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| "The Beast". Pickney Street, Beacon Hill, Boston, MA |
Take this with you today, Monday, the beginning of the work week, and carry it with you in your words in order to watch your thoughts and actions change. I get it that many of you, including myself, tend to slip up and say the words or phrases below thinking they do not have consequences, regarding the manner in which deeds are accomplished. But, it is increasingly important to be careful about the words you utter, how they are uttered, and who hears you utter them: think about your children, other children, other young relatives, individuals in vulnerable and difficult situations, and especially when you, a group, or a region of people are going through arduous times. In fact, limit these phrases and a difference will be made in how and in what you accomplish. Trust...I have uttered these phrases before, made a different word or phrase switch, and things changed exponentially and suddenly:
"I can't." Sure there are instances when saying "I can't" has a more relevant meaning: time, place, and position or distance. For example, "I can't physically be on the west coast at this time of day because I am on the east coast right now." Also, "I can't get to Costa Rica in five minutes because, for one, the airport is more than five minutes away." Got it? OK, cool. Too many times I hear folks utter this phrase when it comes to fitness or sports performance. And, neither one of those aspects have a time, place, or distance challenge when they are being performed, all injuries and ailments aside. Replace "I can't" with the following: "I can"..."I can try that"... "why do it?" and "why do it!"... "just do it."
"I suck." So, practice. Or, if you don't want to practice, then save it for later. Many people suck at pull-ups or suck at reaching a certain strength goal or repetition. I would not have them say that they suck because there are modifications for every exercise, especially for pull-ups or in reaching a desired repetition range during a set. "Suck it up" is different and usually is coupled with complaining. Replace "I suck" with the following: "I'm going to practice this skill"... "I need to learn"... "I can do this better"... "Is there another way?"..."I'll get it. Just give me time."
"I don't care." Yes, you do. "I don't care about my work...this assignment...losing weight...eating right...toning up and gaining more muscle..." You really do care. You probably have not had the right introduction or motivation to accomplishing a feat. The times when I have said, "I don't care," are when my attitude is poor towards the given goal or current situation. The late Maya Angelou once said, "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, then change your attitude." Replace "I don'tt care" with the following: "I care; I just need help in finding motivation/the reason for doing this/clarity/a break/rest/a change of scenery/a good and supportive team/etc"..."I hope"..."I'm helping someone else achieve a greater good"..."It's not about me"..."Music. I need music that inspires me?"
"I should have...would have...could have..." These phrases can imply guilt and excuses. They might not show up as phrases to limit or to avoid because they can be used in different contexts. But, in the type of context that includes a process for progress, they should be limited. For example, in fitness or sports performance: "I should have kept going with the routine you gave me. Now, I suck at everything." Also, in sports: "We could have won the game if it weren't for the refs, or if 'Mike' hadn't dropped the ball, or if we didn't call a timeout, or if.." Do you get the point? Replace the phrase with the following: "I'll do better next time"..."I'll look back at the problem areas. Analyze it. And, comeback or perform differently because yesterday is yesterday."
Folks, the term yesterday is a learning tool because things already happened.
That's enough of for now. There are more words and phrases to limit or to avoid. There are more replacement words and phrases to include. Take your work assignment or fitness and athletic goal with a new meaning and purpose.
With heart,
Derek
Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS, LTP www.teempt.com TEEM Performance Training, LLC
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