After having a tough week last week I have been experiencing something that I think many people experience when the motivation of the initial couple of weeks has started to wain and that is apathy. I was still doing what needed to be done but was not going above and beyond that and when you have big goals to reach you need be doing everything you can to get there, not just the bare minimum.
I have seen this dozens of times before when people have had a bad week, and by a bad week I do not mean they have missed training or not eaten well I mean that life has thrown them a lot to deal with and they are, understandably, having a hard time focusing on their goal. At this time they start to coast. Workouts still get done, but effort is down. Most of the time they eat well but more treats creep in and there is no desire to go the extra mile so they might cook less, food prep less and do not walk as much or take the stairs as often. When someone is fully focused and motivated all these small extras really add up and ensure they are successful. The same applies in business, there is a level of effort required to run the business and keep it going and another level to make it thrive and exciting to be a part of. I pride myself in always putting in the extra effort with everything I apply myself to, but after last week this was more difficult than usual.
I definitely think tiredness played the biggest part in this as the lack of sleep just left me so drained, but I would lying if I said I didn’t also feel the weight (no pun intended) of the task I faced. Running a business, even one you absolutely love, can be incredibly daunting. The stresses are completely different to having a job, no better or worse, just different. Being your own boss, working your own hours and following your passion are all the major plus points but there are pressures in being completely self sufficient financially and also not having many people to lean on when you need it. Giulio coming into the business has definitely helped because I now do have someone to discuss things with and to help shoulder the stress, but we are now more financially dependent on the business than ever before.
Aside from just the financial side of things there is also just more to do. Every week we come up with new and exciting ideas for The 4321 Method which is incredible and proves that two heads are always better than one but the pressure of trying to fit all that in can, at times, be overwhelming. This is exactly the same as weight loss or fitness goals. It is easy at the beginning because you are excited about making these changes but when you start to see how much hard work it is going to be every single week the initial drive and motivation can start to wear off. That doesn’t necessarily mean you give up but the effort level is no longer at 100%.
However, if there is one thing I have learned over the last 8 years it is that everything you want to achieve in life needs to be given 100%. I have reached all my fitness goals because I put in the work and now it is essential that I apply that to the other areas of my life where I want similar success. Giving 100% doesn’t mean you have no days off and no bad days or weeks, that is all part of life and part of the process, it is about staying focused, working hard and going that extra mile every week. So I might have had a bad week last week and did the bare minimum to get through it, but this week I have been back to full strength, focused, driven and motivated to succeed. How did I do it? I remembered the main objective, the ‘why’, the reason behind me putting in all this hard work.
The ‘why’ is personal to everyone but you have to know yours and it has to be important enough to motivate you on the days when you need it. Without it, the hard work doesn’t seem worth it and you certainly won’t go the extra mile. So if you have had a bad week, focus on the main objective, the main reason you got started and that will help you get back to putting in 100%.
Fit Bird
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