How losing weight is like running a business
Today’s blog post is a bit different from most. I typically talk about healthy eating, workouts, and recipes but today I wanted to talk about something else. How losing weight is like running a business. Stay with me here and I’ll explain.
When you decide to lose weight to try out that new program your super excited, the same was when you decide to open a business. Your excited for your new idea to come to life and then you tell people and what happens-your excitement gets deflated. People tell you it won’t work, you’ve tried losing weight before and it gained it back, why is this time any different. What you need to do is be strong, know why you want to lose weight or open a business and keep that goal in your mind. What these people are doing is just projecting their fears onto you. It’s really their fears-not yours. Don’t listen to the naysayers…..if you want to lose weight, then go for it.
Once you start to lose weight people will start to sabotage you. Your co-workers might bring in cake, your friends start saying mean things to you. I can relate- when you have a business that looks successful people will try to bring you down. They will say mean things about you or your business, they will tell people not to go to your business, they will tell you about the other great gym they go to……..why do they do this? Because they are afraid you will become successful and they are not. I like to think of it like this, they are a bunch of crabs in a box and you are trying to get out (you are getting healthy) and they are pulling you back in (crabs actually do this-if 1 crab is trying to get out of the box the other crabs will pull it back in) So again, it’s all about them-they are afraid that if you change then your relationship with them will change. Here’s another one I hear all the time: people don’t want to go out to eat with me because they think I am judging them???? Like you don’t think I have better things to think about then what you are eating?! Come on! Yes, I am a nutrtion coach and yes I usually eat healthy but I don’t care what you are eating. I have other things to think about like how to run better FB ads or how to keep my current members engaged. This is the same for losing weight-your friends are afraid since you eat healthy that somehow you are judging them or your relationship might change. Again, it’s all about them and their fears. Keep pushing forward.
Once people start noticing they will start asking you how are you doing it….how are you losing weight…..like it’s some secret they don’t know about. Here’s the secret- it’s basic calories in VS calories out and consistency. Kind of the same with running a business…..being consistent with your marketing, your messaging and with your members. Showing up, treating them well, helping them and then you hope they refer you to their friends. And once they start seeing your success they think it just happened overnight. Just like a business (a business can look successful on the outside, but that doesn’t mean that it is). They don’t understand all the stressful nights of wondering if you will have money to pay the bills or trying every thing to get new members in the door to not get any that month, to question yourself everyday….was this a good idea? why are people not joining? Again, very similar to losing weight……wondering why it’s taking so long to drop the pounds…..being frustrated when you are plateauing and wondering what can you do to move that scale.
So, what does this all come down to? Mindset. Believing in yourself and being flexible. When one path does not work, adjust and then re-adjust and then repeat. AND you might have to find new friends!