Achieving the level of fitness you want from yourself is no easy task. It requires consistent action and accountability.
With life constantly in the way, following through on the actions you need to take becomes a struggle. This is a struggle we all face in various avenues of life, yet it is one that yields a deeper sense of fulfillment.
We are all human, we all fail to some degree or another. None of us are perfect machines that never miss a single workout or meal, nor should we be. We must accept ourselves and our human nature, yet we must also create a level of self-awareness that will allow ourselves to follow through in the long game.
Regardless of the environment, you have currently around you, I believe one driver to accountability is self-honesty. It is no easy task to ask yourself if you have truly done everything you can to accomplish what you desire from yourself. But understanding what actions you take and how they align with your ultimate wants is the first step towards becoming better.
From understanding ourselves, we can begin to understand why change should occur.
Following self-awareness, I believe are inherently social beings. Therefore, having an environment that supports our goal and accountability will determine our success towards it.
As someone who has lacked accountability and struggled to live up to what I ultimately wanted, I have seen big changes in myself in the past 4 months. I have reflected on why this change occurred, and I believe it has to do with the environment I’ve found.
When I decide to miss training because it wasn’t convenient, I am fortunate enough to have the coaches and members of the gym I train at question me. They want to know what reason was good enough for me to not get better. They question how my food goals have gone and follow up on previous ideas I’ve mentioned to them.
I am also surrounded by people that want to get better. I see people taking action, putting forth the effort, and showing up consistently. This almost makes me feel left behind when I choose to prioritize something over getting better.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have this environment around them, but there are steps they can take to create it.
One simple step is to ‘plus one’. Simply take someone with you to get better. Want to go to the gym but struggle with overcoming excuses? Tell someone and take them with you. Going through the same actions as someone beside you will make getting better that much easier on yourself. Now someone else is aware of what you are trying to do, and you will feel as though you are now letting them down by not following through.
This draws out another step you can take that doesn’t require a massive effort. Simply talk about what you struggle with. Talk to people you care about. Tell them what it is you really want and how you have struggled to take action towards this. You’ve now created an environment where others will hold you to your word.
To drive everything home, start with internally questioning yourself. Understand what it is that you want for yourself and evaluate how you have or have not taken action towards this. Tell those around you about your struggles and get them involved. Finally, create the environment you need for yourself. Take someone with you on your journey or go out and seek places that will support you. If you’re failing to follow through in your current environment, then change it.
A final note to leave you with. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing deep down, you’re making it all the more difficult to follow through. Find something you enjoy doing. And if life really does get in the way, don’t beat yourself up over it; life is too short for that. Believe in what you do, and find others who want to see you succeed as much as you do.
