Where did the Follow Through go?

I’m not a RESOLUTIONS kinda person…even more so having been in the fitness industry for over 20 years now.  At the end of every year and at the beginning of the next, I witness the same thing.  Rarely has the pattern changed among the masses.  Only a few people have come along the path and have surprised me.  In general the pattern looks something like this:

“This year will be different!  I’m making a resolution to go to the gym _____ days per week (fill in the blank … usually it’s a number that is higher than can be truly accomplished) and I am going to lose _____ amount of weight (again, fill in the blank and the same rules apply as above).  I vow to become healthier in my eating habits and have a fitter lifestyle … this is MY YEAR!”

We all know this pattern by a term.  It’s called a RESOLUTION.  Don’t get me wrong; resolutions are a great place to start.  However, there’s a problem with resolutions in general.  They usually are just that …. too general without any kind of concrete goal or time limit or date where the resolution can be resolved…accomplished…completed…overcome.  Resolutions don’t seem to require an action plan.  And the action plan is the thing that determines the success or failure of the resolution.  Why do so many people start a gym membership or a training regimen with a trainer, or go to class after class after class on January 1 and then fall off the wagon come March?  Where did the follow through go?  Why does it seem non-existent every year in so many people?  

The follow through is lost in the ambiguity of the resolution and its flimsy, if non-existent call to action..in its lack of a specific, well-planned, concrete goal that is to be reached.  The follow through is actually the most important aspect, yet it is the very thing that is lost and therefore failure to succeed is inevitable.  All those good vibes disappear along with the people who “commit” on January 1.  In time, the January 1st gym-goers whittle down to the ones who have a lifestyle of fitness year-round, have specific goals they are trying to reach from keeping their sanity through daily sweat sesh’s or entering a competition, race or accomplishing personal fitness goals that take them to better places than where they were yesterday and the day before that.  These are the ones who understand that Follow Through is where it’s at.  They know that it’s so much more about the follow through than the resolution.  In fact, many of these gym “lifestylers” don’t even make resolutions.

I guess the point is this:  If you really feel like you want to make a New Year’s Resolution, do it!  But maybe this year make it more specific with a definitive call to action that is based on the more important component of a New Year’s Follow Through.  And then create a form of accountability that will insure you DO follow through.  Accountability can come through a person (an exercise partner, personal trainer, nutritionist, family member).  Accountability can also come through a monetary investment.  You may be driven to follow through so as not to waste your money.  Sometimes the investment has to be more than just the nominal monthly fee at a gym … again, possibly too general and broad.  Perhaps hiring a coach, a trainer, a dietician will keep you focused enough on the follow through.  A third way to employ accountability is to sign up for something that will push you, something that is outside your comfort zone, scary even … like a fitness event you have to actually train for  … not one you could enter tomorrow and could accomplish even if it kills you … not something you are already good at or something that your body is already adapted/accustomed to … not something that ANYONE could do.  To name a few: register and pay for a body building competition, a triathlon, a challenging outdoor event like a 3-day adventure race, a trek carrying all your supplies in a pack on your back, an Ironman, a photo shoot that highlights the dramatic changes you’ve made.  Do something you’ve never done before and that nearly puts the fear of God in you … something you actually have to train for in order to accomplish.  PS:  there is a difference between “working out” and “training”!

And then begin.  Implement your Action Plan, your Follow Through.  Move beyond the Resolution and DO IT … Do GREAT THINGS.  GRAND THINGS.  Set your sights forward with no chance for an exit plan.  Rid yourself of a diffused-light kind of focus and become a clear, sharp, fiery hot Laser-Beam.  This is where the magic happens.  This is where resolutions become child’s play.  You’re running with the big dogs now!  You haven’t a second to waste on doubt, fear, the endless (and often viable) excuses that tell you, “Now’s not the right time”, “You may fail”, “You shouldn’t focus on yourself when so many other people need you”, “You may be too old for this”, “Don’t you know you have limitations?”, “You’ve tried before”, “You are too busy”, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.  Here’s a secret — it’s NEVER the right time (life is always gonna be hectic, busy, time-consumed.  Yes, you may fail but not getting back up is true failure because you’ve quit on yourself.  Focusing on something for YOU makes you a better someone for others.  Age is only a number — you can do ANYTHING you really want to do and set your mind to do.  EVERYONE has some kind of limitation.  Have you taken a look at the accomplishments of people with more severe limitations than you?  Perspective, people.  Perhaps you have tried before.  So what.  Try again.  And we are all busy.  We all lead lives that have time constraints.  You make time for the things you REALLY want.  It’s all evidence in your priorities and how you manage that busy-ness.

Be encouraged.  YOU CAN DO whatever you set your mind and heart to do.  You CAN!  March is the month where things start to unravel for the resolutioners.  I say, pick up your sword and head into battle, my friend.  Don’t become a statistic.  Become a legend.  You’ll be amazed at the Warrior Spirit that develops inside of you once you train yourself to go to battle with the things that hold you back year after year.  Grab hold of some deep seeded GRIT and head into battle — make waves — accomplish goals — become a DO-er — eyes, heart fixed — and FOLLOW THROUGH with every ounce of your being with a DO or DIE mentality.  You’ve got this!