You Are Doing It

You ARE Doing It.

The wisdom of the doulas - nothing is expressed in potentiation.

Either something is. Or, we don’t mention it. There’s no “maybe.” There’s no “you can do it.” Not “it may be.”

Instead, you are doing it. Right now. This instant. You are doing your diet, your program, your religion. They may be productive or unproductive. But, you ARE doing it.

When people embark on fitness efforts, I find it counterproductive to talk in potentiation. Sure. Philosophically, you “can” do all kinds of things. Who cares? You ARE doing it.

As we spread out the perspective, we must also cast aside "bad week" or "good choices" and all the pats on the back or the guilt and shame. The past is passed. The future is coming. Now is all we have; and in the now you are doing it. There's no need to make up for anything. There's no need to feel bad about anything. There's no atonement needed in your program. You are doing right now the sum total of your in-the-now execution. There's no next week. There's no tomorrow. There's no first of the month. There's this instant.

This is critical skill in fitness success. Humans have a tendency to place themselves in an emotional state of reward or punishment that is disconnected from the present. They'll think about "time wasted" on making no progress, and then they throw away the current opportunities. Or they'll think about some future start date, some imaginary forthcoming week with perfect compliance, productive eating, daily workouts, no challenges. This thought is so exciting that people get a sense of accomplishment in the present. It's similar to how wearing a FitBit satisfies a psychological need to think you're doing something productive for health and fitness even as both worsen. Wearing a FitBit isn't DOING anything. What are you doing? Not later today. Not tomorrow morning. RIGHT NOW.

Yes. You "can" do anything. You "may" end up doing a lot. But right now you ARE doing it, whatever it is. For positive feedback or critical self-awareness, you ARE doing it.