![“How many people are using Food Banks?” [It had the opposite to desired effect]
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A few weeks ago I got to go to a Harvest Festival service at my youngest’s school.
It was lovely after 18 months of little to none of this kind of thing.
They had a guy in from the local Food Bank.
He was explaining the increase in usage of their services since the start of COVID.
“Imagine that each of you represents a family in Macclesfield that used the Food Bank before the first Lockdown” he began.
“How many of you do you think would’ve needs the Food Bank back then?”
“A hundred of us?” one child ventured.
“Well no – less than that”.
More guesses came in.
All too high.
The answer was about 15 or 20 if I remember correctly.
“Now, how many of you in here represent how many need it now?”
“Everyone in here?” came the first reply.
There was a good few hundred people between the kids, staff and a parent each.
“Erm, no”
More guesses followed which, you guessed it, were too high.
He indicated a section of the children.
Maybe 50 or 60.
Now, of course, a three or four fold increase is huge.
And any number over zero isn’t OK.
And I know that number doesn’t reflect all the people who are struggling.
But the whole approach definitely created the feeling of “not as bad as I thought”.
The opposite of the desired effect.
Which can often happen if we ask questions in a way that doesn’t set up answers that serve us well.
The human brain is very good at asking the same questions we have before and hoping for better answers.
Invariably though, the same questions lead to the same answers.
And the same answers usually lead to the same actions, behaviours and results.
If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always got.
If nothing changes, nothing changes.
What I’d like to think we’re really good at at RISE is helping you ask better questions to lead to those better answers.
Most places will just give you the same answers to the same questions you’ve had before – some workouts to do, recipes to try and follow, a list of foods to cut out, etc.
So, here’s changes to the questions you might be asking that might help you lead to those answers that serve you better:
“What the best exercise to do?” –> “What way of exercising do I find sufficiently enjoyable and can I see myself doing fairly consistently for quite a while?”
“What should I eat? –> “What are the easiest changes I can make to how I normally eat that will be enough to take me in the direction I want to go in?”
“Shall I workout this week?” –> “When can I workout this week?”
“How to I get motivated again?” –> “Can I just choose to do this without motivation?”
“How do I get willpower?” –> “Willpower is only needed for things I don’t value and want to do. How can I tie this into what I do value?”
And so on.
———– The best question you could possibly ask yourself now is why haven’t you got involved in our ‘Great in 8’ programme yet? You like the idea of ‘dropping 10 to 20 lbs in 8 weeks whilst improving mental health and forming lasting healthy habits without doing boring exercise you hate and giving up your favourite foods? Accepted that won’t happen if you do the same old, same old come January. Then here’s where it will happen –> www.myrise.co.uk/apply ———
No right or wrong.
But if the way a question is asked doesn’t lead to the desired outcome………..
Then maybe a different question will………….
Much love,
Jon ‘We plow the fields and scatter’ Hall
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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!
