We have a sign at the gym; you may have noticed it or walked past it for months without even noticing it. The sign reads, “You just did the hard part; we’ll take it from here.” It’s located next to the front entryway door handle. Showing up and walking into the gym is one of the hardest parts of working out.
If you never show up, you never give yourself the chance to accomplish your dream or goals. However, by not showing there is a 0% chance, you will take a step closer to achieving what you want.
Showing up is not easy; many things in our lives are battling for our attention, and one of the biggest hurdles is ourselves and the stories we tell ourselves. I know I am very good at talking myself out of doing something I want and need to do and instead overthink it till it’s too late.
3 Tips to Showing Up
Make an appointment: appointments are a commitment to another person; the pressure that someone else is expecting you goes a long way to showing up.
Pick a consistent time and day: consistency breeds habits and habits eventually happen automatically. Being consistent prevents overthinking.
Play a game: When I don’t want to show up for a workout, I play a game of “You Only Have To,” I say to myself. “You only have to work out for 15 minutes; you can work out for 15 minutes.” A lot of times, once I am working out, that 15 minutes turns into a great 45 minutes workout.
Next time you don’t want to show up, try one of these tips; the third one is my favorite.
Your Fitness Sherpa,
Josh
