The Quick Fix

This might not be what you want to hear but there is no quick fix.  Period.  For pretty much any avenue in life.  And you know this! I know this, you know this, as a collective society we know this, yet we are always searching for it.  Looking for the easy way out, the path of least resistance, the “quick fix” to lose that 10 pounds, or make more money, or have less pain.  And the reality is that it all boils down to how much skin you are putting in the game. 

  Of course there are more helpful tools along the way.  Some little hacks and tips that might expedite a process, but there is no magic that is going to get you to your goal.  Only you are going to get you to your goal.

  I say this in a loving way, to remind and motivate you to reflect on some of the little things that you might have missed being caught up in the searching.  But also I say this as a reality check: what if all that energy you put into searching and waiting for this (non-existent) magic, you put into yourself.  You put into making the necessary shifts and started slowly putting in the real work that is going to get you to your goal.  

  This is what I do for people in pain.  I create the methods and support the work that needs to be done to explore and learn more about your body.  I take you from living in pain to moving with less pain.  But it doesn’t happen overnight- I wish it did! But seriously, I would be making a million dollars a day if that were the case, I would be waving that magic wand all over the place hoping to make the world a less painful place- but that (unfortunately) is not the reality.  Instead it is a tedious habit changing system that becomes a lifestyle.  

  When I talk about habit change, people often refer to the big things like smoking, or eating.  But I would argue that most things in your life are habits.  The way you walk, the way you pick something up, the way you shoulder check, these are just all little habits that your body has habituated over time.  And most of these are probably working well, but if you have chronic pain, or headaches, or discomfort then perhaps these movement pattern habits need to be addressed. 

  Now, we aren’t going to break down and re-pattern every little tiny micro-expression, but we can talk about the basics of habit change, and start to re-program some of your bodies bigger movment patterns, and then if you layer on some healthier gross motor movement patterns and activities tailored to your mind and bodies needs, you are off to the races! 

  One of the first places to start with habit change is recognizing what your problem or goals are.  And this may seem pretty simple, but you want to get a little deeper than “I want to live pain free” or “I want to lose 10 pounds”.  Let's think about the WHY here.  Make this more detailed and tangible.  I would invite you to grab a pen and paper or make a note in your phone and start making a list, or do a brain dump of some of these things.  What would change if you could be pain free? What would it mean to lose that 10 pounds? List the things that are limiting you currently, or the things that you want to do but can’t.  How does it change your life to achieve these things, for you, your family, setting an example for your children or other loved ones? See if you can get real and true with yourself to dive deep.  

Now if the above exercise brought you to a few different goals, you need to pick ONE.  When you are looking to change a habit, which overall transitions to lifestyle change, it is best to stick with one thing at a time.  You want to achieve some level of competency and mastery here before you continue on to the next thing.  That “21 day” rule is an absolute minimum.  I would encourage you to stay focused on one thing for 3 or more months.  And that might scare you.  But how long did it take you to build this habit or thing you want to change or redirect? Has it possibly been there your whole life? How can you expect something prevalent for the majority of your life to be fixed in a matter of DAYS.  It can’t. It takes time, consistency and dedication to persevere and make change.  

  And this is where we start to settle into the mindset and identity shifts that need to come along with making change, keeping change, and fighting for more change. 

I often think about how if you are not growing, you are staying stagnant.  And Stagnant is not where I want to be.  I want to be growing, evolving, changing, unlearning, relearning.  A stagnant life sounds like one of scarcity.  Besides, you can’t move towards a new goal or outcome by staying the same.

Once you have your one goal or habit change that you are ready to focus on, you can start to prepare yourself for the work.  Prep yourself for when those old habits or thoughts or feelings or movements want to show up.  Take that list of all your changes, and deep dive thoughts and circle the ones that are most important or resonate the most with the ONE habit you want to work towards.  Remember, to make this change, it doesn’t have to be a wild big difference, it can be a step towards a greater goal.  A great example is to walk more than 10 minutes daily.  I would also encourage you to make two other lists.  One of all the things that you think might prevent you from achieving the goal ie: time, money, commitment, a partner, discomfort, old thoughts and beliefs.  Then make a second list of all the ways that you CAN overcome these obstacles ie: do you need a coach? An accountability partner? Guided meditations? Lists, calendars, sticker charts, what is going to help you feel and notice success.  If you are unsure of this, think about what gives you motivation, or makes you feel important or successful in your current life, or even, what are your love languages? Verbal? Affection? Physical touch? The more you can know and be able to reflect upon these things, the higher chance you will have success to make lasting change.

  Now this is not sexy work.  It can often be hard, and often feel intangible at times.  But I invite you to start.  To commit to yourself.  And if you can stay committed to yourself, over time the intangible will become tangible.  You will begin to connect the dots.  Or other people in your life might start noticing the changes, they might see you putting in the work and watch you change and evolve towards what you truly want.