Ironman training week 10, and my mid-morning snack is a bowl of cucumbers and tomatoes. Would rather have a chocolate cookie, but then eating that won’t make my body tight. {{{ AAUGH }}}
During the past few days I didn’t feel like posting much. I needed to clear the clutter and to focus on the vision.
Compared to most, my problems are minimal: fogged up goggles, score muscles, lack of sleep, and PMS … Thankfully one sister talked me off the chocolate overload ledge.
Anyway, overload comes in many forms: training, food, relationships, work. Overload causes clutter, and I say, “Less is best.” Let’s purge. Let’s refocus. Let’s reduce stress.
Let’s prepare and enjoy life’s special, simple moments.
Last Friday’s swim.
The alarm sounded at 5 a.m. and instantly clutter spoke. It gave me many reasons to procrastinate. Thankfully my bathing suit sat on the night stand. Slid it on, went out the door, and finally jumped in the 25-meter pool at 6:45 a.m.
Throughout the first 30 laps clutter spoke about my poor form, my feet dragging, my goggles fogging. Clutter, it can be an insidious disease.
Then at lap 80 a burst of energy hit, and I felt powerful, motivated, and happy, blissful. Finally my mind saw the synergistic connection between simple goals and big goals. Swimming 2,500 meters 3x a week gets me to the finish line. As my bliss shot me past 110 laps, I felt like a shark aiming for food. Focused.
The point being …
Don’t let clutter cheat you from your dreams.
- If you say you’re going to learn how to swim, but only slither down a slip-n-slide then you’re cheating yourself.
- If you’re developing new business, yet you don’t make the needed cold calls, then you’re cheating yourself.
- If you want to eat healthier, yet you only eat fast food, then you’re cheating yourself.
We say “someday we’ll do this or that” while all along we watch others grow, thrive, build a quality driven life.
Well my friend … someday is today.
Be true to yourself.
That is one critical pillar for a healthy mind, body & business.
Most people who stay true to themselves deal with clutter – daily. With hand raised up, I stand at the front of that pack. Our goal is to become aware of the clutter. Understand why it’s speaking. Embrace it. Then use tools to manage it
Here are three tools I use, whether that’s training for Ironman or another seemingly impossible task.
1. Plan it out. Every Ironman training day is on my calendar.
2. Share the plan. Enable others to hold you accountable.
3. Don’t loose site of all goals, big and small.
In short, be aware of your mental clutter then do something to purge it from your system.
Always tri. Never stop.
Feature Image: New Evolution Design