The new years resolution

[Gem]

Hello

I assume many will have healthy resolutions, so begin a thread in which I hope to inspire the fortitude that is needed so that a resolution does not become a promise one makes, but later breaks.

In my own case, I would like to go back to the spiritual side of my life more, as the year 2017 has been so focused in my physical aspects. Previous to 2017, I did not train or particularly care for the diet, so I know what it is like to resolve, 'I must do something about my health and fitness' and actually do that in a long term sustainable way, as I continue to do.

We might think it is all will power. 'I will'. But we also know all the things we said 'I will' and then did not actually do. We speak of a goal. For example, 'I will lose 20 kg this year'. It is statistically improbable that it will actually happen, Most fail in such aspirations. But a small proportion of people do meet their fitness goals and sustain them for their lives long.

What is the real difference between the few who succeed in this regard and the majority who do not?

First lets examine the principle of free will by which we use will power to make things happen. If the motive is casual and weak, then the will won't work, so what we really speak of here is not will power, but the motivation behind it. This requires some inquiry as to what is the motivation? People will say things like 'I want to look better', 'I want to be fitter', 'I want to lose weight', 'I want to be stronger' and so forth and call it 'motivation', and OK, these articulate what is desired, the goal, but does it really address the motivation itself?

To me the difference is, the goal is something we imagine, we consider possible, and we could actually do. It's a desirable visualisation we could actually realise. However, having a goal is not motivation, so we can set that goal aside for now, the subject of anyone's resolution, and inquire, why do I want it, how badly do I want it, what is it that actually drives me? Where is the actual real life feeling of 'can do'?

I did some research, and the first Google page revealed a lot of psychological tricks, the usual pop culture stuff, and millions of people read this yet still don't maintain the program, and they end up less healthy, and also more defeated, after failing yet again. In real life it's not a trick. It's something coming from the depths. It's in the primal urge to move the mind in the first place, as 'motivate' means to make motive.

Basically, if you don't truly and really want it from the bottom of your heart, it ain't gun happen, and this begs the question, 'what is it that I want most deeply, what is my very purpose here, what makes my life meaningful, and how can I express that in actuality? Am I really, truly and fearlessly living my own truth?

For me, I will do what I already know I will do. It means, not that I have the will power to do what it takes, but it means I am willing to do it. This shift from wilfulness to willingness changes how we think about effort, because those with the will to do it, probably will not, but those who are truly willing... will.

We also see how will power is only a contradiction. 'I want the goal, but I don't want to take the necessary steps', so I force my will against myself to force myself to do it unwillingly.

Willingness, on the other hand, is more like, 'I want the goal. I know the steps. I am willing to take said steps' - and therein is a whole motion, without opposites.

This is no idealism, because things are not hard because of the will power required to do them; they are hard because will power is never enough. The difficulty is, it is harder than you'd think, and remaining willing when it gets tough is more like a 'surrender to' than a 'pushing against' it. There is a 'pushing through' involved, but not against yourself. Only against the obstacles of currently perceived limitations, and when you break that barrier, no part of you any longer considers stopping to an option. No part of you any longer wants what another part does not. The whole of you is single purposed and this is your real true expression in this life.

Then what we call a 'resolution' entails the actual resolve, and when we say 'I will' we also know 'I can'.

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by Gem

First lets examine the principle of free will by which we use will power to make things happen. If the motive is casual and weak, then the will won't work, so what we really speak of here is not will power, but the motivation behind it. This requires some inquiry as to what is the motivation? People will say things like 'I want to look better', 'I want to be fitter', 'I want to lose weight', 'I want to be stronger' and so forth and call it 'motivation', and OK, these articulate what is desired, the goal, but does it really address the motivation itself?

Happy New Year Gem. Yes, one needs will power, but as your mentioned above, even more so, one needs motivation and motivation, unlike will power, comes from a much deeper level of self-understanding. That applies to all kinds of health from physical, mental and spiritual.

