The quick fix vs taking responsibility.

Today I need to talk about this topic because I keep seeing examples of it in my everyday world. As a trainer I get asked a lot about how to fix this or get in this type of shape or alleviate this type of nagging injury. Most of the time I can make my evaluation by looking at the persons condition or studying their mindset and knowing within a few minutes what will improve the issue for that particular person.

However, the challenge comes when the person does not like the answer and is unwilling to take responsibility for what has happened to put them in this position to begin with. I know the feeling as I too was once like that for most of my life until I figured it out.

An example of what I am talking about is when a person has back issues, Sciatica or Piriformis Syndrome. They will come to me and ask what exercise or gadget will “fix” the issue and yet they are heavily obese with most of it in the frontal midsection. Unfortunately for them, I will tell them that this or that exercise or gadget can help them get there, but the real way to fix it is to lose the extra weight they are carrying around that is causing the spine and lower back to have to take on the additional strain.

Of course, they were hoping that the advice would be related to the exercise or gadget rather than facing the actual issue of taking responsibility for the habits and behavaior that put them there in the first place. This in a “nut shell” is why most people will never fix the issue and continue to search for that “quick fix” to save them. This type of mindset runs rampant in our western society as we are taught to constantly consume and are continually programmed by the commercial media to do so.

The solution to this is to get off the couch, turn off the TV and TAKE BACK your responsibility even though you are actually going to have to work for it. Face it, modern society is based on a certain laziness and designed distraction that slowly takes away our desire to “act” on our own behalf and one that “gives” responsibility for our lives over to so called authority. The government will take care of me, or the doctor will give me something to put into my body to “fix it”, or my Trainer will “fix me”, or God (choose your religion) will take care of me if I worship (him/her).

Even when we try and make healthier choices we give the responsibility of deciding what is and isn’t healthy to outside sources like the media that just wants to continue to generate revenue from you with no regard for your well being. People do not understand or more often the case, ignore the fact that pills only cover up the symptoms of the illnesses that run rampant in our society. The fact that you are having a symptom is a big indicator that there is a dis-ease with your body that needs attention and is therefore a blessing in the form of an effect that is happening. Covering up the symptom with a pill that makes you comfortable again DOES NOTHING to fix the cause of the effect, it only hides it! This leads to an eventual breakdown of the body because you did not act on what the symptom was trying to tell you.

The only real answer to anything in life is to take responsibility for the experiences you are having and if you do not like what is happening to your body then do the research and take action. This can only be done through gaining knowledge and then trial and error to find out what works for you individually. ALL OTHER SOLUTIONS will only lead you on a merry chase away from the truth!

With that said, this is your life! What you do with it is mostly important to you. Everyone else that finds YOUR LIFE important is invested in you in some way that benefits them. The outside investment can be supportive or it can be parasitical. What I discovered is that my investment in myself was the only thing that was going to create well being within me and nothing outside of myself was going to save me. I had to learn the hard way that taking individual responsibility for my choices and actions was the only way to achieve the results I wanted in my life.