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Todays show was inspired by a quote from Dave Kekich… it’s a perspective that reveals the power in dissatisfaction.

As much as comfort and satisfaction might be appealing in reality they each lead to: Complacency.

I’m rolling with the acronym format for todays show… lets call it: 11 signs of Complacency and what to do instead.

First though here’s that quote:

“The foundation of achievement is intense desire. The world’s highest achievers have the highest levels of dissatisfaction. The best way to build desire is to make resolute choices for the future.” (Kekich Credo #59)

Taking a look at a small scale example shows that the measure of your dissatisfaction and the fuel it gives you is completely subjective.

A few year ago when I used to stay with my parents for a week or so over Christmas I’d take full advantage of mum’s amazing home cooking. I’ll also routinely stalk the abundant pantry for those more’ish little trigger foods like roasted nuts of every variety that were always so well stocked and indulge in the exquisite deserts for which mum is basically famous… in Wellington and Noosa anyway!

The thing is I’d then struggle to fit into my jeans for the flight home to Sydney!

One week of indulgence seemed to vanquish the 6 days a week exercise I’d been so diligent – ok, obsessive with – all year.

Here’s the good news… although it was generally only 2-3 kilos squeezing me out of my jeans (because I do like very snug jeans!) the level of dissatisfaction I had with my body was HUGE.

I absolutely had intense desire to get back to where I felt most confident and congruent with my body. That, is your choice too. It doesn’t need to be 10 or 20 or more kilos over weight for you to feel a level of dissatisfaction that stirs you to action.

In fact, one of the traits that people who seem to maintain their personal ideal body shape have in common is it takes just a relatively small amount of pain to stir them to action. I regularly see this play out with my clients. 2-3 kilos can be as painful to one person as 20-30 is to another. The thing is when you let 2-3 kilos be your standard of “lets make some changes NOW” you’ve got a heap less work to do before you get to enjoy the result.

Onwards with, 11 signs of Complacency:

C.OMFORT. Satisfaction… a sense of security… even smugness. It’s also known as status quo… staying stuck within your comfort zone. You know. That’s when you think it’s fine to continue on with the 45 minutes steady state cardio you’ve been doing for months maybe years. The same old safe and comfortable routine.

Possibly even the same old boring yet just palatable calorie controlled meals you been forcing down for so long you struggle to remember when you ate an amazing meal…

O.VER CONFIDENCE. Now self certainty rocks however over confidence is when you get a little delusional about just how much work is involved in achieving and maintaining your goal. The typical Aussie “She’ll be right” attitude… perhaps it’s when you figure you’re going so well it’s fine to skip an exercise session or demolish that pub meal.

You’ll make up for it later in the week…

M.ODELLING AVERAGE. I’m not calling your friends average… however what if they have average results? You’re hanging with them regularly and it just becomes so natural – normal – AVERAGE to order what they’re ordering. To stay for that extra hour or two at the pub that means you’re going to find it super tough to get up for tomorrow scheduled exercise session.

And, remember you already have exercise catch-up from that session you over confidently skipped yesterday…

P.UTTING SHORT TERM SATISFACTION FIRST. You wake up early and briefly… long enough to pop a pill because your head is pounding – you really shouldn’t have stayed for that extra hour last night however right now all you can think about is resetting your alarm for the latest possible time to get you to work almost on time and rolling back over in bed.

There’s still 6 more days in the week to make your exercise catch-up happen…

L.ACK OF CONNECTION TO YOUR BIGGEST WHY. Why are you doing this anyway?

When you’re not super clear on your biggest why that wishy-washy-weight-loss-goal is swiftly going to be relegated to less of a priority than meeting your current work deadline. Even meeting your work colleagues for dinner and drinks after work. Certainly less of a priority than extra snooze time – again – after last nights impromptu night out.

Was there really a timeline to achieve that goal anyway? What difference does a few more weeks or months make?

A.LLOWING YOUR STANDARDS TO DROP. You’ve lost momentum. The standards you set for yourself initially – simple things like: Planning 3 nutritious meals a day / Exercising for 30 minutes a day / Getting 7 hours sleep a night …well they build on each other for better or worse. NOT doing one makes not doing the other so much more likely.

