Here’s an experiment you might like to do.
Note: You probably won’t, But that’s ok, someone else has and I’ll give you the results!
– Get some rats.
– Pop them in water deep enough so they have to swim / tread water
– When they’re just about to drown, fish them out
– Take note of how long they lasted and give them a little rest
– Pop them back in again and repeat
On average, when this test was done at Harvard in the 1950s, the rats would, essentially, give up and sink after about 15 minutes.
How long do you reckon they lasted the second time?
Bearing in mind that they’d swam to the point of failure only minutes before?
Another 2 minutes?
5?
The answer, apparently (I must admit, I haven’t repeated this) is 60 hours!
240 times as long as the first time.
Mind blowing!
The interpretation at the time (and the only one I can think of now) is that when the rats believed they would eventually be saved, they carried on past where they’d previously thought they could.
Most FitPros would tell you now that you “just need to believe in yourself”.
But, I know from experience (of both being a human and from being in this “game” for two decades) that it’s not that easy.
That saying “believe in yourself” rarely makes that automatically happen.
That, if we feel we need to believe in ourselves before doing something, then we’ll probably be waiting for a very long time.
We’ll be “stuck”.
The interpretation that I’m going for is that we all (rats included) can usually do so much more than we realise or acknowledge.
That our “limits” are usually self-imposed.
Often influenced by the actions, comments and opinions of others.
Self belief is great.
It’s awesome when it happens.
But it’s a “nice to have”.
It isn’t fully needed.
All else being equal, the results are the same for the same processes whether we believe in ourselves whilst we’re doing them or not.
And, if anything, self confidence is an “after emotion”.
It comes from the doing.
Not from the waiting for it to happen.
If we want more of it, we’re going to have to do thing without confidence first.
Just do the things that need to be done, irrespective of how we’re feeling.
That’s what will stop us “drowning”.
Much love,
Jon ‘Hope no one just did this experiment at my suggestion’ Hall
P.S. If you’re waiting till you have more confidence / you’re in a better place / you’ve got your head straight / you’ve got a bit fitter / you’ve lost some weight………. before starting on our Programme……… then you don’t need to wait. That’s what the Programme helps with. Stop waiting and take the next step via www.myrise.co.uk/apply
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RISE in Macclesfield was established in 2012 and specialise in Group Personal Training weight loss programmes for those that don’t like the gym and find diets boring and restrictive!
