In Arizona there is a ‘Petrified Forest’ National Park.
It has a problem with the theft of these petrified woods by visitors.
It once tried to solve this problem by putting up signs reading:
“Your heritage is being vandalised every day By theft losses of petrified wood of 14 tonnes a year, Mostly a small piece at a time”
You may have already guessed what happened next.
The theft of the petrified wood in the areas with signage didn’t go down.
It actually TRIPLED versus the un-signposted areas.
Rather than giving people the desired thought process, it actually made them think things like;
“14 tonnes a year? It won’t matter if a take a bit.”
“I hadn’t even thought of pinching this wood. I wonder what I can do with it?”
“It’s going fast – I better get some while there’s still some left.”
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Many public service messages end up having the opposite to the desired effect.
Messages discouraging tax fraud make some think “Hang on, people are getting away with not paying their taxes? I’ll have some of that!”
Anti smoking campaigns make some think “Nobody tells me what to do. I’ll smoke if I want to.”
Talk of sky rocketing obesity and related diseases allows people to think “If everyone’s having this problem, it’s not my fault.”
And so on.
The key to your success in the weight loss game is deciding what is genuinely most important to you.
And accepting things that are ‘mutually exclusive’ / can’t go together.
If you want to eat a certain way more than you want to be slimmer……….
If you want to watch your favourite programmes more than you want to be fitter and healthier……..
If you value a few more minutes in bed more than feeling more energised throughout the day…….
Then that is cool.
As always, tis your life.
You can do whatever you like with it.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
But if reading this has made you question what you are prioritising………
And / or helped you start to realise that trying to have both of two things that don’t go together……..
Then that is a start.
Don’t do something because someone else says you should.
Decide what it important to you……….
And go do it!!!!!
Much love,
Jon ‘Petrified’ Hall and Matt ‘Wood’ Nicholson
