As many of you are already aware, this is not my first installment of 'Philosophy On The Go...'. I have had previous posts before about different topics that run through my mind whether they be brief or over an extended period of time. I was actually saddened when I looked back at my old posts because I have not written one for a very long time. This is undoubtedly because of my preoccupation with my training regiment for my Iron Man competitions, working full time, and experiencing everything else that a working class life has to offer.
Now most of these posts are intended to be neutral in their tones and approach. Although there may be a sense of frustration on behalf of the writer to the reader, I assure you that whatever emotional undertones that may or may not be detected are strictly within the realm of the ideas under discussion and are in no way taken personally by me and I hope that you, the reader, do not take any of these topics personally either.
With the way my recent life has been progressing, I've been surrounded by the issue of commitment and the fear of it. More specifically I've been dealing with people who are afraid to commit to themselves. It doesn't come as a surprise to me even though I have only worked in the health industry for a brief period of time that I have already encountered so many people who throw out countless excuses as to why they are unable to stay active or lead a healthier lifestyle. When that one person walks into that gym and sits down, they have all the intention to join because they know full well the benefits of a healthier and more active lifestyle. Now although the gym is not the only route to wellness and fitness, it is probably the most common. The odd thing I find is the type of person who comes in with the intent to commit to themselves and their own personal fitness goals but then decide to fill their heads with various thoughts of self doubt. Now don't get me wrong, the gym industry has never been the most credible industry, but let's be honest - very few industries are as honest as some people would believe. Many have this presumption that gyms are the same as say used car salesmen, or politicians; just full of shit...
Now if that person sat down in front of me and said that was their main concern, I would have no problem with it. This is because it shows that they aren't afraid of committing to themselves, they're hesitant because they don't want to be scammed (which is perfectly fine). I would rather those type of people say that then feed me a bunch of shit like "ooh I don't like my gyms having carpet" or "Why do I have to do a physical assessment to get my card!? This is preposterous!". The customer is sometimes just as full of shit...
And to stray off a little bit, this whole generation of "the customer is always right" mentality is probably one of the most dangerous thoughts we can implant in people today. Feeding into the self righteous, vain society that we already live in. Making people feel more important than they really are, that the world caters to their every whim and desire... it disgusts me how the privileged forget they are privileged. Just remember next time you walk into a restaurant or a store and the person helping you... use some patience and understanding. A Mr. Mike Hoehn once quoted another individual who said "the most dangerous thing we can tell our employees within a company is 'the customer is always right'... when in reality most of the time they are wrong..."
But back onto the topic of commitment, most people spend their entire lives sitting on the fence. Few people ever want to commit to something completely because they don't want to fail. They want a safety net, a way out. Most people's skewed perception of the health industry is so mind boggling, I don't know if I can explain it. People will nod and agree usually that a healthy active lifestyle ought to be something we should strive for on a daily basis for our entire lifetime. Now that is completely fine so far. Then suddenly they look at a membership and are bewildered when they find out that a gym membership may last for a year! What a lot of people may respond with is yea, but a lot can happen in that year such as relocation, vacation, etc. which is fine. Gyms are reasonable organizations who understand this - after all, lawyers are the ones who draft up these membership agreements. Most gyms accommodate for such events.
Now even after this, people still want to "think about it" which is my ALL TIME favourite sentence that basically says "I'm out of here". And I ask, what is there to really think about? Commitment takes a lot of time and effort, I understand that. But most things we have no problem committing to. Not even a second thought would be given. For example, things like post secondary education, getting a job, then a family, raising kids, paying for their schooling, cell phone plans, internet, cable, coffee, shoes, clothes, etc etc. And I get that each of us have our own priorities and personal things we need to deal with. We ALL do. Not taking the time out of the day to maintain your health just means that you won't be able to do the things you are trying to do now. How can you play soccer with your kids if you run out of breath every 10 seconds. Maintaining a strong healthy lifestyle will most certainly reduce the amount of days you feel sick or groggy. The benefits are immense. And the investment of it doesn't have to be more than 30 minutes a day. That's it. The average Canadian sits around and does nothing or watches TV for more than that. So if any of these excuses are ones you would use, I think it's time to get yourself off that couch and commit to yourself rather than laziness.
Although this little thought was mainly geared towards health, I am in no way limiting to just health and fitness. I am attempting to relate this type of human behaviour to other things as well. The reason why there aren't many success stories is strictly because there are so few people willing to work hard, willing to give up a part of themselves to something they truly believe in. I used to think in my younger days it is because the "system" keeps people down. That the system is built to keep most people poor and allow only a few to trickle through. But you know what, although that may still be partly true, I think now that the bigger reason isn't that the people can't succeed because of unbeatable odds, but rather because most people are content with just getting by. They're happy to go to their jobs that just pays the bills and their kids schooling, their little toys and furniture and whatever little trinkets they amuse themselves with. But then they bitch when you ask them whether or not they think social inequities exist and how it is unfavourable towards them.
"To maximize your results, minimize the excuses" - Zacchaeus Chan
___
