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The Little-Known Secret To Perseverance That Anyone Can Learn Overnight I’d like to start a discussion about a serious subject if you’re game for it, and it’s gonna get a little personal if that’s ok with you. You see, all my life, I’ve been a rigorous planner. At face value, that sounds like a [...]  Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonivc It’s one of the biggest forms of internal resistance we face in our modern culture: “I don’t have enough time.” It’s true that this statement is often used as an excuse, but the bottom line is that we are busy. We feel like we don’t have enough time to do the basic things we need – or even the things we love. There are work commitments, family commitments, and a to-do list a mile long. Most of us are so busy we can barely even think, let alone make time for extra, non-essential activities such as exercise. It’s hard enough putting money in the bank and keeping food on the table day after day. Let’s face it. We’re busy people. Well, there is definitely some truth to those statements, but there’s also some truth to the notion that anyone can free up more time in their schedule so they can start doing the things they love. The cool part is that it’s much simpler than you might think. And I’m not just talking about 5-10 minutes here or there – even though that can add up if you manage your time well. I’m talking about potentially freeing up hours and hours of your schedule. What could you do with a few more hours today? “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other.” Unknown “May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions!” Joey Adams “I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.” Anais Nin Why I Don’t Make New Year’s ResolutionsMy wife will be the first to admit that I have a bad memory, but I honestly can’t remember EVER making a New Year’s resolution. Maybe I just don’t like commitment, or I’m a non-conformist rebel, but there has always been something about New Year’s resolutions that didn’t agree with me. It’s probably because our culture gets so infatuated with New Year’s resolutions every year. It’s in the news, on talk radio, daily shows and night shows. Fitness blogs and websites are among some of the most common places to read about New Year’s resolution strategies because of all the weight loss goals people usually have after the holidays. All those parties, special events, and family get-togethers create a social recipe of excess and undesirable weight gain. Now, since so much attention is given to New Year’s resolutions and we have access to such an abundance of information, you would think that we’d see dramatic changes in people’s lives throughout each year. I know this may come as a shock, but this isn’t the case. In my experience, New Year’s resolutions amount to little or no actual change in someone’s life. A New Year’s resolution is likened to a wish or a dream that can be ignored, forgotten or easily discarded at any time. So, every year, I’m faced with the decision about whether to set a New Year’s resolution, and every year I make the same choice. It’s a no-brainer. If it’s not working for the majority of people, then it’s probably not the best strategy. I’ll pass, thank you. I Need My Info-Fix Man!Our modern culture, and in particular, the widespread growth of the Internet, has spawned a new type of problem: infoholism. This disorder feeds on New Year’s resolutions. Like alcoholism, infoholism is an addiction, and once you get addicted, it’s hard to quit. Infoholism: (n) a chronic disorder marked by excessive and usually compulsive absorption of exorbitant amounts of information leading to psychological and physical dependence or addiction. Infoholic: (n) someone who is suffering from infoholism. I’ve been around fitness circles both online and offline for long enough to know an infoholic when I see one. It’s the guy or gal who has been on what seems like a life-long journey to discover the next best thing that can help them reach their health, fitness, or athletic goals. They read books, magazines, blogs and forums to get all the latest info – leaving no stone unturned. They can tell you all about the latest diets and fitness programs that were just released, along with the most promising upcoming supplement lines. An infoholic is a textbook know-it-all. This sounds like a special gift indeed. After all, who wouldn’t want to experience a greater acquisition of information? But there’s a dark side to the infoholism addiction. One of the side-effects of infoholism includes excessive and prolonged procrastination. This form of internal resistance does wonders for the infoholic, making it nearly impossible to apply all that information. Basically, an infoholic is someone with a mind brimming with ideas, but who cannot put those ideas to practical use. It’s the ADHD of knowledge. Infoholics are all talk, but no walk. All theory, no practice. Inert. Inept. Procrastination (I’ll Think of a More Specific Title Later)Both infoholics and New Year resolvers are facing the same problem. These people are wishful dreamers. While, they may not lack desire or access to information or resources, they lack action. They’ve probably also nurtured a habit of procrastination until it becomes an art form.  Photo Credit: www.despair.com Note: this post was actually inspired from my experience in childhood athletics. I grew up playing a variety of sports, and a common theme that kept coming up is that kids learn just as much playing a sport as they do in the classroom. My parents, teachers and coaches told me that sports taught us things like discipline, respect, and how to work as a team, and that’s true, but nobody told me what I’m about to share with you in this article. This is one of the most valuable lessons that a lifetime of athletics has taught me, and I wish I had learned it sooner. How Physical Transformation Can Be Used as a Springboard For Life TransformationOf course, you’ve heard that success is a skill (If you haven’t, then read part 1 of this article). Like any other skill, success itself can be practiced, trained, and developed over time. It’s not some rare phenomenon that happens by accident. It’s the result of applying a simple formula and taking a lot of deliberate, focused action until your goal is achieved. The skill of success is no different than any other physical skill such as martial art or fly fishing. Something else that’s cool about success is that it can be self-serving. In other words, experiencing success in one pursuit can lead to a greater likelihood of being successful in others. This means that you can actually take the skill of success and translate it into other areas of your life.  Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/documentingtrees/ For the last few years, I’ve used the pursuit of physical goals as a model for achieving other goals. In my case, it’s mostly been familial, business, and career goals, but the success formula can be applied to any endeavor. A physical transformation enables you to experience a sort of lifestyle testing grounds – boot camp for mastery over yourself. If you can achieve a fitness goal that once seemed impossible, then you develop a better ability to achieve seemingly impossible goals in other areas of your life. By simply striving for a health, fitness, or athletic goal, you are unconsciously programming your mind to succeed when you pursue other goals. A physical transformation creates a road map for how to succeed in the future. This has immense, life-changing implications! Imagine finding a formula that guaranteed success every time you applied it properly. Not only could this formula be used for fitness-type goals, but for almost any life goal, whether it be business-related, relationship-related – anything. Applying this technique can change your life, like it has mine. “You know, like nunchuk skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills. Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.” Napoleon Dynamite “Just one idea can change your life.” Earl Nightingale “To master one thing is to master 10,000.” Musashi Miyamoto success [səkˈsɛs] (noun) – an event that accomplishes its intended purpose; the attainment of a favorable or desired outcome; the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted; an action that immediately and involuntarily results in “the pump.”
We tend to equate success with the attainment of wealth and fame, but success isn’t merely reserved for that tiny sliver of potential. When you boil it down to its very essence, success is simply an event that accomplishes its intended purpose (that’s any event for any purpose). Today, I successfully got out of bed. I’m not rich or famous because of it it, but nevertheless, I was 100% successful in that activity. In fact, I’ve been practicing success all day long, and whether you’ve realized it or not, you too are a success MACHINE! You see, there’s no such thing as remaining stagnant. No matter what, we are always either progressing or regressing, succeeding or not succeeding. Regardless, we are constantly practicing success – either successfully or unsuccessfully (this will make sense later). Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. -Rocky (played by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky VI) This speech is taken from a scene out of the latest Rocky movie in which Rocky is giving some advice to his son. Everyone would benefit to internalize the mindset presented [...]
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“What gets measured, gets done.” Tom Peters