1) You’re the problem – This is step one to lasting change! If you are out of shape, overweight or generally not making the progress you deserve or want then you have got to accept that no one else is going to solve that for you. Face the fear and own the problem. People that are in great shape take deliberate action every day and leave nothing to chance. They prepare all their meals at the beginning of the week and have their protein and omega 3 supplements ready to go for after their workouts because they value their massive benefits. YOU can now start making better choices today in order to get your health back on track. You have to accept that there are certain foods and training methods that will not work for you as well as how your friends eat or train. You are an individual and you need to take ownership of every thing that you do!
You will only ever get one body and unlike your car, bike or phone your health and fitness is the most appreciating asset that you own. If you always put up barriers and give excuses like having a slow metabolism, poor genetics, being too busy or it not being the right time to start working on your goals then you throw away the power to change. From today onwards take responsibility for your self and take ownership of the fact that you CAN and WILL change.
2) Have An Inspirational Vision – A critical step to achieving any goal. Deciding on one goal that above all others will have a huge positive impact on your life is paramount. Once this goal have been decided you need to get really excited about striving to achieve it. This vision needs to be made so exciting to you that you can’t wait to get up in the morning and continue working on it, you go to bed thinking about it and just dreaming about it puts a smile on your face. Make this vision clear and as big as possible in your own mind.
Pick up a magazine and cut out the photo of the male/female that you want to look like and place it on your fridge. This will remind you to keep your vision in the forefront of your mind. I’m a firm believer that you are a product of your most dominant thoughts and that you become what you think about most. This means that if you are not constantly filling your mind full of that passionate vision, then you will not achieve it and you are more likely to eat bad foods and skip training sessions.
3) Create Reasons – Every major change that you have ever made comes with a big enough reason. A powerful vision must be coupled with a number of strong reasons as to why making the change to your life is going to make your life better. Create a list of reasons and make sure that they jump off the page at you. In order to be healthier you now have an image of the new you in your mind which is backed up with compelling reasons for why the change will be positive to you. These reasons must be repeatedly rehearsed again and again in order to make the changes permanent. The mind is your most powerful asset to lasting change and science has shown us that what we imagine in our mind will happen in reality. Dream a dream and then go out and make it reality. Have you got big enough reasons to back up your strong vision or are you going to continue to ask why?
4) Raise Your Own Standards – One of the single most powerful attributes that the professional athlete possesses is their incredibly high standards. There is always a pattern with successful clients and that is because they apply the same dedication, attention and planning to detail for their training and diet as they would to being successful in their career and family life. Like it or not, your body is a reflection of the standards that you hold for yourself.
People often ask me how I stay in shape and stick so vigorously to my diet and the simple reply that I give them is that I hold high standards for myself. I am always searching for constant and never-ending improvement. Change can happen in an instant but progress does not. This is what you work on day in and day out by forever feeding your inspirational vision. Successful clients will take daily steps no matter how small to bring their inspirational vision one step closer. Today you must find a way to raise the standards that you hold for yourself with no more excuses. We all have the same 24 hours in a day but it is up to you on how you spend those valuable hours. Life is what you make it!
5) Are You Just Asking? – When I am out socialising and people find out what I do for work it is always followed with the question of – how can I lose weight, drop body fat, have more energy etc. I don’t mind answering these questions but I have often found that some people have a real interest and want to know the answer whilst others are just asking. The people that are just asking will end up asking a lot of questions as they prefer to keep asking questions rather than getting down to putting in the hard training sessions and being honest with their diet. My successful clients ask questions to further their knowledge and to find out how they can apply the information as soon as possible. They enjoy the challenge of training and love the feeling of exercising and having a clean diet as it keeps their exciting vision of the new them at the forefront of their mind. These successful clients will then surround themselves with other like-minded people that they can then encourage or be encouraged to keep striving towards their vision.
If you really want to know how to make lasting change in your life then you can now apply all five steps. If you are just asking then I hope one day you get the motivation you need to stop asking and take action on that big vision of yours.
Isn’t it time to make you stronger than your excuses?
