Fit for Life: Do You Have or Lack These 2 Traits?

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor

 

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Are you good where you are at in life? 

Are you happy with the income you earn and love your job or business? 

Are you happy with your level of health and fitness? 

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Are you a great parent who sets a good example for your children, and they respect you and want to be like you? 

Are you exceeding expectations with everything you do?

Or

Are you trying to earn more money, create more freedom for yourself, and do more good for others in society?

Are you always trying to maintain your health and fitness and get better each week? 

Are you trying to be a better parent, be more present for your family, and create lifelong memories for those who rely on you to care for them?

Are you continuously trying to create more impact and legacy with your life so you can influence others to do the same and make yourself and others around you better, too? 

 

Do you want more growth and self-development?

 

If you fall into the first category and are comfortable and complacent, good, actually, GREAT for you. 

 

You have arrived at the pinnacle of life, and this is where you will stay because everything is good, and you no longer need to grow and develop yourself. 

 

You are in a place of gratitude and fulfillment, and you now get to coast through life without complaining about your income, work environment, health, and the people you lead not respecting you.

 

You are vital, full of energy, and make enough money to support the lifestyle you envisioned for yourself and your family. Your anxiety levels are at an all-time low; everyone looks up to you and wants to emulate your success. 

 

However, if you are like me and everyone in my immediate circle or network, you fall into the second category, always striving to grow, improve, and improve on all levels. 

 

This doesn't mean we are not grateful for what we have accomplished; this just means that there is always another level, and we strive to reach it. 

 

We want to exceed being average and complacent, operate at a higher level and are unwilling to settle when we know we are destined to do more. Average is the enemy!!

 

We strive by attending seminars, belonging to coaching Mastermind groups, working out 3-5 times weekly, reading books, dialing in our nutrition and self-care, and getting up and taking actions that move the needle forward every day. 

 

BUT THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO GROW TO THE NEXT LEVEL!!

 

Yes, those things are necessary for growth, BUT they will never work without instilling 2 MAJOR character traits, and those are: 

 

Self Awareness & the Ability to Receive Feedback. 

You must have both traits to grow and take your life to the next level. 

 

Here's why: 

 

I figured this out last Friday night as the Shea High School football team lost 3 consecutive games this season. 

 

Throughout the game, after each mistake made (many of them, believe me), players would return to the sidelines, point their fingers, blame their teammates, and yell at each other. (Zero self-awareness there)

 

When the coach tried to correct someone, the player would always have the last word and add something to the coach's directions that "they thought" they should be doing. (Not taking feedback)

 

I BROUGHT ALL THIS TO LIGHT when I met with them on Monday. 

I asked them if they wanted to improve, and they all said yes. 

 

So I explained that they would only win if they recognized what they were doing wrong and tried to correct their OWN mistakes and that the coach should ALWAYS have the last word and be open to taking his feedback. 

 

This goes far beyond the football field, as it applies to everyone wanting to improve and grow to the next level.

 

You need to be self-aware of the things you are doing or not doing and be brutally honest with yourself when you ask, "Will this action or action get me to the next level or where I want to be?" 

 

Data doesn't lie. 

 

We often let emotions, or "gut" feelings, drive us instead of looking at our past track record and using the data to determine if we passed or failed. 

 

Becoming data-driven allows us to be more self-aware and realize what we did wrong so we can correct and move forward. 

 

"Accept the feedback, you miserable f*@k." 

When I graduated from The Project in 2019 (a mini Navy Seal hell week), I was told by one of the instructors, after I gave a "yeah but" response to the feedback he was giving me, about my lack of ability to receive feedback. 

 

When you respond like I did, you could improve at receiving feedback. 

This helped change my perspective, made me more self-aware of where I needed improvement, and gave me something to work on. Now, I not only embrace feedback from others, I request it. 

 

Here are some more examples of how to be more self-aware and honest with yourself. 

 

When your intentions are to lose body fat, and the scale isn't moving, ask yourself: 

Am I hitting the gym 3-5 times per week? 

Am I getting enough protein? 

Am I eating fewer calories than I am burning? 

Am I getting enough sleep? 

Am I staying hydrated? 

 

Data doesn't lie; those are all necessities to lose body fat. 

If you aren't getting results, be honest, take inventory, and recognize your wrongdoings. Don't "think" you are doing the work; be honest and realize that you would see progress if you were.

 

If your income is suffering, you show up late, leave a little early, and spend countless hours scrolling social media, watching TV, and gossiping about other people's lives. You are probably NOT setting yourself up for success. 

 

Again, data doesn't lie, so if your time is spent on frivolous activities, you will need more time to do the things that will make you more money. 

 

In most cases, Internal things sabotage us from not getting what we want. 

 

Laziness, procrastination, time management, lack of drive, and the refusal to step out of our comfort zone are all things we can control and change. When you are self-aware, you recognize that these things are holding you back.

 

It's seldom the external circumstances that hold us back. 

 

Yes, you can point your finger and blame the government, the pandemic, your boss, your friends, your upbringing, etc, 

Those are external factors we can't control but can pivot around and create our own success. 

Don't let external circumstances control your life; take the pen back and write your own story.

 

So, if we want to grow and get better, we need to look in the mirror and become self-aware of what we are doing wrong. 

 

Then, ask someone you respect and look up to for help and feedback. Don't take the feedback as criticism but as a tool to fix what we determine we are doing wrong and take our lives to the next level. 

 

Committed to creating impact and influence,

Coach Matt

 

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