Hello, Dr. Howard Dennis, your certified high performance coach. I was listening to Brendon Burchard recently - he's got a new podcast called "Progress Mode." I've just gotten into it, and I highly recommend it. He does a great job.
In his first podcast, he was talking about "faith in the forward position," and it made me think of something I've contemplated before: Hebrews 12:1-2 .
Let me read this to you:
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
This passage is really interesting. Our brains are designed to move forward, alright? And notice what it tells us: not necessarily to just lay down the bad things we do, but to lay down the weight that we hang onto.
That's what I want to talk about today - the things that weigh us down.
Brendon talked about this too - the social aspect of things. When we're not pleasing people, or people make us feel like we're doing something we shouldn't do, or they're trying to influence us negatively, we face a choice.
I love this concept: Set your own thermostat. People can't set your thermostat. You set your own thermostat.
What does that mean? It means you have an identity. You exist as a unique person.
Think of all the words that encompass you in a circle. For me: I love God. I am a loving husband, a loving father. I want to help and serve at a high level. I'm kind, I'm forgiving, I'm generous.
But here's the trap: When someone tries to make you feel like you're not that person, you give them permission to make you feel that way.
The point is this: Social pressure is a huge weight on us. We let people set social expectations. And because we're social creatures, this has a huge impact on us.
If we're really going to move forward in a better way to end this year strong and start the next year right - or if we're thinking about it and need to get into action - we have to recognize that we often let what people think about us affect us.
That's a huge weight we need to let go of.
When we have things we know we need to do, we often enter a default mood of comfort: comfort food, comfort scrolling, comfort binge-watching, things like that.
Most of us, during this holiday season, give ourselves permission to get into that mode. And we tell ourselves, "In January, I'm going to start getting traction. I'll start losing that weight."
Or it becomes: "After Valentine's Day... after Easter... after the weather clears up..."
This is deceiving self-deception. This is a weight on us, not letting us make forward traction or progress.
We need to watch out for this and not let these old stories that weigh us down win.
Then there's the literal physicality - the physical weight on us. If we need to shed weight and move our bodies so we can be more nimble, pliable, and movable, we need to do that.
It's physics. There's no great mystery to this.
Most of us do need to shed weight and move our bodies more. When we are physically drained, we're mentally drained. The connection is undeniable.
Here's what I recommend:
When you're physically strong, you're mentally strong. When you're physically drained, you're mentally drained.
If you need to get into gear and set your mind up for how you're going to move forward, if you need to think about who your best self is, I want to give you a free Five Step Clarity Blueprint .
Here's how to get it:
It's free. There are no excuses to stay under this weight that we've self-inflicted upon ourselves.
Remember what Hebrews tells us: "Let us lay aside every weight... and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
You have a race to run. You have a purpose to fulfill. You have people counting on you. But you can't run your race effectively while carrying weights you were never meant to carry.
The three weights holding you back:
Which weight do you need to lay aside today?
Don't wait until January. Don't wait until after the holidays. Don't wait until the weather clears up.
Lay aside the weight today.
Let's go out there and be better - for ourselves, for our families, for the people around us. Let's move forward today.
Dr. Howard Dennis, CHPC
Your Certified High Performance Coach
Ready to lay aside every weight and run your race with endurance? Text "CLARITY" to 423-460-9757 for your FREE 5 Step Clarity Blueprint. Your forward momentum starts now.