Hey Team!
Ever notice that as soon as you try to make a change or start something new, self-appointed experts start coming out of the woodwork?
Your online searches alert the almighty algorithm and suddenly your ads and your social media platforms are filled information about the one truth path to your current goal or they are offering you ‘one simple trick’ that will let you circumvent the work (and empty your wallet.)
A change in your activities or a mention of your plans somehow turns some friends (and even casual acquaintances) into evangelists for specific methods, time frames, and actions that you MUST adhere to or you will NEVER meet your goal.
Sure, these people probably mean well but their advice is often tiring AND it can make you second guess yourself. You don’t need anything that makes you tired and you definitely don’t need to second guess yourself at this point in the process. (or at any point, really!)
So, here’s the thing:
The habit you are trying to build is YOUR habit.
It’s about you.
It’s for you.
And YOU know what you can do, what you want to do, and how it makes sense for you to do it.
You know what you are aiming for and you have made a plan towards that goal.
All of that advice, from ads, algorithms, and friends, is only useful for information – you can choose the best bits and leave the rest.
Perhaps it’s true, for example, that the *ideal* way to strength train is 3x per week with a specific routine of movements. That’s great for people who are a) looking for the very best way and b) have time/capacity/energy/ability to work out 3x per week and follow that routine.
But if you’re just trying to build a strength training habit and one session per week is all you can manage, then that ideal isn’t relevant to you. You can take the time that you have available, research a decent routine to get you started and keep doing that until you are ready to change things up.
Obviously, strength training once a week is not going to build muscle as fast as training more often but it will be good for your body and your brain and it will keep strength training on your mental to do list. As long as you match your expectations to your current practice (or to your capacity, as I discussed in this post a couple of years ago), then you will be doing great.
Building a habit doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing, it’s ok to focus on a plan that serves you well, a plan that is doable for you, one that fits your life as it is now.
Your habit is not about matching an ideal set by someone else.
It’s not about accepting what an algorithm churns up for you.
It’s not about following the rules of random alleged experts.
It’s about making time and space for you to do something that expands your life in a way that you find helpful, interesting, or challenging.
It’s YOUR habit, not theirs, and you get to design it the way you want to.
Oh, and please be kind to yourself in the process!
Here’s your gold star for your efforts today, whatever they might be.
(It’s a fresh gold star, the paint was still wet when I took the photo. )
