The rain lashed at my bedroom window. The wind was howling. The alarm went off.
The internal conversation begins.
‘Too cold. Too wet. Too tired.”
“It is warm in here. You can run tomorrow. What difference will it make?”
We all go through these wrestles with ourselves.
Should we tackle this situation or stay where we are?
Most of the time the default position for the brain is to take the easy way out. Take the path well worn. The path of least resistance.
So how can we override the default position and reimagine the outcome?
In James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits” he states that habits can be created by Outcome- Based Focus or Identity -Based Focus.
Outcome -focused is what you want to achieve and Identity focused is who you want to become. Who you want to be.
Being someone is what we have been asked all our lives so it must be important. We are conditioned and driven to be the person we want to be. Remember when you were young person and the question from the adults was,
“What are you going to BE when you grow up?”
Reframing the internal discussion is now quite different. There is a significant benefit to our identity. By not doing the work, (going for a run), you are denying yourself to be one more step (pardon the pun) closer to the person you want to be.
In this case, the person I want to be is one who is energised and clear thinking which is exactly how I feel once the run has been completed.
This is the answer to all those blockers that stop you from being the best version of yourself. When in turmoil with should I or should I not, ask yourself,
“Who will I be when the activity has been completed?”
Don’t focus on ticking off the task as the goal, but who you will be once you have nailed the task.
What are you doing consistently to be the best version of yourself?
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