 lengths of a 15 metre pool in Christchurch, one @ a
time. But what actually transforms a person is the amount of time one consistently endures these phases of zero to low growth.
How you push yourself to show up & how you tolerate the frustration of no progress is a discipline which needs to be mastered. Typically, this discipline cannot be taught. It can only be learnt through experience.
Cultivating a change in lifestyle is not as easy as following a routine for 21 days. It is about finding a way of life where you are able to incorporate a certain practice in spite of all the unforeseen commitments.
When you really immerse yourself into building a certain life, you will always find a way. For example, when your client schedules a meeting during usual workout hours, I would not find an excuse to skip the session. One will instead rearrange our day to make space for it. This is
the kind of dedication we will have when something has become a part of your lifestyle.
It may be hard to think of having such a transformation right now. It all starts with small strides. Find the kind of lifestyle you want to lead but do not make any exponential changes. When too many changes are forced in a short space of time, you will get overwhelmed. Your senses
will push you into a self-destructive mode & take you further away from your destination. Instead, focus on making incremental changes. Take it one day, one step at a time.
If an ideal lifestyle is to lead a fit & healthy life, first start by getting yourself to the gym, or a pool. Do not do any weight training or heart-racing cardio. Just get yourself there & immerse yourself in this new environment. Maybe ride the spin bike & watch everyone go about their
business. As you continue to show up for a week or two, you will find yourself wanting to try out some of those weights & machines, or different swim techniques.
So the next time you show up, start with imitating what everybody else is doing. Simple. Do not try anything fancy or heavy. Just watch & learn. In another week or so, you will casually find yourself browsing youtube & watching content related to fitness. You will realize it is more interesting than you thought ~ a little fire has sparked.
With the consistent effort you put in at the gym or pool, your beginner gains will start to show up & you will feel good about yourself. Great. Now you will really want to become the best version of yourself. As you continue becoming the best version of yourself, you will eventually
start to see everything you need to do & get there.
Everything will start to happen because you want it to happen. Eventually, this drive will lead you to eat healthier, work harder & feel better. But to get there, you will first have to show up. It will not happen in three months, or even six months, rather a need to put in 2~3 years of your life on the line.
Do not try to look too far ahead into the future yet. You will know what you need to do when you start doing it. So start doing it. Your mind & your body will talk to you. You will get feedback. You will get criticism; & if you keep showing up consistently for years & years, as I have found, living a fitness-oriented lifestyle will become as easy as breathing. It will come to you naturally.
Just imagine what a seed planted several years ago would have become if you consistently put a few hours of your life into it every week. You would be a hundred per cent different. It is okay if you cannot see the top from where you are. But the strides taking you there, will only take you if you continue to take small steps. Your mind and body may beg you to stop when it gets harder, but if you are dreaming of transforming your life, know it is a long-term commitment of discipline & consistency.
Nothing good comes easy. “It is supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it” ~ Tom Hanks
Just few observations again dear friends, & provide merely an opinion in my world. Thank you again for stopping by, I appreciate your being here. If my journey encourages you also, all is well with my soul. I hope your days are filled with love & affection. Looking forward to being back next week; this is Kenn Butler in Paradise, Nelson with best wishes
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