The Anti-Aging Pro

The culprit that prevents so many of us from attaining noble goals in life, including those in health and anti-aging, appeared in the last post — a thing Steven Pressfield calls Resistance in his book, The War of Art.

How does one overcome such a powerful enemy of success? Can you prevail?

“If Resistance couldn’t be beaten, there would be no Fifth Symphony, no ‘Romeo and Juliet’, no Golden Gate Bridge. Defeating Resistance is like giving birth. It seems absolutely impossible until you remember that women have been pulling it off successfully, with support and without, for fifty million years.”

Turning Pro

A Pro doesn’t dabble in his vocation. A Pro shows up to play every day, game face on. A Pro knows where he is going, loves the journey, is prepared to take the blows enroute, and never quits.

“Resistance hates it when we turn pro.”

Traits of the Anti-Aging Pro

The Pro knows that the anti-aging journey is a marathon, not a sprint. The Pro knows that he needs patience — that results won’t miraculously appear overnight.

The Pro is organised. Coordinating a proper diet, adequate exercise, plenty of sleep, and continuous learning takes time and careful planning.

The Pro is afraid. Afraid of the challenge ahead. Afraid of the effort it will take along the journey. But he knows that once he starts the workout, plans the weekly meals, enrols in the yoga class, the fear will dissipate.

The Pro knows how to resist temptation. He doesn’t let the warm bed stop him from diving out into the cold morning air for his run. He won’t give in to the delicious-looking photo of the cheesecake on the dessert menu. To give in today will increase the likelihood of giving in tomorrow.

The Pro never stops learning. He educates himself on the best way to structure his workouts. He studies hard to learn the key ingredients to healthy eating. Mastering the disciplines required to become an anti-ager is a lifelong quest.

The Pro stays the course. He has set his autopilot and doesn’t waiver. If certain foods are banished from his diet, he ignores the teasing and biting comments. He doesn’t stay at the bar for one more round, knowing that 6AM and a date at the gym comes quickly.

And most of all, the Pro knows that Resistance exists only in his head. It feeds on his fear, which he refuses to yield. The true enemy, Resistance, lies within. Resistance is beaten by keeping on keeping on.

“There’s no mystery to turning pro. It’s a decision brought about by an act of will. We make up our mind to view ourselves as pros and we do it. Simple as that.”