RUNNING FROM THE BEAR

When you’re running from a bear, you don’t have to run fastest.

All you have to do is run a little bit faster than than the slowest person.

In other words, when you’re improving your health, nutrition and fitness habits and choices, you never have to be “perfect”.

You just have to be a little bit better, consistently.

Most people start from 100% (i.e. perfect) and work backwards. So everything is always less than 100%.

Most diets promising quick results are based on you moving from your current level to 100% immediately. That’s why they fail in 95% of cases.

Now consider your worst case scenario. What would it mean to you to be at 0% health, 0% nutrition and 0% fitness. Compare this 0% to your current level. If, for instance, 0% health is being dead, then even if you’ve got a raging stomach flu today, you’ve gotta be at least 50% healthy.

See how much better things look immediately when you start from the worst case scenario?

Now keep playing the game.

𝟏. Start from 0%.

𝟐. See how much better than 0% you are right now.

𝟑. Think about what would make you just 1% better today.

Progress, not perfection

Consider two options.

Option1: Making yourself crazy for a week chasing 100% perfection, then burning out and giving up.

Option2: Trying to be 1% better every day for a full year.

Let’s do the math.

7 days x 100% effort +358 days x 0% effort = no change, or backsliding. You end up feeling like a failure.

365 days x 1% better every day = significant transformation. You end up feeling like a superstar.

Focus on “making a little progress” each day rather than being “perfect”.

Start from 0% and add. Notice your small accomplishments.

Let yourself be “good enough for now”. Take the pressure off. be patient.

Keep showing up. Keep trying.

And let the bear bite someone else in the butt.