I was lying on the couch in front of the warm fire place the other day, just lounging and thinking, then it hit me. If I don't get up off that couch and do something physical right then, it's likely the entire rest of my day will be spent in inactivity. I try to do some form of exercise every day, but some days it takes an inner voice to kick myself into gear. So I jump off the warm couch on a very frigid winter day and took myself to the basement to do a cardio work out on an elliptical. Got the ole endorphins going in my brain and felt really proud of myself afterwards and felt re-energized.

Today is the same situation. I sit here in front of the fire again on the computer and am about to kick myself off and go to the basement again and lift weights. It's all a part of maintaining my health were I'm at as time goes by minute by minute, day by day, year by year. Just have to stay healthy, strong and with a good cardiovascular system.

My new years resolution is to gut an unused living room and convert it into an art studio/music room/writing room. Took up the old carpet and now just have to finish the cement floor. I'm very excited about this new personal space.

Lastly, I want to meditate more and be more cognizant about volunteering to do things that I'm very uncomfortable with. Just want to return to a state of peacefulness and slow down time to what's happening in the moment, instead of constantly living in fear of some future event.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by blackraven

Happy New Year Gem. Yes, one needs will power, but as your mentioned above, even more so, one needs motivation and motivation, unlike will power, comes from a much deeper level of self-understanding. That applies to all kinds of health from physical, mental and spiritual.

Zakly. I know in the early year at my gym there will be many new faces, but only one or two of that number will be still training in June. Everyone has the same will power, but that force of will, like any other exertion, becomes tired and can't be sustained. The few who are still training in June have something else. A commitment, determination, diligence and patience - a love for the process, as it were. But where is it coming from? How is such resolve created, and what is its nature?

I was lying on the couch in front of the warm fire place the other day, just lounging and thinking, then it hit me. If I don't get up off that couch and do something physical right then, it's likely the entire rest of my day will be spent in inactivity. I try to do some form of exercise every day, but some days it takes an inner voice to kick myself into gear. So I jump off the warm couch on a very frigid winter day and took myself to the basement to do a cardio work out on an elliptical. Got the ole endorphins going in my brain and felt really proud of myself afterwards and felt re-energized.

Yes, there is always the easier option of not doing it, but question being not what is easiest, but what is for the best.

The truth is very plain. Sedentary lives are not the best for anyone - musculature is lost; body fat percentage increases in proportion to muscle mass; cardiac health wanes; posture and motor function dillapidates; proprioception, coordination and balance is lost; and extreme frailty is experienced in old age.

A person who was always active remains strong in their twilight years can be capable of incredible things. Check it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8m_qAmsDSQ

In the future there are optional self images, and considering these as consequences helps one to come to resolution on 'what is the best thing for me?'

It think it is inspiring, and one of biggest motivators is what others do. It is a good idea to follow people in social media (You Tube is my 'go-to') who are the same fitness as oneself, be it yoga, weights, athletics, parkour, calisthetics or whatever one might be into.

Today is the same situation. I sit here in front of the fire again on the computer and am about to kick myself off and go to the basement again and lift weights. It's all a part of maintaining my health were I'm at as time goes by minute by minute, day by day, year by year. Just have to stay healthy, strong and with a good cardiovascular system.

Indeed.

My new years resolution is to gut an unused living room and convert it into an art studio/music room/writing room. Took up the old carpet and now just have to finish the cement floor. I'm very excited about this new personal space.

That sounds fantastic, as a space presents possibility.

Lastly, I want to meditate more and be more cognizant about volunteering to do things that I'm very uncomfortable with. Just want to return to a state of peacefulness and slow down time to what's happening in the moment, instead of constantly living in fear of some future event.

Same here. I went into strength training and became quite lax with spiritual practice. I have been very casual with spirituality in the last year, and I want to get back to a routine of daily formal practice. Lately I have been thinking about taking retreat as well, and I'll try set that up for June of July.

