Every Friday I love highlighting stories about men and women who took the challenge and transformed their lives. Whatever their circumstances (e.g. diabetes, obesity, chronic autoimmune conditions), they grabbed hold of the Primal process and made it their own. Whether they went cold turkey or began in fits and starts, they eventually committed 100% and got the life they wanted. It doesn’t get any better than that. That’s why I wonder so much about folks who come to MDA on a regular basis but never really get so far as to implement the content in their own lives. Whether it’s information about low (or even moderate) carbing, moving frequently, standing workstations, going barefoot or relishing good natural fat, their interest never translates into action.

I’ll call them earnest lurkers. They’re regular readers and enjoy the community here, but somehow the rubber never meets the road. Sound familiar? (No need to slink back in your chair – seriously.) They enjoy what they read, but then they sort of ignore/forget about it and go back to doing the same old thing. So, they come back for more inspiration and a few more ideas. So armed, they muster up a little more resolve but then never quite get things off the ground. It becomes an ongoing passive cycle. Maybe they’re doing some parts right like surrounding themselves with positive influences (e.g. the MDA community) and learning about how to live healthily – Primally. Yet, they never really make the plunge and stay content to dabble.

You’ve of course heard the old saying about “&%@# or get off the pot.” I’m not suggesting anyone stop reading MDA or not look to this forum or other like-minded communities for support and inspiration. However, there’s a certain confusion about one’s intent if you keep coming back for something you never take on. What’s keeping you at a polite (and thoroughly ineffective) distance?

I think people in this situation often run the risk of self-identification by mere association. In other words, you can read about something for so long that you end up feeling like you’re a true blue follower even though you’re more of a passive onlooker. Although I appreciate anyone’s readership, the fact remains that the Primal Blueprint doesn’t happen by osmosis. Ultimately, it’s a crying shame because instead of nodding in agreement, you could be feeling amazing at this very minute. The PB isn’t an intellectual exercise. It’s a blueprint for living, and either you’re living it – or you’re not.

Let me say I’m not picking on anyone. The truth is, I think we all at some point in our lives need a swift kick. For whatever reason there’s a psychic blockage that we can’t snap ourselves out of. After weeks or months or years (or decades) of denial, someone calls us out in a way that first gets our dander up but ultimately shifts the ground enough for real change.

Nor am I talking about unquestioning compliance with every suggested activity.

As someone who devoutly questions authority, I don’t ever encourage obedience just on principle. (That’s why I designed a blueprint and not a regimen.) What I’m talking about is grabbing the ball and running with it instead of sitting in the stands time and again watching it go from place to place – observing other people’s game instead of pursuing your own. What’s the point, really?

At the heart of this hemming and hawing or general passivity lurk a few motivations, I believe. Sure, one can be sheer laziness: I want to show up and enjoy the community but not do the actual work. The thing is, those people eventually seem to float elsewhere over time. If you’re reading but consistently coming back, I think there’s something deeper at play. Call it self-directed stone-walling, an inward withholding from yourself – of better health and a better life.

Address whatever is going on – the nonsense about I’m not capable or I don’t deserve the good life in the same way other people do or it’s never really going to happen that way for me. Bull. Dump the self-defeating attitude. Resolve to end the self-sabotage. (Seriously, accept it for that.) Analyze it if you will, but the point is to move on even if you have to fake it until you make it. Fake the confidence if you don’t feel quite worthy. Fake the motivation if you feel (or even know) that you’re 100% lazy. Fake the self-image if you think on some subterranean level that you shouldn’t and won’t ever be thin/healthy/successful/happy. Faking it will at times hurt. It will take energy. It might even take more energy than working out and lifting the chopping knife to make yourself that Big A$$ Salad you’ve always meant to make for lunch. No matter. Work your own sense of worthiness or optimism or diligence as a muscle, and expect the same stress, fatigue and progress along the way.

So, have we cast every phantom excuse into the light of day? What’s left that’s keeping you hiding or distant? Are you willing to put it out there on public display? (Trust me, it will feel good having done it.)

By all means, read. Visit. Chat. But more than any of that, manifest. No one can do this part for you, but everything meaningful hinges on it. Make yourself a Primal plan every single day if you have to. What am I going to do today to get my butt in the game? Bring some chicken thighs and cut vegetables for lunch? Get sun over the weekend instead of sit inside? Hit the gym on the way home? Practice a mini power outage and be coaxed into a natural bedtime? Then do it. The next day, do it some more. Start edging out all the garbage that doesn’t work for you in your life and health. Come back for more ideas to elbow out more still. Nod less. Do more – today of course.

Anyone willing to admit being in the hot seat today? What’s been holding you back from taking the plunge? What’s the first thing you’re going to commit to right now? Does this ring true of your past with the PB? If so, what gave you the swift kick to get going? Looking forward to reading your thoughts… Thanks for stopping by today, everyone.

If you'd like to add an avatar to all of your comments click here!

Load Comments