Consequences
I’ve been motivating people to get the goals they want for over 11 years now. And its a fickle thing motivation. It comes and goes. Getting results though is about consistency. Consistency with your food, consistency with your training and consistency with your cardio – for long periods of time. Changing shape really separates people.
One thing I have noticed that can make or break a program, is consequences.
If you’re on a mission to change your physique at the moment ask yourself this question ;
What are the consequences if you don’t?
Here’s an imaginary yet common example. A movie star gets a role that requires them to have their shirt off a lot and they need to be in shape. Now, if currently they are looking sloppy as they often do in between movies, they are going to need to hire a trainer and get in shape for when filming starts.
Lets assume they have been paid big bucks for the role. Like 10 million big bucks! What are the consequences going to be if they turn up on day 1 of the shoot out of shape looking out of shape?
Word will spread through the industry they are out of shape.
Shooting might have to be postponed costing millions
Chances of getting a similar role may go down dramatically
They will not be convincing in their scenes
The public will find out
A stand in may have to be hired and re writing of scripts may occur
Their commitment and professionalism may be questioned
They may be publicly humiliated in tabloids for being in poor shape
Do you see what I’m getting at? There are some very real and life altering repercussions by not following their meal plans, taking their supplements and doing what they have to do, even though they might not want to.
Now Back To You?
Lets imagine that you didn’t get paid for your job unless you maintained a certain weight.
Reckon you’d stay in at that weight?
I bet you would only let yourself not get paid once before you sorted that behaviour out.
I know the above is a silly scenario but what I’m getting at is, are there any consequences for you if you don’t stick to your training and eating?
Chances are your family and friends will still love you. You won’t lose your job. You won’t be publicly humiliated. You won’t lose income and you won’t be paraded in the media in your swimmers at the beach. So without real consequences you are leaving yourself open to failure time and time again.
So What Can You Do?
Create some consequences! These may be out of left field for some people but consequences have to be real and enforced.
Book and pay for a photo shoot. That way if your out of shape you will have wasted your money or you’ll look like rubbish. Photo shoots are very motivating when it comes to sticking to diets and training.
Get a boss – Your boss holds you accountable at work. Same thing needs to happen with your health and fitness goals. When i wanted to achieve something with my business i would engage a colleague to hold me accountable to my business goals. I would send them a email every week explaining what i’d done that week on working to wards my goals and if i hadn’t hit my numbers i would give them $100.
I never gave them $100 because it made me do what i needed to do!
Enter a competition with friends or workmates
Something!!!
Anything!!!
The most extreme example i heard of a consequence was at a seminar when the speaker was talking to a woman about how she couldn’t stop smoking and he came over and put an imaginary gun to her head and said “imagine if i walked around all day with a gun to your head. If you light up a cigarette I’ll blow your brains out. Reckon you’ll light up?”
Yeah, crazy. But take the lesson out of it. If cigarettes killed you instantly, no one would smoke. They do kill you 20 years early though. It’s just the consequence is too far off into the future for people to take seriously….
Anyway, that’s a bit heavy, so here is something a bit lighter to end on….
If you have any suggestions whack them below!
See you in the gym
Brad