Moderation in Moderation
I’m sure you’ve heard that all things should be done in moderation. Renowned Irish poet and novelist Oscar Wilde disputes this modern call to mediocrity.
“All things in moderation, including moderation.”
Take a second to think about that one… how could we possibly moderate ALL things if we are to also moderate moderation. Okay, let’s not give ourselves a headache, but it’s worth considering.
Maybe, just maybe, there are some things that should not be done at all? Or possibly there are things that we should absolutely devote our entire lives towards?
Furthermore, if we decide we are going to do all things in moderation, is this not a recipe to accomplish absolutely nothing?
In a recent episode of the Jocko Podcast, Navy Seals Jocko Wilink and Andy Stumpf indirectly address this topic:
Jocko: People say yes to everything sometimes
Andy: I used to…
Jocko: How does that work out?
Andy: Pretty great if you want to accomplish nothing!
These are guys who have become Navy Seals, successful business owners, authors, black belts in Jiu Jitsu, and much more. I can almost guarantee that they are not doing all things in moderation.
Their success was built by the ability to say “absolutely not” to certain things and dive head first into others. If you have a goal you’d like to achieve, you’ll need to trim the fat and put things in their proper order.
ATHLETES: If you’ve been in the gym long enough, you’ve seen members make some seriously impressive transformations. These are people who have said enough is enough. They’ve realized that regardless of how much virtuous moderation they try to justify their actions with, some things are simply not worth doing.
Alcohol always hurts our body’s ability to recover.
Staying up late will not help you reach your goals.
Cooking your own food is healthier than eating out.
Stretching before bed will always beat watching TV.
The list goes on…
Of COURSE busy schedules and burn out are real. The need to break bread with your family is important. Have a slice of pizza at your kid's birthday party and watch a movie with your spouse. Don’t be weird!
The goal here is to avoid falling into the trap of moderation and balance. Whether you want to lose 20 pounds or PR your back squat, having a moderate amount of junk food in your house is not going to help you.
Take a second to figure out whether it’s worth it.
We know for a fact reaching your fitness goals will be…
