Scary squiggly things that scare the hell out of you.

Fred Purdue, executive of Pitney Bowes, once the most dominant company in postal services, once said:

“When you turn over rocks and look at all the squiggly things underneath, you can either put the rock down, or you can say, ’My job is to turn over rocks and look at the squiggly things,’ even if what you see can scare the hell out of you.”

It’s said that during meetings at the beginning of the year, they invested 15 minutes talking about the successes from the previous year, while two hours was devoted to “scary squiggly things” that might get in their way or hold them back.

How does this apply to fitness?

It applies in BIG ways.

Because many people don’t want to “turn over rocks” and face the scary truth of how many calories they are consuming… how many days per week they are exercising… how often they visit the drive through… how much sleep they get each night… or what their current weight is (while the scale is just one measurement and there are better “measuring sticks” out there, keeping an eye on it tends to be helpful).

Out of fear of failure or fear of disappointment sometimes it’s easier to stay in the dark instead of facing the brutal facts of our situation.

For instance, yesterday I went into the kitchen and had an omelet with goat cheese and spinach (called Eggs Supreme). I was crunched on time so I ate fast. I didn’t realize how fast until I glanced at the clock and realized a mere 5 minutes had passed. This was a wake-up call to slow down (because fast eating is one of the most destructive health habits out there).

Facing these tough truths can set you free.

They can light a fire inside to get serious and make a change. But only if you are willing to “turn over the rocks” and look at the truth. It takes guts and courage to look at this sometimes scary information but if you do, one thing's for sure:

You’ll gain the power that only comes from having clarity on where you are.

From there you will know how to navigate yourself in the right direction in the same way a lost hiker finds their bearings in the wilderness.

(Because you can’t reach a destination without knowing your starting point).

Kelan Ern
Fitness Coach

P.S. For in-depth fitness tips to help you reach your fitness “destination” check out my monthly private “coaching session” in print: the Mind-Body Breakthroughs newsletter where I share delicious recipes… workout tips… and motivation to get serious again about fitness – learn more here.