By Cheryl Molenaar
I confess that I am not a person who enjoys working out. I tell myself that I’m practically allergic to it, and yet – I want to be healthy. Recently I took a personality profile test that even pointed to the fact that I really don’t enjoy a physical workout and that it’s not my natural choice to be physically active. It’s clear I would not make a good Olympic athlete or farmer. Upon seeing these results, I had the opportunity to use this information as yet another excuse not to make choices that will lead me to the life I want.
The life I want, includes being physically fit so that I can be present with my family, live a long, healthy life and make memories with those I love most.
This war in my head about exercise goes beyond logic and reason. My past experience as a nurse has informed me well on the incredible benefits that exercise can have on my body, mind and spirit. And yet, I still resist it. I can come up with a solid list of reasons why I choose not to exercise. This list turns into a voice that hinders me from obtaining the life I truly want.
Perspective informs progress.
There is always more than one perspective. My perspective may be right, realistic or reasonable to me, but if it leaves me stuck… then its time to find a new one!
Thankfully, I’m smart enough to access my own personal coach to help me uncover a motivating and inspiring perspective. One that resonates with my core values and will shift me into making choices that will move me forward and are in direct alignment with my dreams. This perspective can’t come from someone else who may love to exercise. It has to come from a deep place within me. Otherwise, I’m accessing someone else’s motivation that doesn’t resonate, and will only lead to a place of being stuck, unfilled and ultimately experiencing unrealized dreams.
We can’t grab someone else’s motivation and expect it to work. We have to find our own, resonant perspective.
We all face areas in our lives where we may “know the truth” or “know the right thing to do” and yet, still we don’t it. Each of us experience voices of defeat that try to stop us from achieving a goal or dream. It’s a voice of “stuck”. It feels limiting, shameful, disempowering, is full of excuses and leaves you feeling defeated. Logic is not the key when facing these voices. A resonant perspective is.
Resonant perspective only comes from a place deep within you and is directly connected to your unique core values. If you need to find a way out of your “stuck” place, get some help reconnecting with your core values. They always bring a fresh perspective and unlock the motivation needed to overcome and move forward.
This particular perspective about exercise has taken me a while to discover. Clearly the Internet is full of inspiration and motivation about the benefits of exercise. For me, this was not enough to create a powerful choice and subsequent action.
It all came down to this one word, this one inspiring perspective:
Untethered
un·teth·er-ed –
- not confined or restricted with a tether
- unbound- not restrained or tied down by bonds
tether
- restricting rope, chain, etc. by which an animal is tied to a particular spot.
- to tie or limit with, or as if with, a tether
I started to ask myself:
What if working out could be for a different kind of weight loss?
What if I could lose the weight of things that hold me down or keep me stuck?
The thought of letting go of everything that hinders me is extremely motivating for me. It leans into my value of growth and leadership. Letting go means I have more room for possibilities.
The truth is, I don’t always know how to let go and yet – if I don’t – I feel the same as if I’ve gained 20 lbs and can’t fit into my favourite clothes. I’m weighed down and heavy. I’m not who I want to be and I don’t feel comfortable in my own skin. Becoming untethered from all that I cannot control is a perspective that I REALLY wanted. It spoke of growth. I knew it would lead me to an inspiring life filled with freedom and could help me to see opportunities, that are otherwise unnoticed.
I began to imagine exercise as being a time to “let go of” or “detach from” all the things, worries, concerns and responsibilities that are tethered to me. I knew that for it to work, I had to include the perspective that I could let go, and let God.
Sounds cheesy, but to me it meant I was choosing to let go AND give it to a divine power greater than me. All of a sudden, I wanted to work out! This was the perspective I needed to get motivated and inspired. Now, as I exercise, I see it as an opportunity to set aside to LET GO. I listen to songs, or podcasts that remind me of who I want to be in the world and what I’m letting go of. It’s my time to release and become detached from anything that is tethering me to a place of dissonance and being stuck.
Now, exercise means letting go. The more I do it, the freer I am, the less internal weight I carry. I am untethered and in this open space, there is freedom to explore.
What is something that you’d love to become untethered to?
What if you could loosen the ropes and let it go?
In this moment, tap into what really matters to you.
What’s possible if you could just let go, if even for an hour?
Be Inspired,
Cheryl Molenaar, CPCC
Cheryl Molenaar is an inspiring, intuitive coactive coach who has a contagious passion to see people and organizations move forward and achieve personal and professional goals. She is an expert at helping others discover their unique strengths, identify obstacles and discover motivating strategies to achieve goals that matter. To find out more go to CherylMCoach.com or find her on Facebook