“All or Nothing” or “Good Enough” where do you sit?

Here's a profound thought, a moment of clarity, and a dose of reality. The vast majority of humans who walk the earth are going to be average at most things they do in life. Many will not be on the world stage, will not compete at a high level in sports, will not become multi-millionaires because of a unique product idea and are unlikely to produce content that goes viral and catapults them into IG or Youtube fame. Most will lead good lives, have decent careers, raise children to become productive members of society, and do some pretty cool and fun shit with their spouses and friends. All by putting forth an average effort day to day.

If you are involved in some kind of exercise or fitness program, showing up and putting in a half-assed effort is still better than hitting snooze or planting your ass on the couch after work. There are too many who live in this “all or nothing” aisle; this world, this mindset where if we can’t give or go a hundred percent then what’s the point. Here’s the thing, most of us want to do great things, are well- intentioned and have an overwhelming amount of piss and vinegar running through our veins… that is, until we don’t. What’s our move when that day comes where we just “aren’t feeling it”? What do we do when we realize that we may have hit a plateau or we are getting burnt out? The short answer for many is we don’t do anything! Your expectations and maybe those of others have set you up to fail.

When these times happen we might want to consider changing lanes and heading down the “good enough for today” aisle. What many people forget or pay attention to is not every day is going to be great. Of course, there will be days that are flippin’ awesome. We need to take the awesome with the “not so great” and recognize this balance. This balance is what reality looks like. Reality is not the shiz you see on the Gram… you know, the before and after pic of Jan who lost 200 lbs drinking 3 shakes a day for 8 months, all while crushing Netflix. The reality is if you want to become a healthier person and shed those unwanted lbs it is going to require some hard work and commitment as well as some consistency in your practice… better nutrition (NOT meal replacement shakes), intentional exercise 3-5 times per week, and a better sleep habit. Oh, and patience.

We get it, it’s easy to get caught up in results chasing, to get discouraged when things don’t turn out like you had pictured, or to look for an easier option. It’s easy to fall for the “before” and “after” pictures of Jan on the Instagrams. The big picture is you can make it happen, but if you are going all in with the “all or nothing” approach you may want to tread softly. Chasing the next 10 pounds, whether that is weight loss or an increase in our squat, it is going to take time and for sure consistency. This means you’ve got to show up! In reality, the dog shit (“good enough for today”) days are the ones that you should be the most proud of.

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