Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Fence Sitters Beware!

You've purused the website.  Read the emails.  Re-read the testimonials.  You've even hovered your computers cursor over the "Join BTWG Now" button, yet... there you are.  Still sitting on the fence.  Hey, it's cool.  I'm not judging you.  In fact, I get it.  I understand.  I've done my share of fence sitting as well.

When confronted with opportunities for life change, no matter how positive the change may be, fear arises and we can become paralyzed and cling to the fence for dear life.  There becomes an internal struggle between the comfort of what we know (even if we aren't healthful or happy where we are sitting) and the fear of the unknown terrain that lies ahead.  It's a scary place to be.

I learned a lot about fear and fence sitting when I was in the Coast Guard.  Once I took the oath and went off to basic training and then to my unit, sitting on the fence was no longer an option.  When the call came, you didn't think, "hmmmm... it's pretty nasty out there... do I wanna go, or do I wanna stay here?"  Nope, you just jumped up and went.  Staying in the comfort of the station was no longer an option.  There is a saying in the CG, "You have to go out.  You don't have to come back."  That sort of reality teaches you a lot about how to control fear.


This may be an extreme example, yet the point is that in certain situations we don't have the option of sitting on the fence.  Yet, for most of us, when it comes to our health, fitness, and well-being, we can sit on the fence.  All.  Damn.  Day.  We can sit there and pine for a future wellness or happiness we KNOW exists once we are off the fence.  That is, until just like Newton's Laws state, we are acted on by an outside force.  Ironically, while it is fear that keeps us on the fence, it can also be fear that pushes us off the fence.  This can come in many forms, such as when the doctor gives you the news that you are obese, or pre-diabetic or hypertensive and if you don't change your lifestyle you will be taking a dirt nap waaaaay too young in life.  Fear can be a powerful motivator for change.  Yet, it's a poor form of motivation, it's a heavy energy, and it isn't sustainable.

"Fear and faith have one thing in common.  Both require believing in something you cannot see."

While fear isn't an ideal form of motivation, at times it can be the catalyst for a positive change.  It's about learning to embrace your fear, accept your fear, integrate your fear, and then move forward regardless of the fear.  To have faith in the unknown more than you have faith in your fear.

There are other forms of motivation, such as reason and logic.  And this may be you.  You look at joining BTWG from a logical perspective.  You are thinking through all the scenarios.  You are questioning if you need the guidance and support offered with BTWG.  You are thinking if you should invest this kind of money into your health, fitness, and well-being.  You are looking at this from EVERY possible angle. And I would agree that in most life decisions we should use a measure of reason and logic.  Yet, therein also lies a danger.  We are all familiar with the saying, "Paralysis of analysis."  Where we can become stuck on the fence BECAUSE of our thinking mind.  It can become a trap, if we let it.  Again, it's about viewing your options and considering various aspects of the program and what the future may or may not hold.  Yet, establishing a point in which you make a decision.  You decide if you are going to continue living the way you have been, or if you are going to get off the fence.

When it comes to some things in life, there are no certainties.  There is no certainty that you will have what it takes to flourish in BTWG.  There is no certainty that embracing a healthful lifestyle automatically promises you will live well into old age.  However, in some things, it's also a no brainer as to what the appropriate choice is - if you aren't happy, healthy and content right where you are, and there is an opportunity before you that shows greater promise to manifest that into your life, you jump.
    There is another force that can motivate us for change.  A force that is even more powerful, sustainable and renewable.  Yet, for many, it's also the most misunderstood and frightening of all.

    Love...

    Love is the highest and most pure form of motivation.  Love is the highest vibration and energy.  When our motivation is sourced in love, we can act in alignment with our Highest Self.  We are in alignment with our soul.  We are acting in accordance with universal law and truth.  That's pretty lofty, right?  Yet, when it comes to getting us off the fence in any facet of life, love is the best fuel for change.

    When we received the call to go out for a rescue and the weather was sketchy... as in, while we are going out of the safety of the cove, everyone else is coming in kind of sketchy... it wasn't out of fear that we went.  It was out of duty.  It was our "job".  And, on some level, it was out of selfless service to humanity.  It was out of love - to risk our safety for the safety of another.

    Ultimately, getting off the fence and joining BTWG and transforming your life is very much the same.  Taking control of your health, fitness, and well-being IS your duty.  Being at your best in order to better serve those around you IS your selfless service to humanity.  To confront your fear for the well-being of another is the ultimate expression of love.  Getting off the fence is the next step you take in your journey.

    I never pressure anyone into change.  I never push and I never pull.  I encourage.  I support.  And I guide.  That's it.  I hope that the insights I've shared here motivate and encourage you to jump.  Today.  And join us for the Winter 2017 round of BTWG.  You have until midnight THIS Sunday to register.  So, here's that button again.  Are you gonna stare at it some more?  Hover your cursor over it?  Or, are you going to embrace your fear, wrap it up in love and jump off that fence?