What’s up goal crushers!
Lately my friends and family members have mentioned, it’s been a while since I wrote a blog post and when am I planning to write on. I’ll usually respond with, “Soon!” Something so ambiguous that gives me more time to put blogging off. Then the question became, “Why are you avoiding blogging if you like it so much?” As I sit with a blank stare nothing comes to mind…
There is this feeling of emptiness resonating with me. I’ve completed one of my biggest goals, something that less than 1% of the population has done (run a marathon). So why do I feel empty? Empty like a brand-new piggy bank, empty like a car with on “E”, just plain emptiness!
Which may sound crazy until you experience it yourself. I spent so much time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears working on this goal. Then when I completed it I didn’t know what to do. Face it I feel as lost as I did when I walked in that doctor’s office for the first time.
As a man I muddle through these thoughts and feeling looking to find some meaning of all of this… Meaning of this journey, meaning of this blog, and meaning of my career. Needless to say your boy has done some soul-searching.
Fast forward to last week when I went to a training on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Weight Loss ran by Dr. Jason Lillis. The basis of ACT is letting our valuables or beliefs be to compass of our behavior. One of the questions that I brought up during the training was why values? Values are not SMART, meaning values on not specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, nor timely.
His response was the problem with being goal driven is what do you do with them once you reach them? You lose 100 pounds now what? You run a marathon now what? You get a PhD now what? However, values are theoretically unattainable but you can always work to reach them.
Think of your values as a direction on a compass such as, east. Whenever you are doing a behavior that are consistent with your values you are going in the right direction. So you’re going east. However if you are doing something that goes against your values you’re going in opposite direction i.e. going west.
Values and goals work hand in hand. Since there could be an infinite number of goals that can be consistent with a certain value. Values become a goal generator.
Then it hit me I’ve been looking at this journey with the wrong lens. Everything has been based on single goals and as I complete them I feel emptier and emptier. However if I based my journey on set values, it wouldn’t matter what goal I accomplished as long as it is consistent with my values…
I don’t know about you all but the make total sense to me.
So I’ve lost over 70 pounds, ran a marathon and been on TV multiple times. As a steady approach my goal weight/ size the question I’m now asking myself: What are my core fitness values and how does that relate to 300 Pounds and Running?
I think it time to go to the drawing board and figure out my values…And just like that it’s needless to say that your boy is back in business! 🙂
Until next time!
