Today I got my blue belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu. Oh happy day!
Attaining the rank of blue belt has been a goal of mine for some time now. Of course, as I joked at the academy, “Now the real work begins.”
My fat-loss clients are often at a loss once they reach their goals. No cheering crowd (unless you count me as a crowd), no ticker-tape parade, no fanfare.
“Well, now I’m skinny. Now what?”
Now the real work begins.
Now you have to start living in the identity of a “skinny person” instead of a “fat person”. Changing your mindset this way is much harder than you think. People you know may see and treat you differently. But most importantly, you have to treat yourself differently.
Ever heard of a lottery winner who spent all their winnings, or even worse, ended up in monumental debt? That’s because mentally they were still in the same place they were before all that money came into their life. Their brains decided that they needed to return to their identity – their own self-image – and so, it happened (with interest).
Mentally skipping over this step will cause at best, a backslide; at worst, elimination of all progress. It’s that important to address, whether you go from fat to skinny, skinny to jacked, frail to strong, or anything else.
Take ownership of your new self upon reaching your goals. If you don’t see yourself as “that person”, take the time to ask, “why not?” Hey, I’m available if you need to talk it over (of course, I’m not a professional therapist, but if need be I can point you in the right direction).
It’s going to be strange tying on that blue belt for the first time. But mentally, I’m ready (see previous post about flying triangle chokes – a decidedly non-beginner move). Be willing to accept the fruits of your hard labor – and the responsibilities.
Filed under: Fat Loss, The Mental Game
