“There is no accountability in the public school system – except for coaches. You know what happens to a losing coach. You fire him. A losing teacher can go on losing for 30 years and then go to glory.” Ross Perot in The Dallas Morning News, March 11, 1984
Accountability is one of those things that doesn’t receive the respect and acknowledgment its necessity deserves. By definition it means: “Liable to being called to account; responsible. Capable of being explained.” If a person is accountable to another (as in an employee to an employer or a husband to a wife) then they are held responsible for their actions, decisions and outcomes. Many people feel that they are above being held accountable for various reasons. Poor role models is at the top of the list, I would suspect.
We’ve all seen examples of individuals and organizations that have been toppled by scandal, deception, lies and negligence of trust. Presidents and monarchs have felt the sting of it. The scandal at Enron left many people who thought they had their future savings and investments covered without a dime. All because of a lack of accountability.
That isn’t quite the level of accountability I’m discussing here, and I’m not suggesting that you’re in that “club”. However, it all runs in the same pack. Being accountable to someone isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it is one of the most powerful ways to keep an individual focused, directed and motivated to achieve success.
The Bible states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) This is the essence of accountability, having someone to answer to, to converse with and with whom to exchange thoughts and ideas with respect to your aspirations.
For some, being a self motivator is not an issue. They are driven to succeed and have a clear picture of what it is they desire and just how to go about it. That’s fine, and clearly an advantage. But even a “go-getter” like that needs someone to challenge them to reach higher, shoot straighter and aim farther. We all need it. This is the essence of accountability.
Think of this individual, or better yet, a group of individuals, as partners. Accountability partners. People who care enough about you and your future to come along beside you and help you reach for the gold ring. In his dynamic book, “Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill labeled this as “the mastermind principle.” (If you haven’t read “Think and Grow Rich” yet, here’s the part where, as your accountability partner I ask the question, “What are you waiting for? Do it NOW!) No matter what you call it, the principle of accountability is of vital importance to helping you achieve the rewards and fruits of your labor.
Maybe you don’t see how this could benefit you. That’s O.K.; I’m going to lay it out here. Say for example you have a goal to run a marathon in six months. You find an accountability partner who wants to see you do well or maybe they’re running in a race as well. You simply ask each other questions to keep each other on track. Questions like:
• Sleep: “Are you getting enough sleep each night?”
“If not, how much are you getting?” “How do you plan to change?”
• Medicine: “Are you taking your medication daily?”
“If not, how often are you taking it?” “How do you plan to change?”
• Exercise: “Are you following you exercise plan daily?”
“If not, how often are you exercising?” “How do you plan to change?”
• Eating: “Are you eating properly at each meal?”
“If not, what are you eating/not eating?” “How do you plan to change?”
• Substance: “Are you staying off harmful substances?”
“If not, when and how often have you taken them?” “How do you plan to change?”
This is just one example of how an accountability partner can benefit you on the path to success and fulfillment. I’m sure you can think of other ways to put this vital tool to good use. Use it and reap the rewards you’re after. We need accountability partners for true achievement. After all, what use is there is achieving a goal if you have no one with which to share the success? Leo Buscaglia once wrote, “We are each of us angels with one wing and we can truly only fly when we hold on to one another.”
Now you think about that.
Your old buddy, Steve
Filed under Successful Fat Loss by on Sep 1st, 2010. Comment. 
Continued from the previous post:
The seven steps to goal setting success
There are time tested, proven principles to achieving any goal. Here they are:
1) Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want.
It is imperative one adhere to this part of the equation for success. A strong desire and personal affinity for a goal will motivate you to take the action necessary to see it through to fruition. You must strive for something you really want to achieve, not something that just sounds good.
When setting goals it is also very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values.
2) A goal cannot contradict any of your other goals.
You can’t buy a $1,000,000 home if the goal for your yearly income is just $50,000. This is a “non-integrated thought process” which will guarantee frustration and disrupt all of the hard work you put into your goals. Non-integrated thinking can also get in the way of your everyday thoughts. We should continually strive to eliminate conflicting ideas from our thinking.
3) Develop goals in the 6 major areas of life.
Family and Home
Financial and Career
Spiritual and Ethical
Physical and Health
Social and Cultural
Mental and Educational
Setting goals in each of these areas will help to ensure a more balanced way of life for you as you begin to examine and change the basics of day-to-day living. Setting goals in each area of life also helps in eliminating the non-integrated thinking mentioned above.
