September 29, 2020
The Power of Starting
By Michael & Paden
One of the hardest things in life is to start something brand new. Some of us are more likely to take life by the horns, jump into the deep end, and do the thing we’ve been talking about doing for a while. But most of us like to dip our toes in and see what the temperature is like, or maybe we want to wade in slowly before deciding to swim, or we procrastinate until conditions are more favorable. We continue to talk about it, think about it, and research it, but we never really get around to actually doing the thing,
Something that we’ve learned from coaching thousands of people into and through their fitness journey is how much time it takes for people to walk through our doors and then how they beat themselves up for taking so long. We are not the ones saying, “Gosh, that took you so long!” They’re the ones telling us, “Man, I wish I would have started this sooner. I can’t believe I spent all that time getting fit so I could walk through the doors of Gymnazo to get more fit.”
So what’s really going on there? There’s a quote that I love, which talks about how it’s harder to start something than it is to maintain momentum.
What I want to do right now is take a minute and just cheer for you if you’ve maintained some level of momentum in your life around health and fitness. It’s never been easier to fall off the bandwagon than 2020 so congratulations if you’re keeping momentum going. And let’s define what that momentum could look like. It could be that you are stretching routinely. Maybe the momentum is that you foam roll every day. Maybe the momentum is that you tune in a certain number of times per week to some kind of fitness that you’re really excited about. Or maybe it’s that you pick up a book and you read every day to improve your mind and your soul, or that you do something nice for yourself. Whatever momentum looks like to you, I want you to acknowledge that you are doing something, and continuing to do it is easier than starting something fresh and brand new.
Okay, but what if COVID has really taken the wind out of your sales? What if this pandemic has shaken you up so much that you feel that you’re just back in survival mode and it’s thrown you off your game? That can be a really difficult place, especially if you know what it feels like to prioritize your selfcare and your health. Maybe you feel really guilty that you’re off the bandwagon or that you aren’t prioritizing yourself. The good news is you don’t have to stay in that place.
Here’s the beauty about starting something small. Sometimes, adjusting your expectations about what’s possible is the best place to start. For example, your place to start doesn’t have to be the biggest, most audacious, most expensive and the most time consuming place to start. Why not? Because if you bite off more than you chew, you may just end up quitting on yourself. And if you quit on yourself, I bet that you will end up feeling worse than if you hadn’t started at all.
That’s why, at Gymnazo, we are huge supporters of encouraging people to start with something they know they can achieve. Start with something you know you can be successful with. It is so much easier to build upon success than it is to go all in and try to do everything and burn out two weeks later.
What does serve you, is to start with something you KNOW you can win at. Doing that will bring you a sense of satisfaction. And that will deliver you the sense that you’re not letting yourself down.
You are standing up for yourself.
You are nurturing yourself.
You are prioritizing yourself.
Even if it’s one hour a week. Even if it’s 15 minutes a day. Starting small is the best place to start.
If you feel like you’ve lost momentum, know this: You can’t get momentum back until you start.
We know that starting is the hardest part. But if you’re somebody who is sick of just talking about it and actually wants to show up for yourself and prioritize yourself, then we would like to invite you to join us and find out what that small achievable start looks like.
Thanks to COVID, we have been able to come up with all sorts of ways to support people from their homes, as well as in parks, giving them a refuge to train and escape and get a small sense of normalcy.
We are committed to providing you with a solution that feels really good and achievable and one that we can all celebrate together. Because if there’s one thing we’re passionate about, it’s getting you to start something that you can actually achieve, so that you can build into the momentum that creates the transformation.
REAL transformation isn’t about doing something big; It’s about being consistent with the small things.
We are here to support you and to cheer for you and to give you a no-brainer start.
You don’t have to keep talking about doing something. You can actually step out and do something. Do something that feels safe. Do something that feels productive. Do something that feels like you’re back.
You deserve that and we’re here to help.
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