Admitting defeat or simply changing tactics

As you all know by now, I really don't like any kind of negative talk.  Life is difficult enough without putting ourselves down.  Here's another of my pet hate phrases "well, I'm going to have to admit defeat".  I think the reason I don't like it is because 'admitting defeat' means you're giving up.  But are you?  Or is it simply the fact that whatever it is you're feeling defeated about is because it wasn't right for you in the first place?  This is exactly how I now look at it.

We've all been there, "I can't do this any more, I'm going to have to admit defeat" and then starts a whole cascade of negative self-talk "I'm rubbish at this", "I can't learn this, I'm stupid", "why can't I make this work".  Then there's the stubbornness factor to consider.  There's been numerous occasions when I've carried on doing something for way longer than I should have, instead of saying "stop, do something else because this is not working".

It's NOT defeat, it's NOT failure, you simply need to CHANGE TACTICS.  It goes back to that famous insanity quote by Einstein:

If something is so obviously not working for you, then don't continue and definitely don't think about it as 'admitting defeat'.  It takes guts and courage to change your path throughout life.  If you need any inspiration then take a look at sports people, they have the courage to change tactics in the middle of a game, race, routine.  They never admit defeat, they simply change what they're doing.

Tips for changing tactics and a simple example:

  • Admit that something isn't working - admitting to yourself that something isn't working for you is the first and hardest step.
    • I used to be able to bounce out of bed at 5.30 am and run 10k before work.  Over the last few years, I've realised I can't do that anymore.  I'm older and like it or not, I need more time to warm up and recover afterwards.
  • Identify the gaps - sit down and think about how to get from the thing that isn't working to the thing that could potentially work for you.
    • I wasn't about to 'admit defeat' and not run anymore in the morning because it sets me up for the day.  To still be able to do that, I recognised that I would have to spend more time warming up and more time stretching afterwards and do a shorter run.
  • Back it up with evidence - you need to record what's working and what isn't.
    • Having logged my runs for years, I could see that my routine wasn't working anymore, I was feeling more aches, pains and general lethargy.  Once I changed my routine, I realised that I could still work as intensely after I'd fully warmed up, albeit for a shorter period of time and that I recovered quicker if I took more time stretching afterwards.

Take a look at what is not working in your life right now, what are you still doing that in all honesty you should have stopped a long time ago?  It's not admitting defeat, you simply need to change tactics.

#2021

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