4) Write your goal in the positive instead of the negative.
In order to maintain motivation one must focus their thoughts on what they want and desire rather than what they wish to eliminate. If your focus is on what you want to leave behind your powerful subconscious mind will be drawn to it. An old saying states, “What we focus on most in life grows.” A large part of why we write down and examine our goals is to create a specific set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out.
Your subconscious mind is a very proficient instrument; it cannot determine right from wrong and it does not judge. Its’ only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get. Writing, “I want to be a size 7 with 13 percent body fat by June 15th” is much more positive and empowering than one written, “I don’t want to be a size 13 anymore.” Can you see the difference?
Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a human being. Don’t limit it to goal setting.
5) Write your goal out in complete and specific detail.
Instead of writing “I want a car,” in its place write “I want a navy blue 2007 Pontiac Gran Prix convertible with a navy blue leather interior, multi disc CD player, a Garmon GPS system by June 15th.” This is much more specific and detailed in its description.
By utilizing specificity we are again giving the subconscious mind a detailed set of instructions to work on. The more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the subconscious mind can become.
Can you close your eyes and visualize the vehicle I described above? Now take it out on the open road and feel the comfort of the leather under you. Listen to the stereo. Notice the clouds in the horizon and feel the wind on your face as you cruise down a beach highway. Can you see it? So can your subconscious mind.
6) By all means, make sure your goal is high enough.
Shoot for the moon; if you miss you’ll still be in the stars. This does not in any way contradict the instruction above to set your goals at the right level. Failure to set your goal high enough will not motivate you to strive for its achievement. Andrew Carnegie said, “Anything worth having in life is worth working for.” Shoot for the moon!
7) This is the most important principle: Write down your goals and set a deadline for their achievement.
Writing down your goals creates the roadmap to your success. Simply the act of writing them down can set the process in motion. However, it is also extremely important to review your goals frequently. Remember, keeping your focus on your goals helps to better ensure that you are likely to accomplish them.
Occasionally we have to revise a goal as circumstances arise and other goals change. If you need to change a goal do not consider it a failure, consider it a victory as you had the insight and wherewithal to comprehend something was different and needed adjustment.
By setting a practical, realistic deadline, you let your subconscious mind push you to achievement by that date. If circumstances arise which meddle with your deadline, simply move the deadline. It’s your goal and you’re in charge. Remember, a goal without a deadline is a dream!
Your goals are written down. Now what?
First and foremost, unless an individual is essential to helping you reach your goal(s), do not share them with others. The possible negative reactions and attitudes from friends, family and neighbors can drag you down quickly. It’s very important that your self-talk (the thoughts in your head which communicate with your subconscious mind) remain positive and focused on your goal.
You must review your goals daily to in order to solidify them to your resolve and make them an indelible part of your thinking. This must become as much a part of your daily routine as eating or brushing your teeth if you’re truly serious about success in goal setting.
Place your goal sheet in a place where each morning when you wake up you can read them.
Visualize with feeling the completed goal; see the new home, smell the leather seats in your new car, feel the cold hard cash in your hands. Then each night, right before you go to bed, repeat the process. This process is extremely critical to keeping both your subconscious and conscious mind consistently working toward your goals. This step also initiates the substitution of negative self-talk you may have and replaces it with positive self-talk.
One final point: Every time you have an opportunity to make a decision during the day, ask yourself this question, “Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal.” If the answer is “closer to,” then you’ve made the right decision. If the answer is “further from,” well, you know what to do. By choosing to follow this process everyday you will be well on your way to achieving unlimited success in every aspect of your life.
Steve
Filed under Successful Fat Loss by on Aug 27th, 2010. Comment.
“In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” Robert Heinlein (1907 – 1988)
Everyone, and I mean everyone, should be aware of the importance of goal setting for any level of success. There are countless stories of success all derived from setting goals and then striving for them. However, in the real world, barely three percent of individuals have clearly written, specific goals with deadlines for their achievement. Why? I think it has something to do with the content in the first section of this message. (See: Fear)
Most people never even bother with putting their goals down on paper. This is the Grand Master of all mistakes on the road to the successful attainment of goals. It’s almost a guarantee of failure with respect to goal setting success. Of those who do take the time to write goals down, those who fail to reach their goals generally do so for one of four reasons:
1) Establishing goals based on outcome rather than performance. This is very important. Take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible – there is nothing as disappointing as failing to achieve a personal goal for some reason that is out of your control such as bad business deal, poor officiating, inclement weather, an injury, or just plain bad coincidence. Goals based on outcomes are extremely vulnerable to failure because of things beyond your control.
