Our Own Worst Enemy
How did we become our own worst enemies instead of our own best champions? I applaud you if you have won the war on this one. I win some battles and lose others…and the war is not yet settled though I think the tide is starting to turn.
The example that always comes to mind for me is not a professional one but a health one…I know that I have weak hips and glutes which are critical if I want to keep running. However, I struggle to prioritize the time to do the "pre-hab" work so I don’t have to do the rehab work. I know exactly what I need to do and why I need to do it. I know what should be part of my weekly routine. But, I still am my own worst enemy…I don’t make those exercises a priority consistently. They’re not particularly hard or time consuming…I just would rather not do them. So, I’m still trying to win the war on this one and figure out what strategy I need to employ that will shift my mindset about this set of exercises.
As we get older, we figure out things about ourselves and how we operate best – like structure/don’t like structure, what foods energize us/which ones make us sleepy, what things stress us out, what work activities we love and those we dread, and the list goes on. How often do you find that you do the exact opposite of what you know will be the best decision for you? Usually, the choice isn’t because you’re purposefully trying to sabotage yourself but because you’re using a different scale to decide what choice to make…
What’s easiest?
What won’t rock the boat?
What will comfort me?
What do others expect me to do?
Often, the choice we make is great for the short-term…the comfort food tasted good, the vegging on the couch vs. the workout felt relaxing, the pat on the back for taking on work out of scope felt good, but we all know that this feeling doesn’t stick around. We know that we’re often going to be frustrated that we didn’t make the better long-term choice…but we get stuck in this pattern of saying or doing the things that aren’t always in our best long-term interest.
What if we rethought our game (life) strategy? What if the goal really is the best life, and we realize we need to play the long game…that we need to look ahead several moves vs. just making the quick reactive move? I’m not a chess player, but just finished watching The Queen’s Gambit, and to win consistently, you have to be able to see the potential moves ahead and make the best choice.
Maybe we need to consistently ask ourselves…will I be proud of this choice tomorrow, next week, next year, and let that be our guide on the choice to make. Will it serve us in the long-run?
Where could you be playing the long game so you don’t act as your own worst enemy?