First at foremost, I got the inspiration for this post from my FAVORITE email list James Clear.
You know those email lists that you don’t unsubscribe from, but you rarely open or them? This email list is the opposite of that. I always open it, sometimes read it twice and always have a practical takeaway or learn something valuable.
This week the email was about a different way of thinking/strategizing.
Inversion.
Our usual process involves thinking about how to solve a problem. But what if we identified how to fail, what those actions would be and avoided them at all costs.
With weight loss we often solely focus on adding certain behaviors into our routine. But what about focusing on cutting out behaviors that don’t align with our goals.
Negative self-talk, letting one poor snack throw off your whole day, skipping a whole workout when you could have done 30 minutes, not grocery shopping, etc.
Avoiding behaviors that lead to failure inevitably will point you in the direction of success.
One of my favorite questions I ask on my coaching initial questionnaire is, “What are your worst habits?” You could eat all the protein and vegetables in the world and crush every workout, but if you’re still overeating on weekends, under sleeping frequently or not planning ahead these downfalls might be enough to keep you from seeing results.
So if you’re tired of picking out a new diet plan and making a new strategy every week, try asking yourself, “What do I need to not do?” and think about your problem upside down.