By basing your goals on personal performance or skills or some knowledge to be obtained, you keep control over the achievement of your goals and draw satisfaction from them. For example, bodybuilders often achieve their personal best shape for a particular competition, but not receive one of the top three placement positions because of the subjective nature of the competition. If this person had set an outcome goal of being in the top three, then this will be a defeat. If they had set a performance goal of achieving a particular level of muscularity, body fat percentage, etc then they would have achieved the goal and could draw satisfaction and self-confidence from its achievement.
Another flaw is where outcome goals are based on the reward of achieving something, like perhaps a financial amount or the recognition of colleagues. In the early stages these will be highly motivating factors; however as they are achieved, the benefits of further achievement at the same level reduce. You will become progressively less motivated.
2) A failure to set specific goals. Here, clarity is king and brings one definiteness of purpose. You must set specific, measurable goals. If you achieve all conditions of a measurable goal, then you can be confident and comfortable of its achievement. If you consistently fail to meet a measurable goal, then you can adjust it or evaluate the reason for failure and take appropriate action to improve your skills.
3) Setting unrealistic goals. Goals may be set unrealistically high for the following reasons:
· Other people: Other people (family, the media, the culture) can set unrealistic goals for you, based on what they want. This is likely done in total disdain and disregard for your goals, desires and ambitions.
· Insufficient information: If you do not have a clear, realistic understanding of what you are trying to achieve and of the skills and knowledge to be mastered, it is difficult to set effective and realistic goals.
· Always expecting your best performance: Many people base their goals on their best performance, however long ago that was. This denies the expected lackluster performance that can occur for several reasons, and ignores the factors that led to that best particular performance. It is better to set goals that raise your average performance and make it more consistent.
· Lack of respect for self: You must respect your right to rest, relaxation and pleasure in life or else you risk certain burnout.
4) Setting goals too low. Consequently, goals can be set too low because of:
· Fear of failure: If you are frightened of failure you will not take the risks needed for optimum performance. As you put into operation the techniques of goal setting and see the achievement of goals, your self- confidence should increase, helping you to take bigger risks. We covered this earlier. Know this: Failure is a positive thing which can show you the areas where you are able to improve your skills and performance.
· Taking it too easy: It is easy to take the reasons for not setting goals unrealistically high as an excuse to set them too low. If you’re not prepared to stretch yourself and work hard (get out of the comfort zone), then you are extremely unlikely to achieve anything of any real worth.
Setting Goals at the Right Level
Practice will teach you to set your goals at the correct level. You should set goals so that they are slightly out of your immediate grasp, but not so far that there is no hope of achieving them: no one will put serious effort into achieving a goal that they believe is unlikely. Please don’t be fooled by this. Just because a goal may seem out of reach doesn’t mean it really is out of reach. Such a belief can be changed by the proper employment of imagery and visualization.
Personal factors such as physical or mental stress, prior commitments and the need for rest, etc. should be taken into account when goals are set. Afterward, review the goals you have set, and then measure them against the points above. Adjust them to meet the recommendations and then review them. You should now be able to see the importance of setting goals effectively.
Thinking a goal through
By asking yourself the following questions when you are thinking about how to achieve goals, you can better focus on the smaller steps that lead to their achievement:
· What skills do I need to achieve this?
· What information and knowledge do I need?
· What help, assistance, or collaboration do I need?
· What resources, knowledge or material do I need?
· What can block my progress?
· Am I making any assumptions?
· Is there a better way of doing things?
Next time: The seven steps to goal setting success.
Filed under Successful Fat Loss by on Aug 24th, 2010. Comment.
Here it is, the next installment from “The 7 Roadblocks to Health and Fitness Success.”
Please enjoy,
Steve
Procrastination is, in all probability, second behind fear in its menacing appearance of ominous-ness and ability to thwart individual success. Like Forrest Gump and Jenny, fear and procrastination are the “peas and carrots” of personal success roadblocks. This is because procrastination is a slow killer; patient, tolerant and unassuming. Its effects, however, are felt for long periods after the damage has been done. Sadly, when opportunity does knock for many people, procrastination is more than happy to quietly shut the door.
