"The REALISTIC Fitness Blog" Focusing On Attitude!
Randall Wysong
“Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain.” -Vivian Greene
“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” -Dale Carnegie.
I say this all the time to members. I say it to myself every day when I look in the mirror. I'm not happy with the way I look. Neither are you. None of us ever are! We all celebrate successes. We praise our weight loss, our inches down, and how our clothes fit better. We talk about how much more weight we can lift, how much farther and faster we can run, and how athletic and awesome we are at everything. Those things are successes. They are not happiness. Happiness is not achieved by the way you look or perform at exercise. Happiness is internal, not external. Happiness is not a feeling, it's an action! You have to choose to be happy. It is a mindset, and a lifestyle. The only way to change your happiness is to change your attitude. Now, attitude is everything!
This week I have been reading Dale Carnegie's world famous book, How To Win Friends And Influence People. He has an immensely popular quote, “It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.” That resonates with me every time I feel bad about my body, the way I look, feel, and the body dysmorphia that we all have in common. OUR perception is OUR reality, and if we think we are ugly, fat, worthless, broken, damaged, then we are. But, if we think we are strong, courageous, beautiful, then WE are!
Lately I have become aware of all the things I take for granted: my health, my ability to walk, all my fingers and toes, my vision, my hearing, my brain function, my sense of humor......etc. you get the point. Bottom line, my "REALISTIC Fitness" blog is about teaching you to care MOST about what matters MOST. Do I want you and I to look awesome? Yes, please! But is that why I workout these days, my honest answer is yea and kinda lol. I do wanna look sweet, and I do want to succeed in the way I look and feel, but I wanna be happy with it. The only way I'll ever be happy with those successes is to work harder on my attitude and appreciate everything I have accomplished, and everything I’m given. It's been two and a half weeks since I started eating better and exercising, and I have successfully lost a few pounds and have had 6 people say I look leaner and my face looks leaner (somewhat painful compliment about my chubby cheeks).
My focus right now is on being a better father, husband, friend, co-worker, role-model, and athlete. As I get back into better shape, I will work even harder on my diet and exercise to progress further towards my physique goals, but not at the expense of the people I care about. Too many times I have become selfishly obsessed with my diet and exercise at the expense of others. This time, I will treat fitness as a healthy, sustainable lifestyle that embraces those I care about as my motivation for succeeding. I will succeed, and I will be happy doing it because I will have a positive attitude. I encourage all of you to do the same. Work on your attitude while you work on your body, and You will be Happy with Your Success!
-Sean