You’ve heard it before, right?
The ‘why’ vs. ‘why not’ mentality. I’ll briefly explain; there are the people who are too busy asking ‘why?’, they never do anything, and then there are the people who don’t give a crap and just go for it…and say ‘why not?’.
Everyone wants to be the ‘why not?’ guy, but most people are, in fact, the ‘why?’ guy. I’ll tell you upfront this isn’t some feel-good post that is telling to be the ‘why not?’ guy. This is not some random article telling you to swing for the fences, or to shoot for the stars.
Nope.
I’m afraid if I told you to swing for the fencesyou’d miss. It is the guy who practiced his swing for hours on end everyday, who, when given the opportunity to swing for the fences, and doeshe knocks it out of the freaking park.
If I told you to shoot for the starsyou’d probably, at best, make it to your rooftop. It is the girl who studied her butt off, got the doctoral degree that landed her the job with NASAand now, no crap, she sits on a space station as close to a star as you can get.
So I say, don’t be a ‘why?’ or ‘why not?’ guy. I say, don’t pick! Actually, I say be both!
My story
Have you ever decided you were going to follow a specific program, but then you started to analyze every aspect of it so much, that you don’t end up following anything?
Or, have you jumped head first into a program, with little understanding of the full program, so you do not end up completing all of it?
I am guilty of both. As a coach and programmer, I will often program for myself, then I start to over-analyze my programming in the middle of a workoutam I getting enough XYZ? Did I take this into account? What if I add this?
It’s a plague really
But, I have also done the otherI have been so ready to try something new that I jump in head first. Little did I know I don’t really like the program, I don’t agree with the programming or how it worksand I am in week 2 of 13
Really, all this does, is leave me with 70% of the results I could have achieved if I would have, in either case, just shut up and done the work.
Things don’t need to be perfect, they just need to be done.
That’s why I try to be the ‘why?’ AND ‘why not?’ guy.
Understanding the ‘Why?’
Why is an extremely important question. That’s why, no pun intended, I hate it when people say they want to be a ‘why not?’ type of person.
Why is only a problem when you get so caught up in making a the perfect decision that you become paralyzed and do, well, nothing at all. ‘Why’ is that smart version of you that asks, in a realist type of way, ‘why should I do this?’.
They why is important. You have to understand the why in it’s entirety before you can get to the how.
Why leads to
- Practice
- Analysis
- Understanding
- Intrinsic Commitment
- Change
So, I askWhy not ask why? Did I just blow your mind?
Asking ‘Why?’ changes the status quo. Asking ‘Why?’ leads to change. Americans asked ‘Why are we paying these ridiculous taxes to a county an ocean away?’. Martin Luther King Jr. asked ‘Why are people treated differently based solely on their skin color?’.
What if these people had just been like ‘Screw it, why not!?’, and changed nothing.
I think you get the pointAsk why!!
BUT
Next, ask, ‘Why not?’
Becoming the ‘Why not?’
Alright, you’ve asked ‘why?’, you’ve done your analysis and you have practiced. Now, it is time to say ‘Why not?’.
Things don’t need to be perfect for you to start something. You will never be 100% sure, you cannot become an expert without application. It is time to move, it is time to act and it is time to ask ‘Why not?’.
See, the problem with ‘why?’ is trying to get to that 100% conclusion. Don’t do that! Get things to about 80% certainty, then act!
You NEED the ‘why not?’ side of your life. The ‘why not?’ leads us to bungee jumping, skydiving, entrepreneurship, new adventures and getting out of our comfort zones.
Get the ‘why?’ to a murky clarity, then say screw it, ‘why not!?’
How does this apply to you??
I’m glad you asked!
Here is the problem when it comes to diet and fitness.
The Why-ers
- Why-ers are trying to find the perfect program, the perfect diet, but they don’t realize it doesn’t exist. So they donothing.
The Why-not-ers
- Why-not-ers don’t spend enough time understanding what they are doing. They have no problem starting a workout program or diet, but they never finish them. They have no reason to – they don’t understand ‘why’.
So you have to strike a balance. Why-ers, get your ‘perfect plan’ to 80% and DO SOMETHING!! Why-not-ers, slow down before you do anything; UNDERSTAND why you should and how you should – it will benefit you in the long run.
Become the why-why-not-er!! And start getting things done; and done in their entirety!
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PS
Things are going great over at The Rally Point!
We are 72 hours in and we have 100+ members and nearly 200 posts already! If you haven’t already joined the community, do it! It’s free!
Thanks to all those who are making it a huge success!!
-Jerred
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