I Declare War

How many times have you started the new year with high hopes, a list of things you want to accomplish and those cliche goals everyone seems to forget by the end of January? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for goal setting if your goals are realistic, well thought out, and you have a strong enough reason for accomplishing them. But let’s take a moment and go beyond goals and look at a completely different approach. Mindset!

Goals are to diet like mindset is to lifestyle. In 2019 I want you to Declare War on Yourself! You heard me right, I believe that the only way to truly love yourself is to declare war on yourself. You see we’re often our biggest obstacle and either set limits on what we can do or sabotage our success completely. We allow ourselves to fall into ruts, get lazy and let negativity enter our environment, causing us to resort to all kinds of excuses. So I want you to declare war against the person you don’t want to be in order to allow the person you’re meant to be, grow and flourish.

First, declare war on your thoughts. Our thoughts are extremely powerful and very underrated. We’ve heard the "hippy dippy die" crap about positive thinking but I have news for you. This positive thinking thing is a powerful tool that’s based on a lot of science. If we entertain negative thoughts like I”m not good enough, I’m not smart enough, I’m not strong enough, I’m too tired, I can’t do it, we’ll allow ourselves to take a ride to a place we don’t want to go. Jumping on that train can take you to Gossipville, Agryville, Depressionville, you name it. But if we nip those thoughts in the bum early enough, we can get off at the next stop and jump on the train going the other way, and you’re probably going to end up in Pleasantville. I know cheese right? In all seriousness though, our thoughts dictate our attitudes and actions and they’re very important. When trying to guide a horse, turning its head will guide the animal’s entire body, and our thoughts play a similar role. There are so many books that discuss the power of positive thought. Research shows that those who approach a problem or situation with a positive attitude are more likely to succeed than their counterparts when it comes to dealing with problem-solving and enduring hardship. I know this is easier said than done and life can be a bitch sometimes. However, if we make it a habit to take negative thoughts captive and forbid them from festering in our minds, we’re well on our way to winning.

Secondly, declare war on your words. Like thoughts, words are extremely powerful. They can build people up, or tear them down. Words can either build you up or throw you into a state of negativity, depression, and failure. When we verbalize things that lead us to the person we want to become and restrain ourselves from speaking words that we have no use for, we’re going to approach situations with confidence. Sometimes we feel like shit, and that’s ok, but we don’t have to verbalize that. If we get out of our own head and speak works that will build us up, and set us up for success, we’ve beaten the game.

Finally, declare war on your actions. You know the person you want to be, the person you were meant to be, so act like it. In North America, we spend over 150 hours on mindless things like social media, checking emails, online shopping, tv shows, you name it. Why? These things distract us from our shitty situations and allow us to get away from reality. They’re like little shots of dopamine we give ourselves throughout the day. Speaking of dopamine, this is the same reason we eat like shit or drink too much. Consuming high sugar products like chocolate and alcohol create a great release of dopamine, and it allows us to feel good for a moment. By making a habit of doing this, we inadvertently jump on the train that takes us to a place we don’t want to go, and we forget to get off. Hence, we fall into a rut where we eat like crap, not a give a shit and ignore our health. Everyone is different so nothing I can say will work for everyone. However, try doing a few things that will put you on the right train before you “treat” yourself with something that will give you this little dopamine release. For example, when you wake up, focus on eating a nice breakfast, or spend some time reflecting and being thankful for all the great things in your life, before checking how many likes your last post got. Hit the gym, and have a nice shake or a meal before heading to the fridge for a sugary treat. It’s the small consistent changes that make a world of difference. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at a company like Disney. Being lucky enough to have gone to Disney world as well as a Disney Cruise, I’ve noticed one important thing. The people at Disney are obsessed with the small details. The little things they do that makes your experience there a magical one. It’s something that’s difficult to explain in words but once you’re there you definitely notice it.

So start today and pay attention to your thoughts, watch what you say, especially to yourself, and chose to do the things that lead you to the person you want to become even when it’s tough. Getting into shape and losing weight is easy but you need to declare war on yourself first, take control of your life and make it happen. Try saying it out loud, I’m dead serious, remember, there is power in words. I DECLARE WAR!