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Life Advice From a Chipotle Bag

~ smrtrainingllc ~ Leave a comment

It’s not everyday I take the messages on a fast food bag seriously, but I do take my lessons when and where they happen. Perspective is a valuable thing. The other day I was happily eating my protein rich Chipotle salad after a workout and happened to glance at a quote on the bag:
“Often in life, the most important question we can ask ourselves is: do we really have the problem we think we have?”
-Sheri Fink

The full article on the bag was also quite intriguing however; for purposes of this blog, I’m going to take it my own route. How many times have you stopped yourself from trying something in life because of a perceived problem? One of the prime examples I hear all of the time are the reasons why someone can’t workout or eat healthy: “Because I don’t have enough time, because I work too much, because I’m too busy, because gym memberships are too expensive, because healthy food is too expensive, because I have a bad knee/back/hip…” The list goes on and on. When I hear this, I simply nod and smile. I never try and confront the person to actually problem solve because I know it’s an excuse. There is always a way to overcome (seemingly) impossible hurdles if the desire/motivation is present. Just ask any self made entrepreneur, college student who was told they could never afford or get into a college, or special needs athlete who is actively competing.

I’m guilty of it as well. There are weeks/months when I don’t accomplish the things I’m capable of at work because I don’t want to put in the actual effort that’s required. I (inevitably) have an excuse or ‘problem’ at the ready to explain why I am not achieving what I can. There’s a way to overcome this, and the answer lies on that Chipotle bag. We need to actually analyze our problem and determine if it actually exists or if it’s an excuse that we can easily overcome with proper planning, effort, and prioritization.

If you’re not sure how to start, my favorite analogy is to treat yourself like a child. If a child said they couldn’t do “x” because of “y”, we would simply walk them through all the ways they could overcome “y” in order to achieve “x” or we would present another approach to “x” that makes avoiding “y” completely possible. For example, if a child said: “I don’t do well in science because I don’t have the time to study for all of the tests” we would quickly problem solve with them. Perhaps we would go the route of: “Well, walk me through your day and let’s see where we can gain an extra 20 minutes for you to study” or we might suggest “If doing well in science is a priority, we may need to determine what else we can stand to cut down/out in order to make time for it” or we might find a way to multitask such as “studying for science while you travel to/from your basketball games.”

In all of these cases, that solution to the problem seems simple to us. In fact, it probably seems like a ‘made up’ problem to begin with, or an excuse. I intend to use the Chipotle bag as a reminder to stop making excuses or “problems” and instead to rededicate myself to achieving the things that I value and find important in life. I hope you’ll do the same. Secondarily, I hope this reminds you that inspiration is out there everywhere (and often in the most unexpected of places).

What have I done?

~ smrtrainingllc ~ 2 Comments

Well, here it is.  It’s 2015 and I’ve gone and created a blog.  Part of me is screaming “You idiot!” and part of me is screaming “Finally!”.  I’ve always been a bit shy and introverted however; I’ve found over the past several years that my inner-extrovert seems to shine through online.  Social media has allowed me to reconnect with friends and family, stay up to date with people who have moved far and near, and has given my hi-jinx an audience.  Turns out: I like it!

It’s been incredibly amazing to see the amount of support, well wishers, and cheerleaders I have in my life (and in others).  Perhaps more surprising has been the number of people who have told me that I’ve inspired them in some way.  I suppose when I break it down, it’s not that surprising.  Not a day goes by where I am not awed or inspired by someone I know to do better, strive for more, push harder, help someone, or try again.

My hope is that this blog will allow me a place to share the things in life I enjoy, the successes I have, the struggles I face, and the tips/tricks and cheats I’ve learned to help keep me sane through it all. A lot of it will be fitness centered, but there will be a whole lot of ‘life stuff’ too (you all know I have too many interests to limit it just to one). Besides, transference of learning is one of the greatest lessons I have (and continually) learned. I hope you enjoy and if you have any suggestions for topics, subjects, or events you want me to cover: please speak up!

Compassion

~ smrtrainingllc ~ Leave a comment
What a strong word.  We often think of it in terms of having compassion for others.  For those less fortunate financially, for those less fortunate from a health capacity, for those less fortunate from a physical beauty or ability standpoint.  I applaud that – I believe compassion for others is one of the best traits a person can have.  Where I am continually shocked in life is by the lack of compassion people have for themselves.
We’ve all heard the saying, “I am my own worst critic” and it’s proven shockingly true to me time and time again.  I’ve been around some of the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, and most understanding people.  People who would stop at nothing to help someone in need, who would defend another against naysayers and critics, who would console anybody who seemed down and out.  Then these same people will say something I find completely unacceptable:
“I’m so fat”
“I’m gross”
“I look terrible”
“I’m so dumb”
“I’m too weak to do x”
“I could never do y”
“I’ll never get to point z”
These people would NEVER allow someone to say that about someone they know or care about.  They would never allow me to say those things about myself, so why do they say them about themselves?  Because they lack compassion for themselves.  We so often get into an all or nothing mentality when it comes to ourselves.  Either we’re dieting perfectly and working out like zealots OR we’re failures.  Either we are in competition show shape OR we’re horrifically fat and disgusting.  Either we’re hitting PRs OR we’re weak and lazy.
What we need to be is a bit more compassionate and realistic with ourselves.  No one is perfect.  We don’t expect it from anyone else and we certainly shouldn’t expect it from ourselves.  Does that mean we shouldn’t strive to be better or to succeed at our goals?  Of course not.  It does mean that we should show ourselves the same compassion and understanding that we would extend to anyone else.  Sometimes life throws us for a loop and we get a bit off track.  Sometimes we focus on another arena on our life and excel there while letting something else slip out of the limelight a bit.  This is OK.  This is acceptable.  This is life.
I ask all of you – the next time you hear someone use one of these compassionless statements about themselves – interrupt them.  Tell them that they are someone who matters, that they are successful, that they matter.  Remind them that they would never allow someone else to speak that way about someone they care about, so you are not going to allow them to talk to themselves that way.  Remind them that this is the example we set for impressionable children and teens all around us and that self worth and value and esteem is important.  The next time you begin talking to yourself the same way – please stop and know that you are enough.