Why is it that so often, when we launch off in pursuit of a goal or dream, we never reach it? Well, there are probably lots of reasons, excuses and justifications we could come up with, but there is really just one. We could possibly blame not having enough time, the Coronavirus, not being good enough or the weather. Maybe, we could get to the point where we justify why we didn’t really want to achieve it in the first place, and just accept where we are and what we have. But, honestly, are any of those the truth?
In my podcast this week, I talk to an incredibly inspiring man, Fernando Parnes, co-founder and CEO of BestBeing, a global wellness app. In our conversation, he describes beautifully the one key factor crucial to the achievement of any goal. In his situation, and he discusses this in great detail with me on the podcast, he found himself, a few short years ago, morbidly obese. When I say morbidly obese, he weighed over 450 lbs, which for the metric-minded people, is around 205 kgs. I won’t discuss how he found himself at that weight, you’ll need to listen to the podcast to find that out, but what I will tell you is, that just a year or so later, he had lost more than 230 lbs (105 kgs).
I weigh 85kg, and for me that is heavy. I find it hard to comprehend, losing ‘me’ plus another 20kg! In our conversation, we discussed a lot of the things he did to bring about this life changing transformation, but the one thing he said, on a repeated basis, was that to be able to lose the weight and be a healthy person, he had to think and believe he was a healthy person, before he even started. Okay, that’s a tough gig I’m thinking. Can you imagine, looking in the mirror to see a 450 lb body, then believing and affirming that the body you are looking at is already lean and healthy? It was hard, but it was the key for Fernando to do what he needed to do.
By truly believing he was already a healthy person, it was easier for him to do the things that a healthy person did, in terms of thinking, eating and movement. It was this mindset, coupled with the actions he took as a result that enabled him to get the extraordinary result he achieved. I don’t know about you, but that inspired me beyond belief. I have a goal right now, and it’s going to take work, focus and inconvenience. After speaking with Fernando, I know that the key to me making it happen is to start today, knowing and believing that I am that person who has already achieved it. This the hardest work associated with any aspiration.
Why is it so hard? Because it possibly flies in the face of what you may deep down believe about yourself, your potential and your ability to achieve the result. The work required is in reprogramming your thinking. This happens through positive affirmation and visualisation, listening to and reading the right stuff, associating with people who encourage, support and stretch you, and, daily action. But honestly, if the vision is clear, the thinking is right, your belief is positive and your desire is strong, the action bit is really just ‘a walk in the park.’
As you’ve been reading this and reflecting on a goal or aspiration you are currently working towards, ask yourself this; do I believe I am the person who has achieved this goal, right now? Unless you think and believe you are that person already, it will be much harder to consistently do the things you need to do to turn your dream into a reality. I am here to tell you that I believe you are good enough. I truly do. But, what I think and believe doesn’t matter, The only thing that matters is that, right now, you start believing you are already the person who has the achieved what it is you are after. You are good enough. Just believe it is done, and then get to work to make it happen.