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by Gem

Zakly. I know in the early year at my gym there will be many new faces, but only one or two of that number will be still training in June. Everyone has the same will power, but that force of will, like any other exertion, becomes tired and can't be sustained. The few who are still training in June have something else. A commitment, determination, diligence and patience - a love for the process, as it were. But where is it coming from? How is such resolve created, and what is its nature?

I don't have a good philosophical answer to as to where motivation, commitment, determination, diligence and patience come from. When it comes to working out, it's something that is second nature for me. I used to be a competitive gymnast in my teen years. That carried over to becoming a runner. Was into step aerobics for a long time. Anymore, I like to work out at home and that seems to work.

Motivation? I don't want to speed up the aging process by getting osteoporosis from not doing strength training or develop heart disease due to lack of cardiovascular activity. I'm careful with what food I put in my mouth too because I don't want to end up a fat woman in my elder years like my parents, not being able to walk because my knees are shot from carrying around too much weight.

Another motivation is feeling like I'm a lazy person if I don't work out every day. That laziness if left unchecked also turns into boredom and depression. So I keep my routines going strong.

There's a cool saying I've put on a thread before:
"If you think exercise isn't working, just stop and see what happens."

I like to run that one through my head a lot. It's sort of an affirmation.

Thanks for the video.

Truth is that one can have a much healthier existence in elder years depending on what they do in their daily routine now.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by blackraven

I don't have a good philosophical answer to as to where motivation, commitment, determination, diligence and patience come from. When it comes to working out, it's something that is second nature for me. I used to be a competitive gymnast in my teen years.

That's fantastic. And yes the journey of one who was always athletic is different from one who wasn't. Life long athletes would find it hard to conceive what it is to 'turn it all around' in a physical way. However, this does imply that the 'psychological profile' of an athlete is at the core of sustainable exercise. To a such characterised psychology, it is 'second nature', as you say.

That carried over to becoming a runner. Was into step aerobics for a long time. Anymore, I like to work out at home and that seems to work.

Motivation? I don't want to speed up the aging process by getting osteoporosis from not doing strength training or develop heart disease due to lack of cardiovascular activity. I'm careful with what food I put in my mouth too because I don't want to end up a fat woman in my elder years like my parents, not being able to walk because my knees are shot from carrying around too much weight.

Indeed, those images are not a desirable destiny, so this is the aversion side of motivation.

Another motivation is feeling like I'm a lazy person if I don't work out every day. That laziness if left unchecked also turns into boredom and depression. So I keep my routines going strong.

Oh absolutely. Laziness, boredom, depression all go together, and again, such unwanted states of mind represent the aversion side, that 'don't want' side of the motivation dynamic.

There's a cool saying I've put on a thread before:
"If you think exercise isn't working, just stop and see what happens."

I like to run that one through my head a lot. It's sort of an affirmation.

Yes, that's a good saying.

Thanks for the video.

Truth is that one can have a much healthier existence in elder years depending on what they do in their daily routine now.

Indeed, the alternate vision of future image. The first image is fat, lazy, weak boned and frail, unable to function properly, and otherwise degenerating. The alternative image healthy, strong, agile, and vital. These self images represent the possible consequences of which path we may take. The motivation is in the opposed duals of the adverse side and the desired side. One has to really hate the adverse image and really be greedy for the desired image, as the dynamic tension between aversion and desire is motivation.

In my case, as a sedentary person, I imagined where I was headed if I kept going the way I was, degeneration into fatness and frailty, and I imagined the alternative strong and vital me as well. I truly hated the former idea, and the latter idea of myself was so very desirable - and that opposed force between the image I hated and the image I loved completed both halves of my motivation.

That's when I actually did something to turn it all around.

The next stage was cultivating the psychological profile of an athlete... but I won't go there today.

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by Gem

That's fantastic. And yes the journey of one who was always athletic is different from one who wasn't. Life long athletes would find it hard to conceive what it is to 'turn it all around' in a physical way. However, this does imply that the 'psychological profile' of an athlete is at the core of sustainable exercise. To a such characterised psychology, it is 'second nature', as you say.


Indeed, those images are not a desirable destiny, so this is the aversion side of motivation.


