The Power of a Clear, Unequivocal Decision
I’m the kind of person who puts notes on their bathroom mirror.
I add new notes when I’m making an intentional shift in thinking or when an old wound needs a little attention.
I read these quotes every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed. Slowly but surely, I am training my brain to think in a specific, deliberate direction.
A few years back, I put the following quote on my bathroom mirror:
Make a clear, unequivocal decision.
I wanted to train myself to commit, to lock in.
I wanted my psyche to run full steam ahead, with no look-backs and no stops. No wondering if I was making a mistake.
I wanted to live in such a way that there was no way I could fail. I would work at such a pace and quantity that, of course, things were working.
“Make a clear, unequivocal decision” is now my mental battle cry, with “Just commit, it’ll work out” right behind it.
Six months ago, one of my coaches persuaded me to participate in an in-house lifting competition. You come in and attempt to break your own personal training records. What better way to test my mastery of the idea behind making a clear, unequivocal decision?
Yesterday, I attended my second event. I needed to demonstrate significant improvement in my records. Circumstances were far from perfect. I was recovering from a setback with my hip, and my RA was at its worst.
However, I HAD made a clear, unequivocal decision.
I had shown up to all of my coaching sessions and stuck with the plan. Did I have an anxious tummy all day until that final deadlift? Yes. Yes, I did, but I got the deadlift. Then I got another deadlift with 25 pounds more than I needed to reach my goal.
The best part? I experienced no pain for the rest of the day.
My body’s ability to recover has improved so much that the event six months ago took me three days to recover from. Yesterday’s event? I woke up this morning feeling ready to go, with no pain or soreness, just eager to tackle my day.
Today, I am grateful for my body and for my ability to make clear, unequivocal decisions. I’m thankful that I executed and that the goals for the event lived beyond a dream in my head.
Things like this are how I’ve overcome life frustrations. Instead of focusing on circumstances beyond my control, I lock into the factors that DO move the needle.
Not confident that you can realize a dream?
Practice something tolerable for one year and track your progress.
You will make progress if you commit to small, consistent actions.
They compound, every single time.
The homeless 18-year-old me would be so proud of the 35-year-old me.