I like the way Dennis Waitley says it, “Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.”
“Someday I’ll….” Can you take a cruise ship to Someday Isle? I doubt it. And if you could, it would be delayed in leaving. Maybe you could pay for it with the Visa Procrastination Card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill! (Get it? A procrastination joke!)
We are all acutely and intimately familiar with procrastination and its effects. So what, if anything, can we do about it? In almost all cases, procrastination can be eradicated by a change of perspective and by simply asking oneself a better quality question.
Steven Covey , in his landmark book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” states the process this way: “Begin with the end in mind.” In other words, focus on the reward instead of the process. We all know the process usually stinks; it’s the reward we’re after. I have a client in his mid-seventies who tells me that his friends ask him if he really enjoys working out. He tells them, “No. I enjoy having worked out.” He gets it! He’s after the reward. Can you relate?
Here’s a scenario: Let’s say you’re lying in bed one cold December morning. The temperature outside is about 34 degrees (if you lived in San Antonio, Texas like me that would seem dang cold!) and it’s raining. Your alarm rings at precisely 6:30 a.m. If you’re focused on the process of getting up, walking across the cold floor, driving in the rain to the gym and working out, you’ll never make it. It’s back under the covers you go!
However, if your focus is on the reward in the body you want, living longer so your kids benefit from your existence, the work you’ve got ahead of you and the energy you’ll need to complete it successfully, you will be motivated to get up and get going!
Success coach Mike Litman offers three simple steps you can immediately put into practice to stop procrastination dead in its tracks:
1) Ask yourself, “What is one task that I don’t want to do today (eliminates denial) but if I completed it, would propel my life/business/health/whatever in the direction of success I’m looking to achieve?” This is a very important, specific question.
2) Next, ask yourself, “What will I gain by doing it?” Creates focus on the reward and motivation to get the ball rolling.
3) Do it now! In the words of Napoleon Hill, “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” What are you waiting for, get moving!
Filed under Successful Fat Loss by on Aug 21st, 2010. Comment.
This is the second post of a seven (7) week series covering the 7 biggest obstacles and pitfalls that many people encounter and which can potentially stifle ones health and fitness success. For most this occurs even before they even begin. This week’s post covers the topic of “DENIAL”
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“By these things examine thyself. By whose rules am I acting; in whose name; in whose strength; in whose glory? What faith, humility, self-denial, and love of God and to man have there been in all my actions?” Jackie Mason (1934 – )
Filed under Successful Fat Loss by on Aug 19th, 2010. Comment.
This is the first of a 7 part series I wrote on what I feel keeps most folks from realizing their potential in the area of health, fitness and fat loss.
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“…the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 KJV
I love this particular verse from the Bible. It is succinct in its proclamation, but profound and deep in its interpretation. Too many, however, use this particular verse as an excuse for not completing, or worse, attempting a valiant effort in the pursuit of their particular health and fitness desires. We’re going to change that.
The opening chapter of M. Scott Peck’s brilliant and insightful book, “The Road Less Traveled” contains a wonderful anecdote which illustrates the responsibility we all have in dealing with the difficulty each of us experience while here on our temporary home known as Earth. The chapter begins with these illuminating words: “Life is a struggle.”
What does that statement have to do with this article or this particular piece of information? Simply this: If life is indeed a struggle in its regularity and “everyday-ness”, why do so many complicate it with such unnecessary and frivolous wastes of time, effort and thought?
We’ve all experienced periods of frustration, those times when we just couldn’t seem to “see the forest for the trees.” However, when it comes to the attainment of health, fitness and wellness goals, many never even begin the journey. This article will tackle seven (7) of the most prevalent hurdles that many of the people I have worked with over the years have struggled to overcome or conquer. The seven obstacles which we will explore are:
Denial
Indecision
Procrastination
Lack of goals
No accountability
No game plan
FEAR – The self imposed stop sign on the road to happiness.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Bible, 2 Timothy 1:7
Franklin D. Roosevelt made a bold statement in 1933 during his first inaugural address: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!” I once heard a comedian comment on this as well: “Great! Now I’ve got to be afraid of fear, too!” Well, that may make us laugh right now but, for too many people, fear is the underlying weighty principle from under which they never seem to escape so as to reach their fullest potential. Fear is quite possibly the single biggest barrier to any sort of accomplishment, be it personal, in business or on a spiritual level. If you’re fearful to the degree that you never even take a shot at achievement, you can be sure you’ll never bring about anything of note in life.
