What is Your One Thing?
Do you remember the movie City Slickers, with Billy Crystal playing a city slicker named Mitch who goes on a trip with friends to experience living like a cowboy? Their experience in the country was made possible with the help of their guide Curly, the gritty cowboy played by Jack Parlance. Curly didn’t talk much, but at one point in the movie there was a small dialogue between Curly and Mitch that went something like this:
Curly: Do you know what the secret to life it?
Mitch: No. What?
Curly: This. (He holds up one finger)
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just ONE thing. You stick to that and everything else doesn’t mean sh*t.
Mitch: That’s great, but what’s the “one thing?”
Curly: That’s what you’ve got to figure out.
In today’s world, there are too many nutrition, diet, exercise, and weight loss choices, which leads to…
* Overwhelm, which leads to…
* Confusion, which leads to…
* Lack of taking proper action, which leads to…
* Lack of results, which finally leads to…
* Frustration and failure.
I see the above pattern surfacing every single day…in conversations I overhear in the supermarket, at the gym, at the workplace, on Facebook…and I am here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be so confusing/so difficult/so complicated!
By focusing on your “ONE thing,” you can simplify your health and fitness plan AND your life to eliminate these obstacles and begin to see success in reaching your goals.
Ask yourself this question:
“What is the ONE thing I can focus on today for my nutrition plan that will make everything else easier or unnecessary?”
For me, and for many of my clients, it’s planning ahead.
I designate one day a week to cook and prep food for myself and my family ahead of time. This makes our entire nutrition plan easier to adhere to. If all or most of the prep work is done in advance and packaged up neatly in grab-and-go containers in the fridge, then we are assured we will stick with our plan, not go hungry, and not make rash nutritional decisions because we are starving and there is nothing ready to eat!
It’s my ONE thing for nutrition.
Now, ask yourself the same question for exercise:
“What is the ONE thing I can do today for my exercise plan in such a way that it will make everything else easier or unnecessary?”
For myself, it is getting my workout done first thing in the morning. I am up early for clients every day, and I am already in the gym. So, when I am finished working with my early morning clients, I get my workout done for myself. Sure, it means that I have to do a little prep before I leave the house each morning: I have to make sure to grab an apple (my pre-workout snack), and have my workout drink already made and waiting in the fridge, and I leave my gym bag in the car so it’s all ready for me when I leave.
If something comes up and I tell myself, “I will wait until later to workout,”….well, let’s just say it doesn’t usually happen! The day disappears quickly, a dozen things have to be done, and the rest is history.
By focusing on my ONE thing, and getting up early to complete my workout, it eliminates any other excuses, leaves me fresh and invigorated for a productive day, and it makes exercising later in the day unnecessary. It’s my one strategy for staying on track with my own exercise.
The ONE thing will instantly narrow your focus to achieve your fitness goals (or any goals) with precise accuracy.
Even if you’re currently “on track” and experiencing success, the ONE thing will KEEP you on track!
The beautiful thing about this strategy is that it will work in all areas of your life: your personal life, your finances, your spiritual life, your family, your business/job, your relationships:
“What is the ONE thing I can do today so that everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
Start now. Take a look at the areas of your life where you are strugging and narrow it down to just ONE thing. Ask yourself that question, focus on the simplicity. All the rest will fall into place eventually by just focusing on your ONE thing for a while.
Eventually, that ONE thing will be so easy and so natural that it will be time to find another ONE thing to keep you moving forward. That’s the beauty of it.
Focus on ONE thing, and the rest will follow!
|
Do you ever feel like you just want someone to help you figure out your ONE thing, and keep you accountable to making sure it gets done every day? Numerous studies show us that accountability partners & coaches are critical to long-term success in change, whether it is to lose weight, eat healthier, change exercise habits, or stick to a goal.
Personal trainer, nutritionist, Gold Medal professional figure athlete, mom, wife…Melanie Daly specializes in amazing transformations. Drawing on two decades of experience and extensive knowledge in personal training, and her expertise in nutrition programming, Melanie can take anyone who is frumpy to extremely fit, from overweight to outstanding, and the already-fit to even more fabulous.If your goal is to look better than you ever have before for an upcoming reunion, wedding, or beach vacation — or you want to get up on the competition stage —
Facebook: facebook.com/bodyworxfit
Twitter: @bodyworxfit