“I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.” Jim Rohn
I have worked with 1,000’s of people over the years looking to improve their health, their physique, their lives.
Most people come to me looking for what they need to add to see success. In truth most people will see more success from what they give up. [activecampaign form=82]
1. Give up the unhealthy lifestyle
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place where you have to live.” JIm Rohn
It all starts here. Everything is better when you are healthy.
- You know when you eat foods you shouldn’t. Stop it.
- Exercise
EXERCISE spills over. There’s something about it that makes other good habits easier. When people start habitually EXERCISING, even as infrequently as once a week, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. Typically, people who EXERCISE start eating better and become more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit card less and say they feel less stressed. It’s not completely clear why. But for many people, EXERCISE is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change.
2. Give up short term thinking. “You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.”
Successful people are always thinking long term. Quick fixes, immediate gratifications, crash diets, all need to stop. Create long term goals and aim at daily habits that will lead to the long term goal.
Habits shouldn’t be something you do. They need to be something you are. The is a difference between working out to get in shape for a wedding and working out because that’s who you are.
Short term thinkers say it’s “only” one can of soda per day, which is “only” 150 calories, which is “only” about 55,000 more calories in the year, which will mean “only” 15 pounds of added fat, which in “only” 4 years has you 60 pounds heavier.
It’s the small daily decisions that create huge long term results. Focus on the long term.
3. Give up Excuses “Don’t wish it was easier, work to get better. Don’t wish for less problems, work for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, work for more wisdom.”
Take responsibility for everything that happens in your life, good and bad. Knowing that you are responsible for what happens next in your life is both frightening and exciting. This is the only way to succeed. Excuses limit you from growing personally, physically, and professionally.
4. Give up searching for the “magic bullet.” Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.
Successful people know that making small continuous improvement every day, will compound over time, give them desired results, and create a ripple effect to improve the lives of people around them.
The advocare 24 day challenge, isagenix 9 day cleanse, and herbalife 3 day pack, are just a few examples of the short term thinking magic bullets that will do nothing more than drain your wallet. Click on those links to see how bad those products truly are. [activecampaign form=82]
5. Give up perfection.
I have beautiful women complain to me about the tiny bit of “fat” on their belly, that their quads are a little too muscular, or they show me a picture of a girl in a magazine and ask how to look like that. Guess what? The girl in the magazine doesn’t look like that either.
Spend more time being grateful for all your great qualities while continuing to work on the rest. Nothing is going to be perfect no matter how hard you try.
6. Give up Toxic People “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
I am amazed by the number of people age 40+ that go drinking every weekend. Sometimes you have to let go of friends to improve yourself. When you do you will make new friends who bring you up. It’s hard at first but very much worth it in the end.
If you spend time with people more advanced than you, no matter how challenging that might be, you will be more successful.
7. Give up TV
I don’t miss it. At all. You won’t either. Take that TV time and interact with your family/friends. Read a book.
“The Truth” is a great one to start with.
8. Give up saying YES to everything
It’s okay to say NO to tasks, activities, and demands from your friends, family, and colleagues if it doesn’t support your goals. “No I can’t go drinking tonight. I’m getting up early to go hiking.” It may be hard it first, but you’ll find it is worth it in the long run.
9. Give up creating your own stress
I was shocked with how many people randomly brought up how stressed they were because of Christmas. How? You get more time off work, you get to see friends and family and you get a free pass to overeat.
If you don’t want to travel a long ways then don’t. If buying or even accepting gifts stresses you don’t do it. You don’t have to conform to social norms. In fact it’s almost always best to go against the norms.
If you are feeling stressed ask yourself if it’s really worth it or really that big of a deal? It’s almost never worth stressing about.
Action Step
Start with your health. Join an exercise group to help motivate you and keep you accountable. This one step will help all the other steps fall into place. That’s one of the main reasons I created Eupraxia. I have an endless supply of workout partners to keep me inspired, keep me motivated, and help me to be better at being a good example.
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