Fear is such a hideous word that the mere mention brings sign of physical distress to some people. In order to understand why fear is such an insurmountable obstacle for so many, we must first examine what fear actually is and from where it stems.
Each of us feels fear on such a corporal level that, apart from most emotions, just the thought of it is repulsive. In the presence of fear the heart rate increases in speed, the sweat glands kick into overdrive, your senses become finely tuned, and more than likely, it feels like a boy scout is trying to earn his knot tying merit badge by practicing his skills with your guts. Remember, however, that the physical expression of fear is no more than a reaction to what is going on inside our brains.
First and foremost I firmly believe that the root of fear stems from a lack of knowledge. The Bible states that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7 NKJV) This type of fear results in reverence and respect for the things of God. However, its’ application is not solely limited to biblical wisdom. A certain degree of reverence and respect for the principles of health and fitness will also make a powerful positive impression in an individual far into their in life.
Sadly, many people’s lives are stifled and stunted by fear; fear of failure, fear of success, fear of recognition and so forth. Phobias are simply a more pronounced form of fear, but just, if not more so, as emotionally crippling. Thousands of phobias exist, and they all have their basis, their root, in a lack of knowledge. The real cause of fear lies in our thoughts, and my contention is that they are all based in the fear of the unknown.
The unknown is the place in the recesses of our powerful minds where thoughts, factual, fantastic and otherwise, are all created. We’ve all experienced this sort of “mind trip” at one time or another and probably will again. It’s how we handle it that makes all of the difference in the world. How many of us have been walking along a quiet stretch of woods in a foreign place, maybe at night, and have heard an unfamiliar rustling in the cover beyond our visual frame of reference? Or maybe it occurred on a street where we knew a less than reputable element frequented? Did your heart seem to take leave of your body and continue on its own? What was it that caused this sudden elevation in heart rate and pulse of adrenalin? I’ll bet I know; fear of the unknown!
Let’s bring the scenario down a notch. Maybe you wanted to make an attempt at starting a new business, to ask a total stranger to dance, to propose to the woman you love, or just call someone on the phone from whom you may need to ask forgiveness. What surreal specter feels as though it is looming over you that appears to stop you in your tracks? My money says his name is “Fear of the Unknown.”
What’s not to fear? All of the aforementioned instances just may result in actual rejection, success, attention or any of a number of other results. The greater the potential achievement, the greater the fear. For the most part, the reason each of us fears doing a task, or a selection of tasks, is because we somehow believe we might fail. This may, in some part, involve our past experiences in failure we may have actually endured. Or we might simply want to avoid failure we fear we might experience. However, you will never know success if the attempt is never made. Fear of the unknown will triumph over any success unless we make a distinct effort to combat it at every turn.
The subconscious mind is quite possibly the most powerful of our many gifts of God. It may also be our largest obstacle to success. That is unless it is trained to work on our behalf and to effectively conquer fear. The subconscious mind cannot discern between imagined experiences and those that are real. A study performed on 94 engineering students from the University of Washington by psychologist Elizabeth Loftus found that when adults vividly imagined the occurrence of events that took place in their childhood, they became increasingly confident that these incidents actually happened to them. This phenomenon has been called imagination inflation. And because the subconscious mind is so powerful, this phenomenon also takes place if one imagines events that may not have occurred but are imagined as real.
When these “events” are perceived as negative, detrimental or counter-productive to ones own being, a physical response may occur, such as the knots in the stomach mentioned above. Most of these events never actually take place except within the confines of our mind. As the acronym for fear so aptly states: F.E.A.R. = False Evidence that Appears Real. I believe Samuel Clemons (a.k.a. Mark Twain) said it best: “I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which have actually happened.” I know it’s happened to me. How about you?
If one firmly believes what they fear will come true, they will never take the necessary action needed to accomplish the task, to reach for the goal or to enjoy the immeasurable feeling that follows the successful completion of an accomplishment. Therein lies the definition of a true failure: One who never tries because the overwhelming fear in them keeps them from a perceived fear of a negative result.
So what do we do to overcome this thing called “fear”? Since fear is fabricated within the mind, if you gaze deeply enough within your fear you’ll discover that it is probably an empty shell. Fear influences you not to try. By not trying you are deprived of the acquisition of personal knowledge and experience. And failure to acquire these skills means you are not growing. As Tony Robbins says, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” When you grow you become successful, no matter the endeavor.
