Do You Cheat?

Cheating is a strong word. It can be as innocent as a kid trying to get further in a game, or as deadly as breaking a trust bond in a marriage. But when we start to think of the WHY in cheating, what causes us to – and why we do it, it ultimately comes down to a lack of commitment.

Being in the health and wellness world, I always get asked about the latest trends in the space. Diets, workout plans, technology, and everything else under the stars. I do my best to stay on top of every single trend I can, even putting myself through different diets or workout plans, and getting my hands on the latest wearable tech so I can form my honest scientific opinion to better talk about these items.

And my result with the trends in the diet world is this: the best diet is no diet at all. Just eating healthy.

Do You Cheat?

I often see and hear diet plans that offer a “Cheat” meal – or sometimes even a Cheat Day (See my review on the 4 Hour Body). Even if you are on your own “regular” diet – you cheat. When people are on a diet, they cheat. Everyone does. Because they get bored. Even built in cheat meals are there to make sure that you can go get some guilty free food, because it was your cheat day. So we cheat…

But let me ask you this – if it is OK to cheat on your diet, what else is it OK to cheat on?

Is it OK to cheat in school?

Is it OK to cheat on taxes?

Is it OK to cheat on your spouse?

1330-cheatingMost (wish I could say ALL) would probably say that NO – it isn’t ok to do any of those. And if you ask why – they would say something along being dishonest, not being morally right, and NOT SHOWING COMMITMENT TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Cheating is doing something because you don’t want the commitment. Think about – every single time you cheat on anything- doesn’t matter what it it – you are NOT committed to what you are trying to accomplish.

Cheating in school? You are not committed to putting in the time or energy that it takes to pull the good grades and actually learn what you are trying to retain.

Cheating on taxes? You are not committed to putting in the time or energy that it takes to get the monetary results that you want. You want more, so manipulating your numbers is how you are going to get it, rather than find other means to increase cash flow.

Cheating on your spouse? You are not committed to the time or energy it takes to nurture a relationship. You want a quick resolution to your needs, whether emotionally or sexually, so you go someplace else rather than cultivating it with your own spouse.

Your diet is no different. When you cheat on your diet, you are not committed to the time or energy that it takes to eat and get healthy, so you throw a cheat day in there to enjoy your diet, without the restriction.

That isn’t results. That is lack of commitment.

And lack of commitment is lack of commitment. I don’t care what area of your life you are not committed to, if you don’t commit in one area, how can you commit in others? If you cheat on a diet – what else will you cheat on?

I know that is a very bold statement, but think about it. If you are willing to take shortcuts to your health to get to a quicker point of satisfaction or a false sense of satisfaction, what is stopping you from doing that in other areas of your life?

On the other side of that point, if you can stay committed to everything you take on in your life, that will develop the habit of commitment, make you mentally strong and commit to whatever you are doing.

You are either all in – or not in at all

If you aren’t giving 100% in what you are doing – whatever it is – you are wasting your time.

ironman-cheatingYour health, your work, your relationships, your ability to cheer for your favorite sports team, whatever you are doing you need to be 100% committed to living that.

Now – that doesn’t mean you have to be disappointed in what you are committed to. There are plenty of ways to enjoy a commitment without having to feel like it is a prison.

Diet got you down? You don’t have to eat all salads all the time. You can actually eat food! Eat real foods – not too much – win more than you lose. Focus mostly on eating healthy foods in moderation, and when those happy hours with the boys get the best of you – count it as a loss and move forward to mark a win. It’s not cheating, it is commitment to get where you want to be.

Relationship got stagnant? This is one I am passionate about. It seems in our age right now, people get married and get bored very quickly and either cheat, or simply divorce out. And most of the time – this can be resolved by putting passion back into the relationship. I am no relationship expert, but I do know passion and what it can do to people. Mix it up. Do something different. There is no rule book on how you run your relationship.

But here is where people fall short on their commitments: IT TAKES WORK TO STAY COMMITTED.

Human nature wants us to take the easy route. That is just what we do. We want to find the thing that yields the most pleasure, and avoids the biggest amount of pain. That’s life. So when we are presented with obstacles that try to derail us of our commitments that we make, there is a lot of time that it is just easier to give in that work and stay committed.

It is just easy to swing through the drive through that go home and cook. Cooking is work.

It is just easy to write the answers on a card and sneak it into class rather than retaining information. Learning is work.

It is easy to get a divorce, or go get my needs fulfilled else where, than trying to get my relationships to work right. Relationships are work.

NEVER STOP WORKING

NocheatingCommitment is work. Real results come from real work. You get out of life what you put in. Half ass diet = half ass health. Half ass study habits = half ass greats. Half ass work in your relationships = half ass relationships. It isn’t until you 100% commit to what you are doing – whatever it is – that you will stay on course and get every single result you every wanted out of life. But you must commit 100% of everything you have in everything you do to do that. Don’t kind of commit, don’t commit to one area of your life – commit to everything and to everything commit

Yes – that means you have to work.

Yes – that means you have to get uncomfortable.

Yes – it does take some time.

And YES – you will see a difference in your life if you do that.

To Your Success-

Zach