What's In Your Head

I'm trying to wrap my head around my head.

Yeah, you read that right. Trying to wrap my HEAD around my HEAD.

We've talked many times before about how your brain is the most difficult muscle to train. To engage. To push. It talks you out of working out. It talks you into thinking you need to eat something bad for you when you don't. It convinces you that you can't do this, even when you know you can.

The truth is you have to exercise your head, too. You have to override it when it's giving you grief.

But I think there's more.

There seems to be a different mindset at different points in this process. We're going to talk about them.

The Psychology of Starting
Starting isn't about starting. It's about deciding to start. I think people wait for some diving intervention to happen indicating, "Today's the day." I think they expect some sign from God or the planets to align ... or maybe a star to appear in the night sky.

They have some list in their head of conditions that must be met before they can begin: Vacation must be over, work must calm down, kids' schedule must be manageable, house must be clean, shoes must be new, bills must be paid, laundry must be done ...

They're all just excuses. And you have to recognize that. It's like buying a house or having a baby, there's no perfect time.

But there is danger in waiting.

One less day to live your life happier on the other side. One day longer to get to where you want to go. One more day to feel like shit about your current condition.

Hard to argue that today's not a good time to start when you look at it like that.

Key Considerations:

• Convince yourself that you're worth the effort. 
• You don't have to have it all figured out today; you'll figure out some of it as you go.
• Prep yourself for the fact that it won't be a cake walk. 

To come: The Psychology of Losing, The Psychology of Maintaining, The Psychology of Gaining