I met a lady who told me that every nutrition and fitness plan she began started out great. But within two weeks, all was forgotten.
The program was too overwhelming and she had gone back to her ways of eating processed foods, feeling low energy and depressed, and ignoring her gym membership. She actually had a gym membership for two years that she kept paying into because she was too embarrassed to go in and cancel it. Hanging onto it meant she could start and stop whenever she wanted -- this is what she told herself anyways and, mentally, this gave her a reason not to commit.
It quickly became apparent that her downward spiral after starting a new program wasn't about the program at all. It was all in her head. Literally. When you tell yourself you're going to fail, you will. If you tell yourself you're going to kick ass, you're going to kick ass. We can talk ourselves in and out of exercising, whether to have that second doughnut, and even stay in toxic relationships because 'I won't get anything better.'
When you stop and pay attention, how do you treat yourself? Compare how you treat your friends. Would you say or do things to your best friend that you say or do to yourself? It sounds pretty awful if you say it out loud and visualize your friend hearing this. That friendship would be over and done with. So why do you allow your own degrading words to cut you in half yet the thought of saying those same things to a friend is not even a consideration?
Your words will make or break you. I know myself, if I'm sick, I tell myself I'm not sick. I pop vitamins, avoid people, and carry on my day as if I'm perfectly healthy because in my mind, I am. Noticeably, I feel much better during the duration of the cold than if I were to lay in bed telling myself how sick I am, I can't move, I need help with everything, and when will this end?
The thoughts that go through your head when the alarm goes off either say 'I'm up and ready for the gym' or 'Not today,' followed by hitting the snooze button for another hour. Sometimes your body does need the extra rest but more often than not, what you're telling yourself dictates your success for the day.
Catch yourself
Here's a task: become hyper aware of your thoughts. The moment you need to make a decision, analyze it. Get curious as to why you made that decision. Why did you say that about yourself and why did you talk yourself into or out of doing something? When you target your mindset around situations it becomes crystal clear why you're failing or succeeding. The bucket you fill will overflow with success. Keep filling the bucket leading to success. Positive and motivating words become a habit, and that habit becomes success. Pretty soon, success is the only option.