Therefore, the first thing to understand is that fear is a façade, an empty shell, an illusion that hoodwinks you into thinking you’re not good enough, smart enough or strong enough to reach the goals or desires you may have so long wanted to achieve. If you have the courage to look your fear in the eye you’ll soon realize that you can move forward, and that it can’t really harm you. I’ll again quote Mark Twain; “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” Therefore the sign of a courageous person is someone who is feels the fear, recognizes the fear and still goes on to do what he or she desires or believes to be right.
We lose fear in the face of familiarity. Familiarity leads to personal knowledge, which in turns leads to comfort. Not many folks enjoy getting out of their “comfort zone.”
How many of us who have been driving for some time fear filling our cars gas tank with fuel? Probably a very small number, if any. However, remember the first time you attempted it? Wow! Visions of the “Towering Inferno” or maybe a fiery mushroom cloud filled your mind. (Well maybe not yours, but I have a VERY vivid imagination. Cut me some slack!) However, after several successful fill-ups, we became comfortable with the task. Some become so complacent they even drive off with the nozzle still attached to their vehicle!
The obvious solution then is to become familiar with what we want and desire. After all it’s a certain degree of comfort and familiarity why we do what we do on most weekends. It’s why we buy from the same salesman, watch the same programs on T.V. and why we go to the same convenience store among all of the other choices in our area. It’s also a reason why we don’t change grocers often, or let another mechanic work on our car, or use a different route to get from work to home. Familiarity is the key!
What, then, do we do to get to this place of comfort, of familiarity? One method that is highly successful is visualization. Remember the study mentioned earlier on the power of the subconscious mind? When you visualize with feeling yourself achieving a success, the power of your mind starts thinking the event has actually taken place, whether it has yet or not. This process in turn inspires your comfort and familiarity with it. In turn, that inspiration will drive you to strive to achieve the success that has, until now, eluded you.
The next step in this process is to solidify your commitment to this endeavor. You do this by writing the specific desire down so that you can fully use your all of your positive persuasive emotions to deeply experience it. What do you write down? You can:
- Write a short story about what your life will be like.
- Take the “Who’s Hot – Who’s Not” list, remove a “Who’s Hot” contender and insert your name instead.
- Act out what you’ll be like 5 years from now, as if you were starring in “The (Your name here) Story” for a big name director.
- Or, do something else that uses your emotional senses to fully visualize your personal success story.
There’s one more step: You must clearly connect your own life to that ultimate success. How? Answer these questions and fear will disappear. What steps will you need to experience to achieve that success? What fears will you overcome? Who will you meet? What resources will you need? Clarity and specificity are key components of success. The more specific you can be, the more rich the success will feel.
Overcoming fear is a process, but one in which you now possess some of the necessary tools to achieve success, contentment and achievement. In my next update we’ll explore the second obstacle to many folks attainment of success in health and fitness; Denial.
If this message has impacted you in some way, or you’d like to discuss it, please tell me about it at Steve@firestormfitcamps.com.
Thanks a bunch,
Steve Payne
Filed under Successful Fat Loss by on Aug 16th, 2010. Comment.
I stared in disbelief as the resident “master” trainer in the gym put her client through a set of TRX single leg squats (suspension based exercises done while holding a set of straps connected to a chin-up bar). The problem that I had with the scene being played out before me was this: his technique sucked…he was doing less than partial squats. And all the while he had a look of sheer boredom on his face.
This “master’ trainer never took the time to correct his technique, encourage him to push himself more or to even comment on his form. She just stared blankly at him like a drunken horticulturist watching a hibiscus grow.
And the client, who I assume is training with her to drop some of the 50 plus pounds of excess fat he’s currently carrying, is simply getting fatter and fatter. I’ve observed this first-hand over the last several weeks.
All of this made me ponder the following question: What kind of person gets results from their training?
My answer: everyone.
No matter what we see, think or "like"... we all produce results!
I guess what I’m trying to convey here is that in order to achieve some level of success in the gym or from your training, you’ve got to better define what “success” means to you. You’ve got to have a goal.
In truth, everyone gets results. A bank robber gets results. A heroin addict gets results. An over-eater gets results. The measure of those results, for the purpose of this exposition, is this: are they measurable, positive and life affirming results?
