Tuesday Thoughts 💭

Did an InstaLive with the lovely Sana Govender (@sana_govender on Instagram) this morning on his page about the importance of self talk, and how you can have such a profound effect on what you believe you can do with how you talk to yourself.
During the chat the topic of having an aim, or a goal, came up and I’ve been thinking about it since.

For a long time I wanted to "lose weight", I never particularly specificed, just "lose weight"
In hindsight, that can mean a whole lot of things.
I could lose 1LB.
I could lose 100LBs.
Both technically achieving the goal I set out for, but both would leave me in very different places.

In the first week of working with my perosnal trainer Paul (@pauldermodypt on Instagram) he starting using a phrase that I myself uttered many times thereafter, "What would 95kg Steve do?"
Bearing in mind at this point I was 155KGs and new to this.
But it gave me something.
It was something almost tangible. I could see it.
It gave me a point on the horizon, at the end of the train tracks to move forwards towards.

Sometimes, like it did with me, as you're going down that train track that "you know what, maybe I rather a 105kg Steve".
And that's okay.
Goals change and Goalposts move sometimes.
But it's getting you there either way, to this potential state of being that you wanted or thought you wanted at least and that your striving towards because you're aiming.

For me, and I'm sometimes told that I'm a little simplistic in my breakdown of this, it gave me a start and an end.
That left me, and only after I had decided to take personal responsibility and become accountable to myself, with the middle ground that I needed to fill in with decisions and actions that would best serve me to go from where I'm at to where I want to be.

And that's on me.
No one else.

Hard to bring your ship to your destination port when you set off without a map, or clue where you're going 🤷‍♂️
You just end up floating about aimlessly and slowly die of hunger or end up drowned at sea.

I find it pretty cool to be able to imagine the future.
This thing that doesn't exist yet, and yet it's still there and when you set these clear, concise goals, you can see it.

You develop this sort of attitude thats willing to put in the work now, willing to make certain sacrifices, decisions or changes now that'll come to fruition somewhere down the line.
You can aim way down the line, making the best decisions possible for you and yet still enjoying the present.

Sacrifices and changes don't have to be life changing or difficult.
If you aim to improve by just 1% a week, you're a very different person in a year.

Personally, I think you should aim as high as you can. Why limit yourself when you don't truly know what your limitations even are?
Who set those limits?
Who put that ceiling there?
Was it you? Was it others?

That's not to say aim unrealistically, but if you've ever shot a bow and arrow you'll probably have aimmed for the best or most difficult shot, the bull's eye 🤷‍♂️

Go for it. Take on that burden.
Seldom have I ever heard of someone who set out to only climb have a mountain, it's always about getting to the top. The point. The pinnacle.

With anything, I think most people would say they want the best future possible.
Well then why not put the ground work in now?
Otherwise you end up in the future (your then present) as you are now, possibly unhappy or dissatisfied 🤷‍♂️

Lifes tough.
And shit happens.
We have good days, and we have bad.
But in both, we have controllables.
So control whatever controllables are presented to you, and make moves and decisions towards that goal or aim you have.

If lifes not exactly what you want it to be, ask yourself "why?". .

If that why is something within your control, something you can change, ask yourself "how?". .

If you can answer both of those questions, then go and do. .