Ciarán McMullan
YOU don’t have to master your mindset, but you do need to be mindful of it.
“The way in which we approach life is greatly influenced by the way in which we see ourselves, others and the world in which we live. These three viewpoints represent the mindset that we hold. So, a mindset is the basis that we work from when dealing with ourselves others and the world,” The Chimp Paradox, Professor Steve Peters.
We have a lot of different mindsets, one for parenting, one for ourselves, one for our health and fitness and the list goes on. However, all these can come together to put us on the right path to being successful in achieving our goals no matter what part of life we have set these goals.
Pushing towards these goals and having a constant want to develop and get better is paramount in your fitness journey.
One thing that a lot of people struggle with at the start is setting boundaries. Your boundaries you set are so you can try to move forward and reach the goal you’ve set for yourself. The problem here lies with others not respecting these boundaries you have set.
It is not your responsibility to please everyone so at times people will try to make you do things that are not within your boundaries. This could be going for a night out, an extra takeaway that week or even just skipping the gym. However, if we are conscious that if we repeat this, will it have a effect on our goals.
Setbacks are totally okay. They will happen in everyday life. However, how we react to them and the language we use to define them is the most important thing.
It’s okay to fail at something, however, to call yourself a failure and attach yourself to that and to let it define you is not the way we should be thinking. Think about it this way, if our car fails its MOT do we just get rid of the car? No, we look at the problem, minor fault and we get it fixed. After that we go through the same process again and the car will pass.
These setbacks come all the time, however at a recent talk I heard a great quote: “A setback is a set up for a come back,” I thought that this was brilliant as it describes exactly what we need to use our set backs for. Not to look at them as failure but as a way of learning, ironing out the problems and moving forward in a better way.
When we make decisions in our fitness journey always ask yourself, is this decision in line with my goals?
A great way of doing this is a mindful pause. It creates a space to think. It allows you to process the thoughts you are having in a calmer, more logical way. It helps you take action that is beneficial. It lets you think of the consequences of the action taken—is this moving you towards or further away. Are you making this decision based on the values you have set?
Mindset is key in all aspects of life and no different in your fitness journey. If you really start to investigate your mindset and start to look after how you think, react, respond and take action then this will definitely move you forward.
Ciarán McMullan is a former St Enda’s Gaelic footballer and League Cup winning midfielder with Cliftonville FC. He currently works as a personal trainer in Belfast. Visit his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cmcmfitness Follow him on Instagram: cmcfitness
PIC: GLENN DIAZ
