How visit to Santorini inspired me to make definite plans for chasing my dreams.
Cruise to Santorini
We got off the Queen Victoria just to get on a small boat that took us to Santorini’s nearby island Oia. I knew some history enthusiasts believe this area to be lost continent of Atlantis. My and my sister read about this story when we were 10 or so. It was super cool to be there, in Santorini, a place where it is believed the most advanced civilisation lived. It was thousands years ago, and right now I was there, sailing between little islands and imagining ‘OK, here is where some scientists lived, maybe here lived famous story tellers, warriors…” etc.
Santorini, together with Coloseum in Rome and Katakolon in Olympia stirred positive fitness emotions in me, creativity kicked in more with every day, and I thought to myself that if years ago they could do anything then I will do too.
How bad do you want it?
I started making more specific plans and made a decision that I don’t care how long it takes or what it takes, I am following my dream to build an athlete’s body and take part in UKBFF contest. If you really want something to happen then the decision has to be definite. You don’t ask ‘oh how long would it take me to lose 20kgs?’, why do you ask, if it takes long then you don’t want it? Then why start, do you really want it? Your mind-set has to be more like ‘I will do whatever it takes, any amount of hours, whatever it takes, I will do (~by Arnie). There is no going back and no changing your mind just because something doesn’t go according to plan right away.
The pizza example
To illustrate how it works I ask you to imagine that you decide to cheat on your diet with Dominos. You want it delivered to your house. Can’t find the debit card to order and pay for it and you know you will do anything to order that pizza. So you turn the drawers and wallet upside down to find that card. You ignore your wifey telling you not to do it. You are ordering Dominos, end of story. You found the card, placed the order, it got delivered to your house and you ate that pizza, enjoyed it and have no regrets – he he yeah right!
This is just a simple example of how following your dreams works. Determination. Plan. Decision that nothing will stop you. You got those skills already, just transfer them onto something more useful than eating carbs.
My plan
My plan was simple, stick to diet every day, go to the gym 4 times a week and get a personal trainer to help me and to keep me accountable. You don’t need a PT, engaged online coach or a friend you are a bit scared of or have a respect for may be as good. Alternatively you could use your own powers but at the beginning this is exhausting, for some reason we prefer to find a hero who will solve our problems instead of seeking the motivation and solution within ourselves. But for a start it is OK!
Plan. Camera. Action!
Action means you are done with thinking about your dream or goal, you got a plan, you don’t care if you and that plan are ready or not. Action means you are following your plan in reality, in person. So using my example action means I got a PT, did the diet every day and actually went to the gym 4 times a week. Nothing stopped me, not rain, not bad mood, not bad day at work, no political event, nada 🙂 The same with diet, when I went for a girly day out in London I packed omelets to my handbag to make sure I ate enough protein that day. I also packed my protein powder when I was going for a week away to Poland.
I guarantee every day there will be something trying to stop you, learn to ignore it and for once in your life do what you said you will do. This time you want a different effect, that’s why this time you will have to do it differently to what you are used to. Stick to the plan. That is all. It’s really that simple.
