Why Some People Quit And Some People
NEVER Give Up
NEVER Give Up
By Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
www.BurnTheFat.com
Throughout my 18 years in the fitness industry as a trainer, nutrition
consultant and motivational coach, I have noticed that some people who
start a nutrition and exercise program give up very easily after hitting the
first obstacle they encounter. If they feel the slightest bit of discouragement
or frustration, they will abandon even their biggest goals and dreams.
On the other hand, I noticed that some people simply NEVER give up.
They have ferocious persistence and they never let go of their goals.
These people are like the bulldog that refuses to release its teeth-hold on
a bone. The harder you try to pull the bone out of his mouth, the harder the
dog chomps down with a vice-like grip.
www.BurnTheFat.com
Throughout my 18 years in the fitness industry as a trainer, nutrition
consultant and motivational coach, I have noticed that some people who
start a nutrition and exercise program give up very easily after hitting the
first obstacle they encounter. If they feel the slightest bit of discouragement
or frustration, they will abandon even their biggest goals and dreams.
On the other hand, I noticed that some people simply NEVER give up.
They have ferocious persistence and they never let go of their goals.
These people are like the bulldog that refuses to release its teeth-hold on
a bone. The harder you try to pull the bone out of his mouth, the harder the
dog chomps down with a vice-like grip.
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| Copyright 2007 Yooper Spectator |
What's the difference between these two types of people? Psychologists
say there is an answer.
Instead of saying, "This is failure" they can say to themselves, "I produced
a result" and "This is only temporary." This change in perspective is going
to change the way that they feel and how they mentally process and explain
the experience. It turns into a learning opportunity and valuable feedback
for a course correction instead of a failure, and that drives continued action
and forward movement.
It's all about your results and your interpretation of those results
Dr Martin Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of
Pennsylvania, did some incredible research on this subject and wrote
about it in his book, Learned Optimism. Dr. Seligman noticed that the
difference between people who give up and people who persist and never
quit is what he referred to as "explanatory style." He said that explanatory
style is the way we explain or interpret bad events or failures.
People who habitually give up have an explanatory style of permanence.
For example, they hit a plateau in their progress and explain it by saying,
"diets never work" or "I have bad genetics so I'll always be fat." These
explanations imply permanence.
Other people hit the same plateaus and encounter the same challenges,
but explain them differently. They say things such as, "I ate too many cheat
meals this week," or "I haven't found the right diet for my body type yet."
These explanations of the results imply being temporary.
People who see negative results as permanent failure are the ones who
give up easily and often generalize their "failure" into other areas of their
lives and even into their own sense of self. It's one thing to say, "I ate poorly
this past week because I was traveling," (a belief about temporary behavior
and environment), and to say, "I am a fat person because of my genetics"
(a belief about identity with a sense of permanence). Remember, body fat
is a temporary condition, not a person!
People who see challenges and obstacles as temporary and as valuable
learning experiences are the ones who never quit. If you learn from your
experiences, not repeating what didn't work in the past, and if you choose
to never quit, your success is inevitable.
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal
trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and
author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom
has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print
magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding,
Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as
on hundreds of websites worldwide. For information on Tom's Fat Loss
program, visit: www.burnthefat.com
say there is an answer.
Instead of saying, "This is failure" they can say to themselves, "I produced
a result" and "This is only temporary." This change in perspective is going
to change the way that they feel and how they mentally process and explain
the experience. It turns into a learning opportunity and valuable feedback
for a course correction instead of a failure, and that drives continued action
and forward movement.
It's all about your results and your interpretation of those results
Dr Martin Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of
Pennsylvania, did some incredible research on this subject and wrote
about it in his book, Learned Optimism. Dr. Seligman noticed that the
difference between people who give up and people who persist and never
quit is what he referred to as "explanatory style." He said that explanatory
style is the way we explain or interpret bad events or failures.
People who habitually give up have an explanatory style of permanence.
For example, they hit a plateau in their progress and explain it by saying,
"diets never work" or "I have bad genetics so I'll always be fat." These
explanations imply permanence.
Other people hit the same plateaus and encounter the same challenges,
but explain them differently. They say things such as, "I ate too many cheat
meals this week," or "I haven't found the right diet for my body type yet."
These explanations of the results imply being temporary.
People who see negative results as permanent failure are the ones who
give up easily and often generalize their "failure" into other areas of their
lives and even into their own sense of self. It's one thing to say, "I ate poorly
this past week because I was traveling," (a belief about temporary behavior
and environment), and to say, "I am a fat person because of my genetics"
(a belief about identity with a sense of permanence). Remember, body fat
is a temporary condition, not a person!
People who see challenges and obstacles as temporary and as valuable
learning experiences are the ones who never quit. If you learn from your
experiences, not repeating what didn't work in the past, and if you choose
to never quit, your success is inevitable.
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal
trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and
author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom
has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print
magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding,
Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as
on hundreds of websites worldwide. For information on Tom's Fat Loss
program, visit: www.burnthefat.com
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