ENDURE: April 24, 2013

When You Have Exhausted All Possibilities, Remember This: You Haven’t.  Be Persistent!

Have you ever looked at the self-help section at the bookstore? It’s jammed packed with books aimed at improving your life. And the overwhelming theme - whether we want to lose weight, improve relationships, our performance at work, change careers, organize, etc. - is that to improve our lives, we need to embrace a positive attitude.

This is no secret, or miraculous discovery.  In everything we do and say, our approach to challenges, and the way we present ourselves to the world - most guru’s agree that the positivity of our attitude has a  major impact on our abilities to succeed.   BUT, who said being positive is always easy?

There are so many events in our lives that make it difficult to remain upbeat and looking on the brightside.  Does this story sound familiar?....Your plate is completely full and bam, the boss adds another helping of critical tasks? Or at home, when all is finally in order and wham, some monkey wrench presents itself and throws the world into disarray, sometimes causing physical, mental, or emotional pain and hardship....and no matter how much we try....it’s just not fair!  We’re all there at times, and it’s incredibly difficult..some may feel even impossible, to keep perspective and remain positive?  So what’s the answer?  Well, for many, including Pro-Activity Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Gina Strouse, who was recently charged by Pro-Activity’s own internal “geek squad” (we’ll let you guess who’s represented there) to read The Energy Bus as part of our first “Book Club”....all signs are pointing to PRACTICE..especially when it’s hard!

A little background....The Energy Bus is a refreshingly light story with some simple, yet applicable and powerful principles!  The main character in the book has so much negativity that he is essentially destroying all the good around him and life just doesn’t seem to be on his side.  Already facing an incredible amount of stress at work and home, the unthinkable happens...car trouble forces him to take the dreadful bus to work.  But unbeknownst to him, this bus, known as “The Energy Bus”, and bus driver “Joy” and her passengers help him see the light, teaching him easy ways to turn things around.  A fun and quick read for sure!  At least, so we thought.....

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“I had heard of this story through many of my colleagues and immediately rolled my eyes  It’s not that I wasn’t interested, but let’s just say my sarcastic side has this amazing ability to deflate the tires on silly metaphoric buses!  I decided I’d put off reading it (or actually listening to it while training for my upcoming Half Ironman Triathlon) until the very last minute.  And as I trudged through the workouts, I continually found myself  trying.... turning it on...knowing I should...turning it off....knowing I would (at a later date)...until it finally hit me....I HAD TO GIVE IT A CHANCE....I had to consciously (and sometimes verbally) tell myself to TRY....If I’m to learn, I must be open to it...to listen and comprehend rather than just hear....I had to challenge myself to open up...to push through negative thoughts...to come to terms with the ways my sarcasm has, for far too long, forced my mind closed on things where the value isn’t as initially apparent on the surface.  It was hard...actually, damn near impossible the first few times (judging by how many times I shut it off)....but deep within me, I wanted to learn....I wanted to take a step forward in establishing a more positive outlook...to eventually master the concepts....so I took a baby step, and tried again...and again....and again.  At Pro-Activity we talk a lot about the concepts of readiness, or ones stage of change in pursuit of a more fulfilling life, and in so many ways I could extrapolate my experiences with The Energy Bus to things I discuss with my clients seeking improved nutrition and fitness.  When I started, I understood that the Pros outweighed the Cons, although not clear by exactly how much...I was willing to experiment a bit and give the book and it’s concepts a shot...but only with consistent practice, even in the face of my sarcasm and its eager brother “negativity” have I been able to move forward, baby step by baby step with a more open and positive mindset.” - Gina

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Sometimes in life, we have to do something that we know will make us better, but because it’s different than our norm we’re quick to close down.  Interestingly however, according to some research conducted  by “behavioral change” experts, making some important changes in life, like quitting smoking, on average takes more than 6 attempts, while other research suggests forming new habits may take an average 66 days of consistent practice.   So, when you try to change your eating, exercise or study habits, or stop smoking, or attempt to incorporate something new into your life, or just change your attitude, know that it may not happen the first day or first few times you try. But, if we keep at it, accept that it is the right thing, ENDURE the time and possible failures it takes to get there, and  PRACTICE,  we CAN push forward and grow!

Thank you Gina for showing us another real-life example!

Always Believe,

~Joe G.