Acceptance
Accepting your current reality…
Most of us want to avoid this and jump to setting a goal, ignoring our current habits and feelings and pressuring ourselves to change "for the better." Remember those crash diets? Going cold turkey? Deciding to jump into a new training regime and getting injured on day 3?
Yes, that is why we are not taking the second step.
We have to assess and accept our current habits and routines.
Why?
Our brain craves predictable stability. It wants safety, comfort, and to know our every move. It LIKES YOUR CURRENT SYSTEM. It feels safe to react to your triggers. It loves drama, the emotional rollercoaster, excessive eating, and laziness… because it knows what will happen next.
WHEN WE ACCEPT THE REALITY, we begin to see more objectively. We assess our habits and environment and accept that we didn’t get here by accident; we made this happen.
Now that we KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG, we can begin to look at it.
Will our current system going to lead us to our desired goal? Or farther away?
If it is farther away, we must accept that reality and begin to make a plan that allows our bodies and brains to ease into the new change.
How do you accept reality?
Write down your desired goal.
Audit yourself for a week. Write down everything, from your activities, mood, eating habits, and who you were around.
Ask, "If every week were like this, would I achieve my goal?"
If yes, ask, "What can I improve to achieve my goal faster and with less friction?"
If no, ask yourself, "What is holding me back?" Then, examine your habits, beliefs, behaviours, emotions, and social circle.
Write down in a list everything that is working FOR your goal.
Write down everything working AGAINST your goal.
Sit with that AGAINST list.
Take deep breaths and accept that YOU unconsciously DECIDED to choose/adopt those habits.
Accept that it will take work to carve a new path and that you completely control how you choose to live, think, and act.
Now, take a deep breath and allow yourself to be okay with your current situation. You know what isn’t working. This is where we can dive into changing our lives.