Often, when we are dissatisfied with some area of our life, we start searching for information on the internet, watching motivational videos, reading articles and books, and taking training courses. After getting inspired and motivated for a while, we somehow still return to our usual routine, without changing anything in our actions. Then it all starts over again because the problem hasn’t disappeared. We are still dissatisfied, so we sign up for another training, watch motivational videos, and buy another book.
After receiving a huge amount of new information from various sources, our life remains the same. Why is that?
It’s very simple, we don’t apply the knowledge we receive in practice. If we used even a part of the information that we receive, we would have improved our situation a long time ago and solved most of our problems.
But let’s face it, doing at least something towards our goal is much harder than watching a video or reading another book about amazing perspectives. That’s how we are wired, we don’t like to step out of our comfort zone and we prefer the familiar swamp to everything new.
So, we immerse ourselves in all this training. As we receive more and more information, we think that we are already on the path to what we want, that we are already doing something to resolve the situation, because we are learning and that is so important. But in reality, no. These are just the knowledge that we load into our heads.
I am just like everyone else and have often encountered the same thing. Below, I will share how I cope with being obsessed with information.
First of all, I would like to note that I have a positive attitude towards new knowledge in any form. It is an excellent opportunity to gain useful information, new opinions of others, more successful people, and the opportunity to learn something important and life-changing.
All of this is great, but let’s be honest, you are just wasting your time if you don’t plan to apply what you are learning.
Why Do We Procrastinate?
In my opinion, we constantly procrastinate any useful actions because of fear. We are so afraid that this fear literally paralyzes us and as a result, we prefer not to do anything at all. Fear can be different, here are the most common examples:
- fear of not getting everything at once from the first try
- fear of wasting time
- fear of responsibility
- fear of judgment, discussion, ridicule
- fear of new things, fear of the future
We expect success to fall on us immediately after the first small action. We just lack patience. But very often, for significant changes in ourselves and our lives, we need a certain amount of time. Below, there will be a story from my life that confirms the above and once again shows that having information is not a guarantee of fulfilling desires.
Life story – the long-awaited ideal body
I was always slim, weighing 57-58 kg at a height of 170 cm. Nevertheless, all my life, starting from adolescence, I was dissatisfied with my body and wanted to become even thinner. Stupidity, you might say? Yes, perhaps, but it was always important to me. People told me, why do you need this, you are already beautiful, relax. But I kept dreaming of the perfect body and periodically started to watch my diet, avoid sweets, run in the stadium, and so on. My attempts to lose weight were like spasms, I did nothing regularly, systematically, and quickly lost motivation because everything seemed to be fine with me. This inconsistency prevented me from finally losing weight, and I kept returning to my previous weight.
My husband also wanted to lose weight, he was quite calm about food, but since I am a lover of unhealthy food, we often cooked and ate not very healthy foods, fast food. Therefore, due to my cooking, he could not lose weight either. As you know, improper nutrition affects not only the figure but also well-being and performance. Soon, in addition to being dissatisfied with my body, there was a real need to eat normal food to maintain my health and the health of my spouse.
During all my attempts to lose weight, I have studied a huge amount of information on proper nutrition and sports. We even bought an elliptical trainer to be able to exercise at home anytime. But, can you believe it, having all these opportunities and knowing all the information about healthy eating, we continued to eat improperly and did not use the elliptical trainer at all.
One fine day, my husband once again asked me to write him a weight loss meal plan, as I know more about it. I made the plan and decided to lose weight together with him to support him. We had tried to do something like this before, but as you can understand, we always returned to our old habits.
But this time it was different.
Firstly, I wrote very clearly what we can and cannot eat, and in what cases I can allow myself some indulgences.
Secondly, I got rid of my fear of not losing weight quickly, I dropped my high expectations, and we calmly and without haste began to follow the nutrition program. We ate the right food according to our system every day for 3 months and continue to do so to this day. Even if there were guests and holidays, we ate everything that was on the table without restrictions, but the next day we returned to our routine. Proper nutrition became a habit for us. Plus, I started running on the elliptical every day without skipping, something I had never done before. This also became my healthy habit.
At the moment, my husband has lost 6 kg and continues to slim down, and I have lost 3 kg, which is a significant result for my weight. Now, I am truly happy with myself and feel good because I achieved my goal.
As you can see, what helped us was not reading diet recipes and watching videos of gym workouts, but the systematic performance of basic, correct actions every day.
What I learned from my weight loss experience
No matter how banal it may sound, you need to believe in yourself and take steps toward your goal, be patient, and not expect instant results. Here is a list of actions that can be applied to achieve any goal:
- Define your desire, it should be clearly formulated.
- Think about what needs to be done to achieve the desired, taking into account the knowledge you already have on this issue.
- Break down the tasks from step 2 into micro-actions that you will do every day to move closer to your goal.
- Take steps from step 3 every day. Daily actions, even small ones, will soon bring the first results, which will likely inspire you to more massive actions, which in turn will lead you to your goal even faster.
- If you need additional information, continue to take micro-actions and simultaneously seek it out or educate yourself. When you acquire new knowledge, adjust your action plan and keep moving.
- If you have no idea where to start and what to do, first find answers to your questions in the form of new information, and take a course if necessary. After getting the answers, return to creating an action plan and complete steps 1-5.
Just think about this. You probably already know enough to take the first steps toward your dream. Just start, even with small things.
I’m not urging you to give up motivational literature and videos, not at all. Watch and read, it will help you not lose your enthusiasm, use motivation as emotional support, and look at successful people who have already achieved what you want.
I have selected several articles from the blog that will support you in your new endeavors:
Crab Bucket Mentality: How to Identify and Deal with it
Success Quotes: Words of Wisdom to Help You Overcome Challenges
I sincerely wish you to get rid of your fears and confidently move towards your dream.