In my view, a successful life can be boiled down to one thing: many years of overall success.
Let’s think in terms of baseball…my favorite sport. If we approach the plate and hit singles and doubles consistently, we will have a successful baseball career. Success in these terms means A) getting to bat often, and B) making contact with the ball and putting it in play often.
If we do that, we stay in the game and have opportunities for more success. Failure to hit little victories on a regular and consistent basis means we risk being pulled from the line-up or being kicked off the team. Therefore, we’ve got to do our best each and every day.
When we do this, every so often a pitch comes across the plate that is so good we simply hit it out of the park. Not often, maybe…but often enough that it spurns us on to greater and greater achievement and keeps our spirits high. But it is all contingent upon staying at bat and hitting those simple little grounders and base hits. Failure to do that ruins every chance for the homer.
The bottom line here is this: No one gets a free pass. You cannot “coast” yourself to a successful life, or in this case, successful fat loss and good health. You must approach each and every day with a positive mental attitude and desire to compete. Consistency and effort in everything you do will produce astounding results, beyond anything you may be able to comprehend.
And just so you know, when I talked about “results” earlier, I mean results that are measurable and positive and almost without exception in your long term best interest. Remember, everyone gets results…regardless of the nature or motive of their actions.
What results are you after?
What are you doing on a consistent and regular basis to achieve them?
If you’re not currently satisfied with the results you’re getting from your fitness and fat loss program, come see me. The Firestorm Fitcamps may have the answers you’ve been looking for.
Steve
Filed under Successful Fat Loss, Uncategorized by on Aug 12th, 2010. Comment.
By training earlier in the morning, you receive a number of benefits that only the “early riser” can appreciate. They include:
- Burn calories right from the get-go! Early morning exercise jump starts the metabolism by burning calories earlier. Make sure to eat something before you exercise…never on an empty stomach.
- The schedule is easy to remember! Most of us know where we’ll be in the morning.
- Make the first part of the day all about you! How? You do it when you start the day by taking care of yourself. I’ll wager that you’ll feel good the rest of the day just because you did something for yourself.
- Oxygen fuels a flame! Allow oxygen to burn the fat in your body. You’ll breathe in more oxygen in the fresh morning air. Breathing in more oxygen means you burn more fat!
- There is an all day benefit! Early morning exercise elevates your body temperature and speeds your metabolism, turning your body into a calorie-burning machine for the whole day.
- Allows you to be the decision maker! You have the option of exercising again in the evening.
- Who needs anxiety drugs? Exercise releases chemicals that relax you and increase your sense of well being throughout the day.
- Changes to your schedule means fat loss! You will be replacing one hour of late night television (usually means late night calories) with one hour of exercise…and if you follow the Firestorm Fitness Systems Plan, you will become a fat burning machine for the 24 to 36 hours!
- Immediate gratification! A successful training experience means that you begin the day with a sense of accomplishment.
So what are you waiting for? Check out what the Firestorm Fitcamps or even The 28 Day Miracle Fat Loss Program can do for you.
Prograde is just better.
Filed under Successful Fat Loss by on Aug 9th, 2010. Comment.
The right fats can dramatically reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases. And they can even help you lose weight.
Yum...healthy fats is good stuff!
At City of Hope Medical Center in California, researchers studied two groups of men. One group consumed a high-fat, low-calorie diet. The other group followed a low-fat diet with the same number of calories. The men on the high-fat diet lost 63% more weight.
But wait…how can that be? Hasn’t the AMA and the American Heart Association and the USRDA told us for years that a low fat diet was not only good for us but THE way to stay lean, sexy and healthy.
Oops…
So, what are the RIGHT fats? Animal fats are very healthy … if the animals are raised on their natural diet. For example, grain-fed beef can have 500% more saturated fat than grass-fed beef. (Saturated fat is healthy in small, naturally occurring amounts, but too much can be harmful.) I hope you will make it one of your goals to improve your health by choosing to eat healthy fats. These include not only fats from naturally raised animal products, but also fish oil, olive oil, coconut oil, walnut and macadamia nut oils, avocados, and nuts. At the same time, limit your intake of processed vegetable oils (like corn and soybean oils), which are in almost all processed foods. And completely avoid any product with the word “hydrogenated” on the label.
Steve
Prograde is my choice!
Filed under Successful Fat Loss by on Aug 5th, 2010. Comment.
