We’ve all been in a situation in which we have made the wrong decision. We wanted to make the right choice, but in the moment, it felt impossible to discern, hard to do, the list goes on. You will notice, most of the time when we could have made a better decision, it’s as a result of not being set up for success. Whether it’s not making the best decision on what we should eat, missing a workout, or not getting enough water for the day, they all have one thing in common. We were not prepared!
Take eating, for example… I truly believe that most people who are trying to make a change in their health would choose a healthy meal they have prepared over McDonald’s if they were side by side. (As long as the healthy meal doesn’t taste like cardboard.) The problem is, we don’t have a choice to make when we don’t prepare.
If we don’t prep a healthy meal, then it’s that much easier to make a less-healthy decision. When we are left without clear-cut, healthy choices, most will revert back to their old habits. By preparing we make the right choice, the easy one.
Take Amazon, for example. Why have they grown into one of the biggest companies in the world? One word… Friction. They have taken the friction out of the buying decision.
Here’s how to get on the road toward healthy eating habits:
- They have 2-day shipping that satisfies our culture’s need for immediate gratification.
- They have a membership program that remembers all of your information, so you don’t have to put it in every time you check out.
- They have a feature where you can check out with one click of a button.
- Their package tracking system is unrivaled. You know exactly when you will get your package and where it is currently. This makes us feel in control…
They have made the right choice, an easy decision for you. They have a system that overcomes any objections we would have in making the decision to purchase with them. We can do the same thing when it comes to setting ourselves up for a day, week, and lifetime of healthy living. Amazon prepared. They learned about what was keeping people from making the decision they wanted them to make – buying a product. Then they build out a system that overcame those barriers.
Here’s the thing: You can reduce the friction in your life so that in the moment, you make the right decision. The less friction you have to make the right decision, the more likely you are to make that decision. Think about the things that tend to get in the way of making the healthy choice. Preparing for your day/week is how you reduce friction in your lifestyle. If everything is prepped and ready to go for your day, you won’t be put in a situation where it feels impossible to make the right decision.
What are some practical steps I can take?
Reflect – Look back on the times where you didn’t feel like you made the best decision or the particular times of day that it’s hardest to make the good decision.
Find – Find the reason(s) that decision was so hard to make in the moment. It could be a mindset you didn’t think about beforehand, it could be that you physically didn’t have everything you needed in the moment, it could even be that you were too tired to make the right decision.
Overcome – Overcome those barriers by setting in place a plan that will set you up for success during those situations.
Preparation is necessary for success. If you plan and prepare for those times where it can be a challenge to make the right decision, you will make the right choice, the easy decision. You got this! You were created to be healthy!
