You Can’t Hit High, If You Aim Low – Rethink Your Fitness Goals
“A person may aim high and hit low, but he never hits high if he aims low.”
Do you think Aimee Mullins (pictured left) aimed low? It’s obvious she set her sites high and it paid off. She easily could have slipped into depression and allowed her disability to define her. Instead she defined herself and has been named as one of Esquire’s “Women We Love,” one of Jane magazine’s “10 Gutsiest Women,” one of Sports Illustrated’s “Coolest Girls in Sport,” and was celebrated as the “Hottest Muse” in Rolling Stone’s annual Hot List.
As I read the “aim high” quote, one of my grandmother’s favorite quotes in her handwritten book of quotes, stories & scriptures she gave me on my wedding day, I was inspired and perplexed all at once. How dangerous is it to aim low? It sets you up for failure, slows success, sabotages true happiness, causes depression, suppresses hopes and dreams, and literally causes people to be physically unhealthy – especially when their dreams are to BE healthy. So, why do so many people choose to aim low at all? In the fitness world, I think this answer is easy:
1.) It seems too hard to aim high. Aiming high seems hard. The problem is, many people have never even tried to aim high and work hard for what they really want. Some people may even deny they really want a six pack or to lose 50lbs, but the truth is – they want it, and they want it BAD…but only if it’s not too hard. Then when they FINALLY decide to give this “hard” thing a try and they totally annihilate it. Then they look back and wonder why it took so long to give “aiming high” a try.
2.) They don’t think “high” is obtainable. I think this is probably one of the most common reasons people aim low in life. Whether it’s a lack of knowledge or self-confidence, many people don’t think they can achieve their dream body. “I’ll never be like her” or “I don’t want be ripped, I just want to lose a few pounds”. These people are already making excuses before they even begin because (I feel) they don’t think it’s possible to “be like her” or “get ripped”. BULL HOCKEY! It IS possible!
A perfect example is one of the contestants on VH1’s Bridal Bootcamp (the show my husband, Steve Pfiester, was a trainer for). She specifically said “I don’t want to look like you, I just don’t want to be fat”. Well, the more successful her weight loss was, the higher she set her goals because she began to feel it was within reach. By the end of the show, she was not only NOT fat – she was SMALLER than ME! It just took realizing her goal was not that far away after all.
3.) They don’t know how to get there. My final thought of why people don’t aim high is because they don’t know what to do to get there. They know it’s “possible” but they feel it’s impossible without help. Experts often want you to believe that you have to rely on them, or their products, to get results. This is SO untrue! You need NOTHING but gumption! You don’t need a certain supplement or need to understand physiology and nutrition – you need to learn the basics and that can all be learned online and by other regular people who have learned through experience!
When there’s a will, there’s a way
I’ve had people just read our diet page and that was enough basics to lose 40lbs. Weight loss is not as complicated as people think – it’s calories in vs. calories out. It’s simple math – you just have to do it. Body sculpting is just working out and exercise. You can do this with online programs, like our BCx Boot Camp, for free or you can hire a personal trainer – it’s not rocket science – but again, you just have to do it.
If you don’t believe in yourself, believe the experts. Believe in people like me who have seen thousands of people, once hopeless, reach their goals and change their lives forever. Once you can throw out all the excuses and quit believing you have some rare thyroid issue, stop thinking it’s just hereditary and you’re stuck in a fat family inheritance, or quit believing you have what it takes you can move forward. Because you likely DON’T have a thyroid issue, you may of inherited a fat lifestyle but most definitely can be a skinny person in a fat family, and you DO have what it takes!!
Let today be different. Make today the day you start aiming high – and if you already aim high, let this be the day, the mark in the sand, to mark the beginning of aiming even higher than ever before. -B-
Need help reaching your goal? Get great tips, guidance and workout programs at www.FitStudio.com – FREE! 🙂
2 Comments
Sarah
Hey Bonnie. I loved that quote when I read it and saved it in my phone to use in my classroom when I went back to school (I’m a teacher). May I hang it in my classroom? If so, I’d like to give the author credit – so what’s your grandmother’s name, or I can use yours. Thanks!
Bonnie Pfiester
I think the original author is unknown. My grandmother (who is not with us anymore) Julia Tanner is the one who passed it down to me. 🙂 Glad u like it!!