“If you can get through to doing things that you hate to do… on the other side is greatness.”
Powerful words from David Goggins, the retired United States Navy SEAL and former United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party member, who went on to become an ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete, motivational speaker, and author.
Unfortunately, I’ve found there’s a limit to how frequently I am able to do things I hate to do. And the more people I talk to, the more I realize I’m not the only one.
Over the past few months I’ve learned an important ‘hack’ that has helped me immensely as I try to improve various areas of my life—nutrition, fitness, career, relationships, and more.
What I’ve learned is that we have far greater control than we realize over how much we ‘hate’ to do certain things that can help us achieve ‘greatness’.
For decades, I attempted to lose weight doing something I literally hated doing—restricting calories.
And while I was able to endure this painful process for weeks, and sometimes even months—I was never able to sustain the weight loss over the long term. I would lose 20, 30, even 50 pounds, only to experience the soul-crushing defeat of gaining it all back, and then some.
Then, at the age of 53, I learned there was a way to address hunger and cravings, and change the process of losing weight into something I no longer hated to do.
By eliminating processed carbs, added sugar, seed oils, and grains, and by prioritizing protein, I was able to take a process that was once painful, and transform it into something rewarding, fulfilling, and confidence building.
My discovery of the low carb lifestyle did much more than help me sustainably lose 80+ pounds. It set in motion a series of events that is having a profound effect on all areas of my life, and I’ve seen this process taking place in many others I’ve had the privilege of meeting over the past two years.
As I pushed further and further into the low carb lifestyle, I discovered my sense of taste was actually changing, and that foods I once hated were becoming not only tolerable, but enjoyable.
I can still remember the first time I tried plain Greek yogurt a little more than two years ago. I actually gagged a little as I tried to swallow the first spoonful of this dreadful white substance.
I’m not quite sure how it happened, but it wasn’t long before I was actually looking forward to my nightly bowl of Greek yogurt and berries.
The same has happened with other foods as well. After getting rid of the added sugar and processed crap from my diet, my appreciation of foods such as olives, onions, pickles, dark chocolate, hot sauce, and spices all increased dramatically. I also noticed I started having a much stronger affinity for eggs and salmon, and a tolerance for sardines (which I initially regarded as repulsive).
After seeing how much control I seemed to have over my taste for foods, I started looking for ways I could control my feelings of like or dislike for other areas of my life, such as exercise, writing, and other things that could enhance my career or relationships.
Was it possible, I wondered, to make an activity like running, ab workouts, writing a blog post, or doing yard work less dreadful? I’m learning that it is.
Losing weight, getting in shape, or writing a weekly newsletter does not have to be something one dreads. There are ways to make these experiences not only more bearable, but actually something one looks forward to. I will be writing more about this phenomenon in the coming weeks.