“The reason you don’t change for long
is because you have a set of beliefs that support
the person you are, not
the person you want to be”
What do I
eat?
What is the
best workout?
How much
cardio should I do?
Being a gym
owner and personal trainer….these are questions I’m asked frequently.
The answers
I give are based on the latest scientific findings… but even so…they leave me
feeling like the instruction is a little dishonest and incomplete.
Their
questions are based on actions…therefore the instructions are based on “what” to do, rather than “why” we do it. So of course I tell them
“what”.
But it’s of
utmost importance that we understand…. The “Why”
precedes the “what”.
Let’s be
honest…We do what we do because we get something from it.
To change
human behavior requires changing human cognition. Cognition comes
first…behavior comes second.
So how do we
change behavior?
It’s easy to
look at external quick fixes (Workout…eat less)… but the reality is the
solution isn’t external…it’s internal.
As Anne
Lamott said it best… "It's an inside job”
Trying a new
diet plan or exercise program to resolve an overweight problem is like putting
a Band-Aid over a Melanoma. We’re not addressing the issue.
Paradigm Shift:
Change
occurs in steps…change is a process…change is developing a new paradigm.
Einstein once
said…
“The world we have made
as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far creates problems we
cannot solve at the same level of thinking at which we created them.”
There are three steps in a paradigm shift… (This is not limited to exercise and
nutrition)
1. Awaken:
~ Rousing; quickening:
"An awakening interest in
self"
~ A recognition, realization, or
coming into awareness of something:
"A rude awakening
to the disagreeable facts."
To awaken is to acknowledge. To acknowledge is to take ownership. Every great journey traveled has begun with an
awareness of self.
2. Intention:
~ A determination to act in a certain
way: resolve
~ Important, significance
~ What one intends to do or to bring
about
~ A process or manner of healing of
incised wounds
~ Concept; especially: a concept considered as the product of
attention directed to an object of knowledge
Awareness of self clarifies
intention…intention clarifies and directs the path.
3. Detachment
~ The act or process of separating
something from a larger thing
~ A condition in which something has
become separated from something else
Detachment is the unloading of what
is…what one has become… in order to become what is…what one can become.
Detaching is not letting go and
losing…its untethering and gaining…its autonomy.
The Ultimate Goal
Transcendence
~ Going beyond the limits of ordinary
experience
~ Far better or greater than what is
usual
Transcendence
is a shift in cognition that begins as a harsh, destructive process.
Transcendence
is not something you achieve… It is the absence of something. Throughout our lives we have been going
forward after ( _________)… pursuing some goal….wanting a “fix”. This method has us looking “there” all the
while avoiding “here”.
Transcendence,
ironically, is not about moving forward as much as it’s about going back.
It’s
acknowledging the past to understand the present illusion of self.
It’s an
exfoliation of the created ego.
It’s seeing
through the façade of our false self…to clear the path for our true self.
Transcendence
is not about an acquisition…it’s about eradication.
To
Transcendence is to end the delusions to gain mastery over oneself and one’s
destiny. It means the fulfilling of one’s full potential.
"You are searching for the magic
key that will unlock the door to the source of power; and yet you have the key
in your own hands, and you may use it the moment you learn to control your
thoughts." ~
Napoleon Hill
