How To Overcome All or Nothing Thinking

by | Dec 28, 2015 | Blog

(Would you rather listen to an audio version of this blog? I’ve gotcha! Click here to listen)

The “all or nothing” approach to food & fat loss is a problem. It is a legitimate threat to your goals.

It is counterproductive and wastes a ton of energy.

I think we all acknowledge that it doesn’t work, however, we can’t seem to break free from it.

We set out to have a perfect day. We plan our meals. We give ourselves a pep talk. Then we eat a cookie.

Damn.

Ruined the day.

Might as well have pizza and try again tomorrow.

This makes no sense at all. And honestly, understanding how illogical (nevermind ineffective) it is tends to be the first step towards how to overcome all or nothing thinking once and for all.

Can you indulge me in a relevant football analogy?

What is the point of a football game? To score more points than the other team so you can win the game.

What if the goal was perfection? Everyone would walk off the field after the first penalty, sack, fumble or failure to convert.

They don’t. There are failed plays and lost yards and no one walks off the field. They can still win the game.

You fumble the ball, get tackled, get injured, miss field goals, drop passes and still win the game.

You can’t, however, walk off the field and expect to win.

The same is true of fat loss.

What is the goal? Physical improvements in your body, weight loss and improved health.

Does that require perfection? No. Is perfection what we’re going for? No.

But, at the first sign of struggle we walk off the field. We declare that we’ve lost. We give up.

You will make poor choices. You will give in to temptation. You will hit plateaus. You will have bad days.

All those things are part of the journey.

The goal is progress. Progress does not require perfection. Progress does, however, require that you stop quitting.

Think of  your days and your choices as plays in a football game: how can you make forward progress? What is even one small improvement you can make?

Fail to convert? It happens. Here’s another play. Another chance to make forward progress.

Don’t walk off the field. Never walk off the field.

(PS: If you want a jump start on breaking through your own barriers, do NOT miss this killer presentation on identifying your walls & tearing the down)

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