Quitters, Campers, and Climbers of Fat loss and life.....

What does it take to succeed in life?

Why do some people face adversity and soar to new heights while others give up? According to author Paul Stoltz, it comes down to a person’s AQ or “adversity quotient.” In his book, Adversity Quotient, Stoltz says that a person’s adversity quotient has a greater influence on his success than his intelligence, education, or social skills. After a lifetime of study, Stoltz says there are three kinds of people in life: quitters, campers, and climbers.

Quitters see a mountain and give up. These are people who face life’s adversity and opt out, cop out, back out, and drop out. They see the mountain and abandon the climb. They abandon their dreams and take the easier path. Quitters use the language of limitation—words like can’t,” “won’t,” and “impossible” and phrases like “We’ve always done it that way,” “It’s not fair,” “That will not work,” and “I’m too young, old, fat, skinny, tall, short, weak, male, or female.”

Campers see a mountain and settle down. These people start the climb but become weary and look for a smooth, comfortable plateau on which to avoid adversity. They focus their energy on filling their tents with material goods and settle into a convenient and comfortable lifestyle. They usually have decent jobs with good pay and benefits; however, their days of excitement, learning, growth, and creativity are long gone.By waiting out the storm, they wait out life and succumb to the gravitational pull of the campground.

Climbers see a mountain and grab their gear. Regardless of their background, disadvantages, or misfortune, these people continue the ascent. They refuse to allow age, gender, race, physical or mental disability, or any kind of obstacle to get in their way. To climbers, the campground is a base camp; to campers it is home.Climbers use language like “do right,” “do your best,” “let’s see it happen,” and “how.” They speak of possibility, challenge, and things as they can be.


Think
What is your adversity quotient? Do you see yourself as a quitter, a camper, or a climber?

Can you point to a time or event in your past where you stopped being a climber and became a quitter or a camper? What happened? How might you regain the “climber” spirit?

Reflect
Ask yourself ,"where is my climber’s attitude"— how can you remove the tendency to give up or settle in, and to fill each moment in your day with a “let’s see it happen” spirit.

Act
If you are a quitter or a camper, the good news is, you don’t have to stay that way! How might you begin to make the transformation into becoming a climber? Start with small steps, but don’t hesitate. Begin
now!