Oh absolutely. Laziness, boredom, depression all go together, and again, such unwanted states of mind represent the aversion side, that 'don't want' side of the motivation dynamic.


Yes, that's a good saying.


Indeed, the alternate vision of future image. The first image is fat, lazy, weak boned and frail, unable to function properly, and otherwise degenerating. The alternative image healthy, strong, agile, and vital. These self images represent the possible consequences of which path we may take. The motivation is in the opposed duals of the adverse side and the desired side. One has to really hate the adverse image and really be greedy for the desired image, as the dynamic tension between aversion and desire is motivation.

In my case, as a sedentary person, I imagined where I was headed if I kept going the way I was, degeneration into fatness and frailty, and I imagined the alternative strong and vital me as well. I truly hated the former idea, and the latter idea of myself was so very desirable - and that opposed force between the image I hated and the image I loved completed both halves of my motivation.

That's when I actually did something to turn it all around.

The next stage was cultivating the psychological profile of an athlete... but I won't go there today.

I've got to say that I've never really broken it all down into a psychological profile of an athlete or non-athlete. Just never really thought of it, but to listen to it from another person's perspective, it makes sense. One can condition him or herself through routine and habits that are developed either early in life and carried throughout or later in life to turn things around.

I admire those that work so hard to overcome inertia, especially when work outs like weight training are something entirely new to the body. No easy feat. It's always easier to go jump on a cardio machine than to hit the weights, to me anyway.

Or when I see a new runner struggling outside in the cold to run in hopes of transforming their body. The effort put into it and the motivation, though very uniquely personal, feels universal and is motivating to others that tell themselves they can't do it.

Pushing the body physically and seeing the changes is not only rewarding, it's life changing, maybe even life saving.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by blackraven

I've got to say that I've never really broken it all down into a psychological profile of an athlete or non-athlete. Just never really thought of it, but to listen to it from another person's perspective, it makes sense. One can condition him or herself through routine and habits that are developed either early in life and carried throughout or later in life to turn things around.

Yes if someone has always been active and athletic they wouldn't know what is is like to turn things around and go through the psychological change that makes them turn into an athlete. I went through that change and I paid attention to the process along the way.

I admire those that work so hard to overcome inertia, especially when work outs like weight training are something entirely new to the body. No easy feat. It's always easier to go jump on a cardio machine than to hit the weights, to me anyway.

Now I train because I'm the kind of person who trains. So I think about tomorrows workout without second thoughts like , that's just what I do. It's part of who I am now.

Or when I see an obese person struggling outside in the cold to run in hopes of transforming their body. The effort put into it and the motivation, though very uniquely personal, feels universal and is motivating to others that tell themselves they can't do it.

True. I admire the really weak guys who join the gym and the huge overweight people who take on a personal trainer. I can remember being the weakest bloke at the gym myself just 18 months ago, but I stuck to the program, and it changed my life, as now I become qualified as a fitness professional.

Pushing the body physically and seeing the changes is not only rewarding, it's life changing, maybe even life saving.

Very true. My life is completely transformed since I started training.

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by Gem

I can remember being the weakest bloke at the gym myself just 18 months ago, but I stuck to the program, and it changed my life, as now I become qualified as a fitness professional.

Congratulations on becoming a fitness professional and in transforming that which wasn't desired prior to the journey. It's people who have walked the walk of transformation that can inspire, motivate and train others.

Sounds like a whole new lifestyle has emerged from the depths of your being.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by blackraven

Congratulations on becoming a fitness professional and in transforming that which wasn't desired prior to the journey. It's people who have walked the walk of transformation that can inspire, motivate and train others.

Sounds like a whole new lifestyle has emerged from the depths of your being.

After reading this, and all this nattering on motivation, I came across this quote while reading Nisargadatta

When you desire the common good, the whole world de-sires with you. Make humanity's desire your own and work for it. There you cannot fail,

[Alice_1]

When I promise myself anything - I do so, as I respect myself and my decisions.