How to stop all or nothing thinking

One of the reasons why we can't stick with a diet is because we have an "all or nothing" mentality. In this post, I'm going to explore how to get over it.

We think...

"If I can't be "perfect" why bother?"

Soooo, we let one indulgence turn into a whole day (or weekend / week / month) of indulgences.

We love to play the old, "Well, I'll just start fresh tomorrow!" game.

Let's talk about the reason why us 'dieters' are notorious perfectionists.

If we understand why we are perfectionists, it'll be much easier to stop the behavior.

The common answer:  because we don't like to fail. So by creating unreasonable expectations it gives us an easy way out (aka a perfect rationalization) to stop taking action and quit the program before we can "fail".

But here's why most dieters really do this: because change is uncomfortable. That's also why most people never do actually change.

And by creating unreasonable expectations it gives us an easy way to remove that inevitable discomfort we're going to face. "Well, I messed up! So much for this plan! Too bad. I tried!" And onto the next diet of the month we go...

(This is why I'm such a big believer in accountability, support and having a system to monitor and track our progress. Because it makes the discomfort a lot more tolerable - or dare I say, comfortable. Yes, I'm biased. But I've seen what it can do first hand 1000's of times over.)

**

I have to admit it.

My name is Adam Gilbert, and I am a recovering perfectionist.

And being a perfectionist is not a good thing.

I still have tendencies but I'm getting better...I'm progressing.

Having the attitude of, "I ate really well all day but I just had something that's not MBT approved so now I'll eat unhealthy for the rest of the day," is playing the all or nothing game.

If we play the all or nothing game, we always end up with nothing. Every single time. It's why I don't like making absolute statements such as, "I'll never do xyz again!"

Instead, focus on doing xyz LESS.

There is no such thing as perfection...

There is only progress.

And that's what life is about. Moving forward, growing, and evolving.

In fact, being a perfectionist is a childlike way of living.

We are adults in control. We are more powerful than we think. (I know. I know. I sound like a corny motivational speaker but it's the truth.)

Being a perfectionist and having the "If I can't be perfect, why bother?" attitude suggests that the only position worth having in life is being the winner.

No one likes playing games with a sore loser.

So, if we can't be the winner, we shouldn't bother playing the game at all?

That is a childlike way of thinking. It means that any small improvements in our weight, shape, mobility, focus, energy, and breathing are unimportant.

It means that any changes in the way we think, react, and act around food don't count.

It means that any changes in the way we think about exercise don't matter.

No one created the body of their dreams overnight.

Day by day. Meal by meal. Workout by workout. Improvement by improvement. Choice by choice. Daily Feedback by Daily Feedback.

Progress. NOT perfection.

I repeat...

Let's aim for progress. NOT perfektchin.

Besides, chasing perfection is like chasing the wind. It's extremely futile. We're better off chasing progress.

Progress. Not perfktin! :)

-Adam

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