Does Analysis Paralysis Have You Wasting Years?
I’m just going to be honest (because when am I not?)—
You’re probably stressing over the most insignificant decision you’ll ever make.
We tend to do that when we want something new in our lives.
It becomes especially hard when we think about a giant change because our brains want to focus on each and every tiny piece of the puzzle, and those tiny pieces keep us from moving forward.
Lots of people have trouble with the small details. They mull over them for weeks or months.
The biggest one with people brand new to exercise: What gym should I join?
I swear, I spent months thinking about that before I ever made a damned decision about it, and I know many people who spent the same amount of time on that decision.
Why?
Chances are, if you’re brand new to exercise, overweight, out of shape, etc, you’re probably going to start with the basic bitch stuff anyway. The gym you choose is an insignificant decision in the long run. Just start somewhere. You can always change later.
The same goes for a pair of shoes.
As a running coach, I acknowledge the science that it’s helpful to have your gait analyzed by a shoe specialist. They are great at providing a solid recommendation for shoes.
You should buy new shoes. I don’t recommend not buying new shoes.
Do I think, in my honest opinion, that the shoes you buy are going to make or break your running career when you’re first starting out? FAAAAACK NO.
When I started, I bought a pair of God knows what sort of Nikes (they sure as fuck weren’t for running) and I chose them because they were on sale.
When I started back running in 2017 after a few years’ break, I went to the store and said “I’m fat. What do you recommend?”
They recommended Asics.
After a year and a half, I realized I didn’t like the Asics, so I switched to Altra’s. I’m on maybe my 8th (?) pair of Altra Escalante shoes. And guess what? When and if I ever hate those, I’ll just change to a new kind.
These are not life-altering decisions. Just make one and move on.
The only thing you should take into consideration is whether or not it’s financially affordable. Otherwise, fucking swipe the credit card.
People will waste years on the insignificant details in getting started. Everything can be changed.
If I stressed over the copy for Get the Fuck Off the way that people stress over buying a shirt, you’d never be reading this.
Analysis Paralysis is real, but you can get past it by breaking things into small chunks, and by rapidly going through decisions that aren’t going to tremendously impact your life.
It’s a pair of socks. You’re not deciding on having a child. Buy Balega. Swipe the credit card and move on.
I created a FREE email series to help all of you who are just starting out on your wellness journies. It’s called “Drunk and FAT to Fit and FIERCE in Ten Days.” It’s packed with information, so you don’t want to miss out.
