Get the fuck off your ass!

Yes, adding goals and being productive is great, but if you feel like you're getting fed up, then settle down already at the end of the day 😄

No, don't get excited (that you can settle down for good 😁) and don't rush to send me to hell (because achieving goals is your life).

I'm talking about resting and identifying the causes of your condition. Sometimes when we rush hard to achieve a goal, we miss out on the most important thing - living.

We are, after all, human-beings, not human-doings.

The second decade of the 21st century has brought meditation, affirmations, and also hyperproductivity and positivity into our lives.

Hey!!! Hey, hey, hey!!! (who's eye started twitching at that expression and all the swear words about sexual minorities started popping up in their head, then... I'm sorry for you, we'll talk to you more about this topic!) Motivational speakers and successful self-minded entrepreneurs are screaming from every bucket!

On social media, you're haunted by posts like, “Anthony Robbins' Top 5 Success Principles” and “Brian Tracy's 3 Key Habits for a Better Life.” You devour it all greedily and can't stop....

“Come on! At the end of the day! Get your ass off the couch and start taking action! You can do anything! You're the best! Start your own business! Start meditating! Wake up at 4:00 in the morning! Exercise!

And you're like, “Yeah, I have to do it! I can do it! I'm going to succeed! Yes! Yes! And yes again!” P.s. all of this happened in the evening.

And so you're excited and motivated and you set your alarm for 6am, no, better yet 5am! I can do it! What am I, really, worse than Robbins or something! Of course not! You pull out your dusty closet and your sneakers. And you're ready to conquer the world. You're so handsome! Look at you! You anticipate what a relief body awaits you already... not far off. Because you've taken up sports! That's it! There's no turning back! You go to bed early (not as usual after 00), but you can't fall asleep... Of course, you've been going to bed at 1-2 a.m. for months, or even years, and here it is! You decided to go to sleep at 22. No, no, no, no, no, no, buddy. That's not how it works.

The body is freaking out (but you don't know that yet.) I'm guessing if the body could talk, it would say this: “Why are we suddenly going to bed when we used to eat brownies and watch a movie? Nah, buddy, that's not gonna work! I'm used to a different schedule. I think you're confused about bedtime. Why don't we watch a better movie?”

And so, after half an hour of fidgeting in bed, you turn on the show, grabbing an Ant-Man and chips on the way (“Well, I'll just watch one episode and go to sleep!” you think.) Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've been through this before.

/After three hours and four or five episodes.

“Oh, shit! It's already the second hour of the night! I have to go to sleep, or I'll have to get up early tomorrow (i.e. today). And you're out.

/ the alarm clock rings. 6 a.m.

Your head cracks (who eats at night and goes to bed so late?), and then for a second you remember your promises you made yesterday that you would get up early and run, that you would eat right and not eat after 18... But before you know it, the excuse “I'll start tomorrow” pops up in your head and you pass out. And tomorrow never comes.

The end.

Ofcors, no! I've described all this prelude for one simple purpose - to show you that until you experience the need for an activity, whether it's sports or PP or waking up early, it WILL NOT WORK. Do you understand?

In fact, it can be done. You can train yourself to get up at 5 and run, eat until 18, etc. etc. But to do it because Petya Pupkin said so (even though he has reached the heights) is not an adequate and thoughtful decision.

It's like going to university to teach because “Mom said so” or leaving after 9th grade because my father said that, quote: “You're a retard and you won't finish 11th grade!”

My dear readers, I urge you to be sensible with the actions you take in your life. Don't listen to everyone who tells you how you should live your life. Especially, right now. Everyone is ready to slip you motivation for “every day” and you will meditate without realizing why the hell you should do it at all.

By the way, meditation is an activity for those who have sorted out the cockroaches in their head and are ready to accept themselves and their life as it is at the moment. I'm not saying accept it as a constant and don't change anything else. No. But to experience the world in your head.

If you have a lot of unresolved problems with your parents (most likely children), if you hate your job or your body, meditation alone will not solve these problems!

Yes, you can calm the verbal stream of thoughts in your head, but only temporarily. And it will look like putting all the thoughts in a suitcase, and putting the suitcase away in the closet. Just because you put it away in a suitcase doesn't change the fact that the suitcase DOES exist and it's full of crap that needs to be shoveled in and out.

Anyway, conclusion: if you want to change some aspect of your life, then:

1. Sit down and think about what exactly is wrong with you and why. Better yet, describe the problem on paper or in notes on your phone. It is important to realize that the goal: “I want to lose weight.” is not a workable goal unless you explain to yourself why you want to do it. “I want to lose weight so I can be as thin as Christina.” - isn't either. Of course, if being “just like Christina...then...okay.” is for you. Read that goal and the goal below again, though. I think you'll see the difference between the two.

As for “I want to lose weight because I don't like my stomach sticking out when I wear a tight t-shirt and I'm uncomfortable looking like that.” - Great.

Our brains are designed in such a way that they need objective (or near objective) reasons for certain actions. When a bicyclist rides at us, we will automatically run away (self-preservation instinct kicks in), when we want to eat, we eat (we need to keep our body functioning). When it comes to NOT basic needs, however. Like losing weight, for example, the body needs a push to get going.

2. Make an action plan of what you need to do to achieve a particular goal. Again, about weight loss. If you want to lose fat, don't go overboard with the methods. Seriously. You can, by the way, go to a nutritionist, if you have santiki, and you are not well acquainted with this “sphere of weight loss”. Diets and all that other stuff work for shit, I'm not kidding. Don't make your wonderful body suffer from day one after your decision. Do things gradually.

For example, join a gym. Don't buy a year's membership and sign up for every workout. Buy a monthly membership and schedule 2-3 workouts a week when you feel comfortable. The important thing is to get started! And if you schedule 2 hours of workouts for each day, you'll probably screw it all up after the first week. Learn to go “slow but steady.”

Join a gym? Great! You're making progress!

Next, rethink your diet. Start by not eating after 20 (if you've been grinding at 2 a.m. before). Then narrow the gap, don't eat after 19, etc.

And here's a plea, don't remove all fat, flour and sweets from your diet if you have a sweet tooth. It's a torment! I know.

Set yourself a goal - I will gradually move from “harmful” sweets to more healthy. And, coming next time to the store, buy instead of cupcakes, sugar-free marshmallows and fruit. That's it! Here we go.

3. Determine an adequate timeframe for the goal, when it is realistically achievable. “Lose 10 kg in 2 weeks is unattainable!” This is a very delicate science, it is possible to calculate how many kg or in volume you will lose, given your weight, activity and nutrition. Everything is individualized. It's individualized for everyone.

So be realistic. Because if you set a goal, as I wrote above, you will most likely not achieve it. Of course, if the excess weight is large, then it is still possible to achieve the goal. But! Everything is individual.

So, if you don't reach your goal, you'll freak out and give up. And also depression can be earned. Do you want that? I don't think so.

That's how it is! Everything is simple and at the same time - not very. But if you figure it out and do everything gradually and with the understanding of WHY YOU ARE DOING IT, everything will be fine!

Good luck to you, guys! I BELIEVE IN YOU!