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No More Weighing Yourself
The danger of metrics and measuring/weighing yourself:
The ability to LOSE COURAGE and LOSE FAITH in yourself after measuring yourself to arbitrary numbers.
Gain or Lose?
I weighed myself today (after not weighing myself for 3 weeks) and I felt a bit discouraged — I lost weight (dropped from 175 to 165).
Now, some people delight in losing weight, whereas some (weight lifters) prefer to GAIN weight.
Why so much obsession with weight? Being able to track and measure yourself (our ‘quantified self‘ ideology which permeates our modern life).
Our self-esteem tied to metrics?
Did the ancient heroes of the Iliad tie their self-esteem or wealth to their weight, or even the weight of their gold? Of course not. Their self-esteem was based on how much courage they exhibited in battle. Their self-esteem was all about their personal bravery, NOT their “metrics” or their “progress” in life.
An experiment
Moving forward, I will STOP MEASURING myself, or my metrics. My new ruler of my self-esteem:
When I exhibit courage, or when I exhibit cowardice.
Perhaps even with powerlifting — it ain’t about how much you can ultimately lift, but whether you’re pushing yourself to the max or the limit (and not being afraid!)
This is why the best test for my bravery in powerlifting:
Attempting a lift, ALMOST getting it up, but failing (in a small degree).
Thus perhaps we should celebrate and exult more when we fail — it is a sign that we aren’t chickenshit! We are courageous enough to push ourselves to the max. Failing is simply a sign that you ATTEMPTED your maximum, and you’re just a little bit off. More training, then you’re good!
- Powerlifting while Fasting
- The Zen of Powerlifting
- The Empowering Feeling of Failure
- Recovery vs Augmentation
- Why Photographers Should Deadlift
- How to Deadlift 405+ Pounds
What else to NOT track?
- Don’t track your “productivity”. Ironically when I don’t track how productive I am, I am actually more productive.
- Don’t weigh yourself on a scale. If your desire is to lose bodyfat, just pinch your belly to see how much you got. If your desire is to put on muscle mass, just flex in the mirror (naked) before you take a shower (best to do this in the privacy of your own home).
- Don’t track social media likes, follows, views, etc. I’ve disabled stats for my blog/website the last 7 years, and it has been the most empowering feeling. I follow my own gut instead of the metrics!
- Stop using social media (Facebook/Instagram) which fucks with your self-esteem (social media monetizes by metricating your emotions, social status, and self-worth).
- Whenever possible, strive to de-metricate yourself.
ERIC
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