Fit for Life: My Struggles & Issues Resolved
Saturday, October 22, 2022
I was recently a guest on a podcast hosted by High Performance Coach, friend, and Project Brother David Gilbert.
He had just launched his new endeavor and asked if I had any bottlenecks in my life and business that I would discuss, and he would help coach me through these issues.
If you know me, I will always jump at the chance to be interviewed, coached, and gather knowledge that will help me improve on any level. I went through an intensive 12 week coaching program with this dude, so I know he is awesome at what he does, and I knew he would help me discover not only some deficiencies, but he would help me acknowledge some of the things I am doing well.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe topic or issue I asked him to hit home on was the fact that I feel like I can be more productive and manage my time more so I can perform at a higher level and be more efficient. I told him that I thought I can be more productive on a daily basis and didn’t feel like I was performing at a high enough level.
I stated that I wish I could have the same discipline with all areas in my life that I have when it comes to my health and fitness. As much as working out and eating right is a chore, I never waiver from my routine or miss a workout, but quite the contrary when it comes to making sales calls or doing certain tasks in my business.
He then asked what I had going on, and when I told him, he responded that he heard I am doing a lot of great things and I need to step back and look at my accomplishments for a minute. So we did, and then we discussed some topics that I think might help you overcome some bottlenecks in your life.
Some big takeaways:
I have a keen sense of self-awareness and know that by recognizing the areas that need improvement is essential to growth and self-development. We all have a lot of deficiencies, yet many don’t recognize theirs, and until you stop trying to be “right” or blame your circumstances on everyone else, you can’t evolve.
Tell me what I am doing wrong, so I can make the changes needed. If you need to be “right” all the time, you feel like there isn’t room for growth, and your progress comes to a halt.
Self-awareness also helps us stop making excuses. If you are late for something, it wasn’t the traffic, it was because you left too late. If you slip on your nutrition, it wasn’t because you couldn’t find a healthy restaurant it was because you weren’t prepared.
You missed the winning goal that your kid scored at the soccer game because you were looking at your phone. It wasn’t because you are so important and busy, it was because you prioritized something else and weren’t present at the moment.
When you really get to the root of why you failed at something, you realize that it was your fault and excuses are not a valid reason for your shortcomings.
Your identity is created by the stories that you tell yourself.
You can recreate your identity and become better and more productive throughout life when you do. If you keep saying “Im not good at that, then you never will be. If you tell yourself that you are not a social person, you won’t be. If you say you are nervous talking in front of people, you always will be.
Ya see, these are just bullshit excuses we tell ourselves and they will create our identity and keep reinforcing it until we decide to make a change.
If you’re not good at something, practice. If you are not social, get out and talk to people. If you are nervous talking to a crowd, do it more frequently. If you say “I will never be fit, I have bad genes, you guessed it, you will always be fat until you change your identity.
Not enough pain.
We also talked about how pain creates action in most areas of life, meaning that some people need to hit rock bottom in order to make changes. Some won’t improve their health until the doctor gives them a scare.
Some won’t work hard enough to find a job until they become broke or in debt, and some people require suffering in order to break out of a slump and live up to their full potential.
That’s what the Project did for me. Through the fatigue, pain and suffering, we were rebuilt to be stronger and more resilient to the everyday adversity that comes at us from all directions.
Where are we? Let’s appreciate the present.
Living in the past is a waste of time and energy. Yes, it’s fun to reminisce and walk down memory lane from time to time, but the past is gone and it’s time to move on and get with the times. What you are doing right now is the most important.
Are you spending quality time with people today? Are you taking action today that will net positive results in the future? The future is determined by the actions you take today.
Constantly thinking about what might happen in the future causes too much stress and anxiety. Instead of just thinking and planning, take steps to make things happen in your favor.
Don’t think about working out next week, do something today. Write your thoughts on paper, and take action today.
That was a big one for me. I am always chasing the next thing, so he advised me to take a breath and be present with what you accomplished today.
People over prizes.
Money comes and goes. It’s easy to replace material things, yet impossible to replace people. We all need to focus more on priorities, and less on the trivial things that don’t really matter in life. Health and relationships are the most important components of life, so we need to spend more time and energy in that area.
Those are some personal takeaways, however, I know I am not unique, and many people will hopefully find value in what I just disclosed. The rules pretty much apply to all of us, however, we are all different in certain ways, so it’s finding out what works for you.
His solution for me personally was to find an accountability partner, so I did.
I know a bad-ass fit body owner that agreed to hold me accountable. I have so much respect for her, that I will feel like shit if I let her down. She lives by high standards, and I know she will hold me to high standards too.
I have checked in with her every night since the interview with my daily done list, and you know what…… I realized that I am more productive than I thought.
Committed to your success,
Matt
