Last week we discussed how unbelievably fulfilling it can be when “time” is your friend.
With the passing of time your life would improve and you would trust that your actions, as well as the actions you do not take, are leading you in the direction you please. Today we will instead examine it from the perspective of “time as my enemy” and the pitfalls associated with such a perspective.
If something needs to happen in the very short term, we are often ready to trade the long term to get it. Second, we are less likely to stick to a short term goal when that strategy of repeated behavior only pays off in the long haul.
Let me give you a sticky example by painting a scenario.
A scenario, for you.
You want to get stronger. You envision yourself pulling that one arm chin-up, running that 6 minute mile, or squatting the 400lbs. Hell, maybe its just losing 15lbs.
For any of these to truly happen any experienced teacher will tell you the same thing. Perform a set of behaviors such as proper nutrition, sleep hygiene, and consistent and sustainable training for a long period of time.
But what if I need to be jacked, last week?
Well now time is my mortal foe. I will now sacrifice anything to have my desire.
Name the “hack” and someone is trying it. Unsustainable 3x/day CrossFit workouts, crazy caloric restriction or crazier bingeing behavior, supplements that don’t do shit – but make you shit, and more.
Sometimes results are impressive short term, but don’t forget what we discussed earlier. There is always a long term price to pay. So, it is recognizable that these short term trade-offs usually stem from an internal fear or insecurity that will manifest itself AGAINST time. Well…because how could you continue another second living in this version of yourself?
In contrast, we can develop a sustainable practice over a long period of time, where it eventually becomes easy to do the hard things & the results become more sticky as you age in your training.
So, what sounds better to you?
Time as your friend – aging like a fine wine regardless of the outcome?
Time as your foe – playing a game against time…one that has, dare I say…never been won?
Let me know what you think!