Planning todays meals and getting to the gym when you’ve barely had 5 hours sleep? Not so likely…

C.YCLE OF UN-MOTIVATION. It’a a vicious cycle of UN-motivation.

You know you’re in a cycle that’s building all the wrong sort of momentum. You’re disappointed in yourself. It’s uncomfortable to think about and you know it’s going to take a fair bit of work to turn that cycle back in your favour.

The easiest thing is to just not think about it…

E.CUSES. When that old goal pops into your mind you’ve always got an excuse… a reason as to why now is not the best time. Actually talking time that’s your primary reason.

Although here’s the brutal truth. Time is the most tedious, common-boring-over-used-results-ruining-fat-friending EXCUSEI hear. And I hear it daily.

The other brutal truth is we all have the same amount of time – so really the question is what and how we prioritise…

N.OT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY. The thing with responsibility is it can be either heavy, daunting and something to avoid.OR, it can mean Freedom and Control and the ability to make a change.

It’s always your choice.

C.ONVENIENCE. One you’re in complacent mode convenience is that slice of toast for breakfast… that skipped lunch & vending machine arvo snack. It’s takeout for dinner & most of all it’s a really easy habit to create & a somewhat challenging cycle to break.

However here’s the thing, these 11 signs of complacency are UN-fun to talk about let alone do! Let’s turn this show around and start to give you the great options.

Let’s get into solution mode. Time for actionable!

The fact is convenience does not need to mean the fake-food-processed-crap-o-la choice.

=> It can in contrast mean that omelette your put the ingredients together for last night as you made dinner.

=> it can also mean the grilled fish & salad you grab from that shop that’s an extra 60seconds walk past that cafe you used to go to for a bacon & egg roll.

=> it can absolutely mean the meals on mass you prepare on the weekend.

It always been possible however it did used to be harder. Now, every day the easy – convenient – great food choices are becoming more readily available & more affordable.

It’s a matter of what you look for though.

Y.IELDING. To give up. To drop out. To let go of all the good habits you’ve fought so hard to build…. that would be to resign to utter complacency and to YIELD.

You’re not cut out for that though. 

So, to get actionable today here are the 3 steps to fight complacency… Beyond of course committing to the opposite of every sign of complacency step:

Step one: Constant And Never-ending Improvement.

Or C.A.N.I. I think this is a Tony Robbins term. In short it’s just the notion that you’re always looking to get better. With food. With exercise. With mindset. With everything.

I don’t see this as overwhelming… Moreso, I see it as freeing. A relief. Because to commit to always getting better means admitting that you’re never trying to maintain perfect.

It’s always an evolving work in progress.

Step two: Keystone Habits.

I covered keystone habits in show #170. As mentioned in C.ycle of Unmotivation, the habits you chose will build in each other. So it’s important to Prioritise your personal keystone habits that have the most impact on your other positive habits.

Here are my 5:

One: 7-8 hours SLEEP.

Two: Plan and then consume NUTRITIOUS MEALS consisting of fibrous veg + quality lean protein + good fat and plenty of water.

Three: Incorporate at least 20-30 minutes of PHYSICAL ACTIVITY daily.

Four: PLAN your day to come the night before.

Five: Consciously practice GRATITUDE daily.

Step three: Respond Quickly To A Small Amount Of Pain.

I mentioned this at the top of the show. It’s pulling yourself into line before the task gets too daunting and it’s an approach common to everyone who just seems to stay in great shape effortlessly.

So, to be a little more specific regarding the time of the actionable I’d love to you pick the step that resonates most with you and to focus on it this week.

Thanks so much for hanging with me today. I appreciate it. I’ll be back on Wednesday with the weigh-in show and: Don’t Buy A Dog And Bark Yourself!

If you liked this you’ll also like: Why NOT Being Genetically Gifted Is A Weight Loss Advantage.

If you’re yet to share the Healthification love – just click here to zip over to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review. It’d help me out big time. With gratitude, Kate.