Overlooking The Obvious

Here’s what overlooking the obvious means to me.

You’re franticly looking around for your car keys, which were in your hand the whole time. Or you are wondering why your friend hasn’t responded to your text message, but you look at your phone and you didn’t press send.  

Overlooking the obvious. It’s something most of you do and I’m definitely no exception.

Humans generally tend to make things or potential solutions more difficult than they need to be. It’s like reading a contract and going straight to the fine print because you are concerned with the finer details.

But this is when you’ll miss the big rocks in front of you.

Some people do this to take advantage of others and some because they can’t believe the solution is that simple. Here’s a personal example.

Overlooking the Obvious for Money

A while back, water was leaking into the back cab of my Ford F-150. Every time it rained the backseats were soaked and I had no idea why this was happening. Did I leave the windows open? Was there a hole in the roof? No, it was none of these things.

Now after racking my brains,  I took my car to the Ford dealership to get to the root of the problem. Now Ford said it was serious, and they needed to pull everything apart to find the source of the issue. This was probably going to cost me some coin.

But then my wife did a quick Google search on this problem and found out Ford F-150 owners had similar problems because the seal on the brake light on the back cab gets worn out and leaks water.

I called Ford, picked up my car, and my wife fixed the seal around the brake light. Bobs your uncle problem solved

Most likely this Ford dealership knew this problem but wanted to make it serious to extract money from my wallet. As I said, overlooking the obvious for cash, does happen. Why anyone lies about anything in the age of Google is beyond me because it is easily exposed.

Personal Problems Simple Solutions

Being a fitness professional for over 13 years, potential clients and clients have come to me with all sorts of issues. Things like being underweight, overweight, out-of-shape, lacking strength, or suffering from chronic pain. These are serious issues for the client for sure as they take away their quality of life and may even shorten their life.

Because of the seriousness to the client, some feel these problems require complex solutions like an elaborate diet with lots of ‘rules.’ Or some complex resistance training program will have all kinds of bells and whistles to whip them into shape or to get Michelle Obama’s arms.

Man, I’ve been wanting to get her in a conversation for ages, and I succeeded. Yeah me.

Anyhow, get the picture? A serious problem with a complex solution. Some problems require complex solutions but when it comes to a lot of general health & fitness issues, the solution is simple.  And this should be most people’s starting point

Because you (and I) cannot see the forest through the trees. What the heck am I yapping on about? Here are a couple of examples.

Want to get stronger? Lift weights.

Losing body fat, a goal?  Reduce your calories and increase the quality of the food you eat.

Underweight? Eat more.

Overweight? Reduce your calorie intake.

Out of Shape? Try to move more and sit less.

Looking at the obvious is what most of us need to do when starting something new or when you have lost your keys. As you go on, things may need more complicated solutions but at the start, you don’t. Don’t skip to the fine print but focus on the big rocks to get to where you want to go faster.

Looking at the Obvious and Discounting One’s Self

Recently I was having a conversation with a female client who was discounting herself and frustrated because she was comparing her progress to other ladies who live in her neighborhood.

It was obvious these ladies are thin and attractive. And at face value, they had a lot going for them. But so does my client but she didn’t see that at the time because she was caught playing the comparison game.

Now it is okay to compare your progress against someone else to motivate you to do better.

But when you discount your progress because of comparing yourself to someone else’s self-representation of their ideal, this a game you will always lose.

At times, it’s obvious someone has a lot going for them, is bigger than you, has more money than you, or is better looking than you. But let it motivate you to do better and don’t let it take away from your progress.

Wrapping Up

Overlooking the obvious is one of these doh moments. It’s like why didn’t I think of this in the first place? Try to think simple before you think complicated and hopefully you will find your keys, get stronger, lose fat, and get in better shape.

Now, where did I leave my phone?

Email: shanemcleantraining@gmail.com