We’ve been told that all we need is grit and will power and we can have any outcome that we desire.
Guru’s abound with the secret formula for weight-loss, list-building, six-figure launches…you name it, it’s out there.
The trouble is, outcomes are not within our realm of control.
We can do all of the right things and still not get the outcomes that we want.
An athlete can train right and still not make the olympic team.
A musician can do all the right things and still not make it big.
An entrepreneur can follow the script and still have a launch fall flat.
You can exercise every single day and not need smaller pants.
There are too many variables outside of our control to guarantee a particular outcome.
This is why I focus on behaviours.
Behaviours are within my realm of control (my OWN behaviours anyway 😆)
This shift in focus allows me to celebrate my success based on whether or not I performed the behaviour, not on whether or not it produced a predetermined result. I can define my own parameter of success.
By not being single minded in my outcome (ie. lose xyz by such and such date), I’m able to see the many other beneficial outcomes from said behaviour. This motivates me to stay in the game instead of my self-esteem being chipped away. I’m far less likely to say eff it and let the pendulum swing way too far the other way.
This is the heart of weight-neutral care. It allows the space to focus on behaviours. After all, it’s the long-term behaviour changes that actually improve health outcomes. No one has ever achieved a long-term benefit from a week long behaviour 🤷♀️