Do what you ought to, not what you want to.png — There are lots of things in life that aren’t fun all the time, but bring us plenty of joy and satisfaction once completed.

Let me tell you a quick little story about us, share the valuable lesson we REdiscovered, and tell you how you can use this for YOUR fitness motivation when you have those days (or weeks) where it feels it has disappeared.

Just the other day, Hailey and I were dreading working out. It was a Friday night at 7:00pm when we could have easily decided to just go out and get a few drinks and laugh the night away. No, I’m not vindicating having a few stiff ones or a good time.

However, when you have been a bum for a few days or you have set specific goals, sometimes other things need to take precedence.

In this case, fitness is what we needed to prioritize.

So we decided to lace up the sneaks, venture out into the snowy, cold, dark night, and proceeded to get our workout in.

As we were leaving the gym I turned to Hailey and said,

“99% of the time, you never leave a workout saying, damn, I wish I had stayed on the couch instead.”

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It’s all about prioritizing what you ought and not always what you want. At the time, all I wanted to do was sit my ass down on the couch and put on The Office. But once I completed what I “ought” to do, that took precedence and satisfaction over what I wanted to do. That post workout feeling was much better than the satisfaction of watching re runs (sorry Michael).

So enough about us, how does this apply to you and YOUR fitness journey?!

Sometimes life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes you have to do what you don’t immediately want to do to get to where you want to be.

Remember the old cookie trick your parents tried to pull on you? Do you want 1 cookie now or 3 cookies later? Sure, immediate gratification is awesome! But sometimes you need to do what you ought in order to get what you desire MORE later on.

what you want and what you need aren't always the same. be willing to delay short term gratification for long term greatness..png

This all comes down to prioritization. those are the things that get done.

You prioritize drinking water because you have to to live. You prioritize food because you have to live (and because it gives you a nice big dopamine hit). No matter how busy, tired, or lazy you are that day - at some point you have to prioritize those basic things. All of which make you feel better immediately.

But those lower level priority items that you know you SHOULD prioritize are easily skipped. Those are the ones that are the first to go when you just don’t want to do it or the day has already seemed to go on for too long. What do you put to the side?

-Stretching

-Warm Up/Cool Down

-Cooking a Meal vs. Take Out

Do'n’t fear, what lies on the other side of that initial barrier of feelings is a much more immense sense of gratification and self worth.

Getting those things done, consistently over time, are what leads to the greatest success. In life and in fitness.

Just being 1% consistently better over a long period of time adds up to a lot in helping you accomplish what you want.

So we worked out Friday, got another workout in on Saturday and then had our drinks and laughed the night away on Saturday. Instead of one workout in 48 hours, we got two in and still got the fun that we wanted.

Here’s your take away.

What lies on the other side of your feelings of resistance is even greater satisfaction and accomplishment.

Whether that means reading that book instead of watching that new tv show, working out instead of being lazy, or eating a healthy option instead of the unhealthy option, the same principles apply.

How often do you actually say, “I wish I hadn’t done the thing that improved myself and listened to my feelings of laziness, excuses, and other barriers in the way of success.”

Need a bit of an extra kick in the butt? Talk about your goals with like minded people and find someone to hold you accountable. We all have goals. They may not be the same, but saying them out loud to someone else brings them to reality.

Feeling extra bold? Comment below with something you OUGHT to do. Let’s hold each other accountable.

Do what you ought to do, not what you want to do.

Do What You Ought To