Are you going low-carb because someone else said it’s the most effective way to lose weight? Are you using Twitter to increase business because it worked for a friend? Are you serving in children’s ministry at church because it seems like the kind thing to do?
If those choices are proving to be effective and bringing you life, then great! But what if they’re not? What if you’re lacking passion, feel out of place, or not getting results?
One of the most freeing realizations I’ve had in life is that there is no one “magic” way to achieve success.
No “Magic Bullet”
After years of seeking “the best way”, or the “one solution” that would skyrocket a business, launch a non-profit into financial stability, please God, develop creativity, or attain the perfect physique, I realized that there truly is no magic bullet for anything.
Every person and every circumstance is unique, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
I just finished reading a blog by one of my favorite authors, Todd Henry, which speaks to this. He ends with this quote: “Two places people get stuck: emulating others, or emulating (a past form of) themselves.”
It’s true, and it’s exhausting. Many entrepreneurs and sales people make money by convincing us that their way is THE way. And many of us are convinced that what worked for us in the past will always work. But neither is a guarantee, and often doesn’t work at all.
Instead, you can find freedom in the fact that you are different, and another person’s solution may not work for you. What someone else does may help motivate and inspire you, and deliver some initial results, but eventually it needs your unique spin.
A Change Will Do You Good
When it comes to fitness, this is just as true. So many people watch videos and copy exercises, follow the same diet plan as an “expert”, and take the same supplements. But if you pay attention, every “expert” is doing something a little different from the next.
Some people thrive on high carb diets, other on high fat. Some can’t digest some vegetables well, and others can’t take supplements. Some do 30 minutes of cardio a day, some do 10 minutes of HIIT twice a week.
Personally, my diet, weight lifting, and cardio plan has changed about 4-5 times over the last 9 months alone! Sometimes I want to gain muscle mass, other times I just want to be skinnier; sometimes I can spend 45 minutes on a stair machine, and other times I’ll only do plyos for cardio because I can’t stand even 5 minutes on a treadmill.
Your body – and your life – are ever-changing and evolving. My advice?
- Learn what works for others and try some of the same tactics for yourself
- Pay attention to what isn’t working for you and get rid of it. Test out some new methods.
- When you find what works, stick with it.
- Change it again by testing more new methods when you hit a plateau.
Remember, there is no “one way”, whether in business, relationships, or fitness. Part of the fun in the journey of life is exploring the complexity of layers God designed you with.
You are unique – find freedom and life as you embrace that!
photo credit: Always more than one way via photopin (license)
