American swimmer Michael Phelps is an example of this. His trainer Bob Bowman has made him the best swimmer in the world by helping him acquire a set of strategic habits that have made him the most mentally powerful person in his field.
This did not require him to control all aspects of Phelps' life, but targeting specific habits unrelated to swimming, as well as matters related to the creation of the appropriate state of mind. Every night before bed and every morning after waking up, Phelps imagined himself jumping over the barrier and slowly swimming perfectly. He imagined the movements of his hands, the walls of the swimming pool, the movements of circumvention, the effect that his body leaves in the water, the water dripping from his lips, and his feeling when he took his hat off when the race ended.
During the exercises, Bowman would ask Phelps to swim at the speed of the race, telling him: "Turn on the video," and so Phelps would do his best. As he made his way in the water, he felt that it was very familiar and that he had done it before, and he knew very well what it looked like, as he had already embodied the movements of success.
Eventually all Bowman could say to Phelps before the race was: “Turn on the video,” and that was enough for Phelps to go on a pre-race warm-up routine, a long series of stretches, music, movements, imagination, and personality rituals that had nothing to do with swimming directly.
Phelps embodied success before going into the water even by practicing a specific routine that suits him.
As a life coach working with dozens of hard-pressed entrepreneurs, artists, and business addicts who risk their health every day for near-impossible success, I help these people to achieve radical changes in their lives related to their relationship to food.
No wonder so many of my clients are newly divorced, or are on their way to get divorced. We are often aware of our ability to change in times of adversity, yet I hear the most frequent phrase: “There is not enough time to take care of myself, support my family and my business, and deal with all the changes that are taking place.”
I'll tell you the story of a client of mine named Karen:
Karen's problem was that she couldn't have a healthy breakfast, the morning was a race for her, and she had a great sense of pride when she got to the office before her colleagues, as it was exciting for her. She knew there was a promotion waiting for her, and she would become an agent at the talent agency she's been working for three years.
She thought that her promotion opposed her having a healthy breakfast, which often led to a series of bad food choices that she regretted later. She often ended up, for example, eating biscuits that were easily available in the agency's lobby around 10 a.m. It was not usual for her, and her choices were not always as bad as eating biscuits, but it was repeated most of the mornings and was always an option that opposed her goals.
She actually tried everything, like making breakfast the night before, getting up early and eating at home, or bringing yogurt with her on the way to work- which she never liked - nothing seemed right and nothing worked until things changed completely.
Karen convinced herself that she could wait until lunchtime to eat because she had read an article about the health benefits of intermittent fasting. As a result of this and the enormous work pressure in the morning, Karen had come to the restricted belief that it was a dead end, hoping that fasting would be the right strategy.
However, a high-performing person like her needs a lot of mental energy, and she will surely fail in her quest to wait until lunchtime. She quickly ate a piece of cookie, so that she could return to hard work and feel bad about herself. She continues the hunger game during lunch and eats a bit of food in an attempt to "atone" for her previous mistake, which leads to her continuing in this unhealthy episode all day and every day.
I made breakfast a game for her:
When I thought about the motives, I came up with an idea. I made breakfast a game for her:
I asked her:
- “What time do others get to work?”
- “Eight o'clock in the morning.”
- “And what time do you get to the office?”
- “At half past seven or seven forty-five minutes.”
- “I have a challenge for you.”
Karen did not object to the preparation of food. The morning was the worst time of the day for her, but she was actually happy to stop by the grocery store in the evening and prepare a meal for herself.
And so I told her what I wanted to do, and I said:
- “Just before dinner, I want you to call and order breakfast for yourself. It should be delivered to the office at half past seven the next morning.”
- “This means I have to reach the office by about twenty past seven, which is earlier than I usually do, so I'm going to have to leave very early.”
- “Exactly.”
- “That's actually perfect, and that's how I'll always reach work before everyone else, no doubt.”
- “It’s true.”
- “It's great.”
Create a new positive routine:
What I did in this case was to identify Karen's underlying motivations and stimulations (timing), the obstacles she was getting in the way of (rushing to the office), and how to trigger a desire for a healthy breakfast (manipulating her race to the office).
I made sure to arrange the breakfast routine before Karen made dinner because I knew that her hunger and appetite for food in general would make her excited to order the next morning's food, but if she ordered it after dinner, she might become sluggish and feel full and lack the motivation to continue with this game.
When you order food the night before, you have already paid for it, and if you do not eat breakfast, it will be a waste of money. Ordering food ensures that its choice is healthy, so no more eating from the lobby stall.
The outline was set within a week. Karen was ordering a meal of fried eggs with avocado slices on top, tomato salad with basil, and a cup of plain coffee from a coffee shop near her office, which was a simple, healthy, and effective breakfast.
Note how important the sequencing of events is. If we understand the motives, behaviors, and routines, we can radically change our everyday experience, and in turn change our mindset, thinking patterns, and self-confidence.
Karen's new routine actually pushed her to go to sleep 30 minutes earlier, creating a new positive routine.
She also spent less time online and more time reading, and her morning was more mentally organized because she knew that the food was taken care of, which eased her anxiety. And at night when she made dinner, she used to prepare lunch for the next day if she did not have a meeting with a client.
Her satisfaction in knowing that she had secured breakfast freed her mentally and emotionally so that she could see things clearly and take action with enthusiasm. A few months later, Karen was promoted and given an increase of $50,000, and she is now working on one of the most important talent agencies in New York City.
Strength of commitment to a basic habit:
Karen's success shows the strength of commitment to a basic habit that leads to a series of small gains that bring about widespread change.
Just as Phelps' routine had nothing to do directly with swimming and success, and Karen’s routine had little to do with eating, motivating, and playing games. In fact, your efforts can intensify into changes that have nothing to do directly with dieting, but they do bring about a fundamental transformation that lasts all your life.
In conclusion:
Identifying and committing to a basic habit is something that I work on with all my clients. The basic habit is missing a piece of the puzzle that makes your whole life go right. It is the most important habit that must be adhered to because it is the start of a process that will change the way in which all things are done over time, and it is the main domino that will affect you throughout your life.
Success goes beyond food. You will see that your dietary decisions actually affect everything else, like your mindset, behaviors, habits, thinking patterns, stressors, motivations, daily and weekly routines, past relationship with food, diet, responsibilities, etc.
All your choices are linked, and the basic habit is like the first domino in a powerful chain of change, and it all depends on proper planning and preparation.
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