It is of no secret to anybody that the majority of our culture in North America is fascinated and borderline obsessed with flashiness. Everyday, we dive into our social media accounts checking our newest subscribers, followers, likes, etc. without ever being aware of the addiction that is taking over so many of us-the need for attention and to appear superior over everyone else (aka pride and ego). This generation is addicted with producing "flashy content", in the fitness industry, this is the posting of videos performing heavy barbell squats, bench press, showing off your vertical jump, flexing your body parts, etc. in the hopes that someone will see it and say, "wow, that's cool, I wish I was more like him/her." It isn't flashy to post a video of us stretching, foam rolling or working on technique/form work with an empty barbell, which are all helping prevent serious injuries from occurring later on in life.
When I started writing this, I had the intention with writing about the benefits of stretching more frequently but now my thoughts have taken me down a rabbit trail that I really want to discover. When we 'chase the likes' or look at other individual's respected achievements, we ultimately are comparing ourselves and take our eyes off of the prize (real & original goals) and the true reason as to why we started doing what we wanted to in the first place. All the while, we subconsciously are in this continuous rat race to achieve certain things others haven't yet so we feel more desirable with ourselves.
When I started my fitness journey several years ago, I wasn't new to the world of exercise. I was born with a basketball in my hand and competed in various sports throughout my life but once I decided to enter into a party like lifestyle, I left many of my healthier habits behind me. Thus, in 2010-11, I found myself realizing how unhealthy I truly was and decided to start participating in regular exercise programs such as Beachbody's P90X and INSANITY. After completing several rounds of these respected programs and seeking out how to become a certified Insanity group fitness trainer, I was indeed living a healthier lifestyle but what I didn't realize at the time was how my mental approach day to day remained the same. Was I healthier, yes. But, was I still competing with myself and with others, (sometimes not in a healthy way) YES!
With the previous wild lifestyle that I chose to live for a few years; my constant need to be the smoothest talker, best dressed, host the best parties for recognition and respect from my peers was my addiction. I was in constant need of glorification and recognition to make me feel important and needed in this world. Once I adopted a healthier lifestyle, I was still addicted to the glorification and recognition from my peers, I was just broadcasting what I deeply wanted in a different manner. The need to show off my abs, my heavy lifts, be the best coach in my business, get the most clients, not only compete but win every fitness competition I participated in; I was constantly yelling at others to pay attention to me because I was important. Sounds pretty familiar to me!
With the world around us moving so quickly and technology advancing every few months to point where we can send a text message to someone across the globe and they get that message almost immediately (let that sink in for a moment), we are in constant struggle to keep up and be aware of the things around us so we don't get left behind and miss a great opportunity. With the new generation growing up with the boom of self-help gurus and motivational speakers yelling at the top of their lungs to sleep less, grind more and to never become average, this subconsciously sabotages ourselves every time we feel our bodies either physically or mentally breaking down and in need so badly for a mental health/recovery day, we remember their words to hustle or we remember the images we see on Instagram of our idols doing so successful that this eventually leads to further breakdown of our minds and bodies, from an internal and hormonal level all the way to a breakdown of our physical bodies that eventually lead to injuries, some of these being very life and career changing.
So, with that being said, are we truly aware right now of what our real goals are? Why did we originally start this journey for a healthier lifestyle or greater amount of success, whatever category that may fit in? At the end of the day, are the likes, follows and view counts truly that important? Each day when we wake up, are we in a mindset to help others or just ourselves? Does the world truly need another Joe/Jane Smith with a million followers or could it benefit from an original YOU?! Think about this the next time you catch yourself opening Facebook just to check how many notifications you may have. I know I will!
God Bless,
Taz
Taz's Bookshelf to Success: