Day 59: Develop a Never Quit Mindset No Matter What the Cost...

I am often asked the question: “How are you doing this?" Simple... I never quit... Lately, I have been thinking quite a lot about the "No quit mindset" because to give advice when it is requested, it is better to have some logical, philosophical, and somewhat concrete answer rather than saying “I don’t know…” or giving some bullshit, meme generated answer that answers absolutely nothing…

Ever notice that some people, when pursuing their goal and they suddenly face difficulty, or have to put them on a temporary pause they end up quitting? That difficulty or pause becomes an obstacle that puts their goals out of reach for them…  While others, encountering similar circumstances, bounce back from their challenges, re-evaluate, or adjust their approach, stay motivated, and remain focused. The difference between these two types of people is all in their mindset.

For many of you reading, you have heard the expression so many times it has become a meaningless buzzword, but mindset isn’t just a word, mindset is everything. Mindset is not about your goals; It is about the commitment to those goals. Commitment means that your actions are now restricted, quitting cannot occur, or you have broken your vow. Commitment means that you are now obligated and barring circumstances beyond your control, your avenue of freedom is now limited to a singularity…  Perhaps that is why people refuse to commit to things like exercise, weight loss, stopping smoking, quitting alcohol or drugs, etc… 

Most people would rather “try” than commit… Trying gives us the choice to opt out… Maybe during the marriage ceremony we should change “I will” to “I’ll give it a try…” When we utter phrases like “I will try...” or “I will give it my best shot…” we have no concrete measure of those terms. Your “best shot” is tied to your emotional state but when you say “I will…” emotions are not part of the equation. When you commit and fail, there is no shame, when you try and fail, psychologically you will question your determination and will ask yourself “did I try hard enough?” People who refuse to quit are driven by commitment, not by their feelings. If you allow feelings to determine your actions, then motivation will be sporadic. When you feel good, you’re inspired; when you feel bad, uninspired. You can and will convince yourself that continuing is unimportant in the face of adversity… This is not the case with people with a never quit mindset. At times they may also feel like giving up, but they choose not to. Here’s why. They have made a pledge to stay the course, no matter what. Our feelings may not be consistent, but our commitment is. Consistent action with consistent commitment is what can set you apart from everyone else.

In order to maintain a never quit mindset, remember that commitments are far more powerful than goals. We have all set goals, faced resistance, and then decided to give up. I have plenty of goals, some met, some not, some attempted and some I haven’t found a way to commit to them with a solid plan… When we make a commitment, it is an unbreakable promise to ourselves that makes us find a way to succeed and we become emotionally connected to the outcome. We have all succeeded and gotten emotional about it… Failing without a valid cause leaves us unfulfilled with feelings of inadequacy, guilt and sometimes even anger. 

So how can we commit to a program of exercise, habit reduction, diet changes, or positive life changes and avoid failure? 

The next time you feel like quitting, try looking at it from a different perspective. Giving up will surely deny you a valuable learning opportunity. Whether you succeed or fail, you can learn and grow from both experiences. To clarify, if you fail with valid causes, maybe you misjudged some facets of the process and you can adjust and attempt again if you gave up or adjust and continue with a different approach. A never quit mindset doesn’t mean you won’t have to alter your plans to get where you want to go. The intelligent attitude means that you will fine-tune your approach and while the end result doesn’t change, your methods may. Be prepared to adjust… Say your workout is at 0600 and you miss it, don’t quit, exercise later, and learn to move things around…

The key to a no quit mindset and sustaining perseverance is staying focused on the rewards of never quitting, regardless of the circumstances. Your dreams and vision of what you can accomplish are too important for you to give up. When your path to success is clear and commitment to stay the course is rock solid, you’ll find a way to go from where you are to where you want to be. 

Resist thinking about a single setback in global terms. In other words, don’t believe that since you failed in one area, you are an overall failure and you should quit... Imagine dropping your fork during a meal and giving up on the meal… Imagine failing to provide a small need for your child and just giving them up for adoption… Ridiculous, right? So missing an exercise session or eating an unhealthy meal is no reason to stop pursuit of your main objective. This causes self-doubt, thoughts of quitting, and disabling self-pity. When you feel sorry for yourself, you tend to blame others or outside forces and overlook your own responsibility. Certainly, we all encounter difficulties that are not our fault, for which we’re not responsible. Regardless, all of us are responsible for our responses to life’s ups and downs. Embracing responsibility for our attitudes and actions is central to a never quit mindset. How you respond to your situations will determine the course of your life… This places the responsibility for success wholly on you, regardless of circumstances… Yes, there are reasons for dropping out of a race that cannot be overcome, but think of it this way, many of the reasons you choose to validate your dropping out have been overcome by others with a no quit mindset… Consider the stories of athletes who have been severely injured and return to play again. We can all excel if we just decide to…

Things work because they work... Sometimes when I don’t want to get up I do a countdown from ten and I get the fuck up… This allows me ten extra seconds to avoid my day but in the back of my mind, that ten is all there is… The countdown to get up doesn't fail because I don't let it fail... If it did, I wouldn't get up and that is so terrifying to me that I simply cannot let it happen...

So decide today that you won’t quit. Don’t let challenges or another person convince you that you can’t do it. To do something incredible, give yourself something incredible to do, and never give up…

Get to work…

The 90 Day Life Change Challenge Update… Up early... Had to do the "Countdown" again but I got up, exercised, meditated and I'm actually done a little early today... Feeling pretty damned good and looking forward to that evening Yoga tonight...

Love you like a middle aged Mom loves yoga pants… I will see you tomorrow for a kinda special day… Day 60 and 2/3 way home…

Today I took on another 72 Day Challenge with my buddy from work… Hey, she brought up a challenge and if you don’t know me by now… How could I resist? I get to add drinking a gallon of water every day, eliminating coffee completely and doing a 20 minute yoga class in the evening and it has to be outside… Are you kidding me? Of course I accept that challenge…

Letting this one go early… Have a beautiful day… You deserve it…