Have you ever had difficulty keeping a simple commitment to yourself? Sure. Nearly everyone I know has, some time or another, found him or herself “trapped”—wanting to do something yet not acting on their intentions.
So why don’t we do some of the things we want to or know we should—like improving our health and building a better body?
Let’s say you keep putting off that new fitness program. You can even imagine what it might mean:
- Having a firm, robust and healthy body.
- Feeling an abundance of energy.
- Newfound confidence and sex appeal.
Still, you don’t do it. So why do you keep putting it off? What’s preventing you from taking those first steps?
Consider this
My observation is that our minds tend to see the obstacles first—those barriers between where we are now and where we want to be or who we want to become. Just as fast as you conceive of achieving your new body, your mind begins to spout out every excuse it can come up with for why you can’t attain your goal. So even before we can initiate any action, we paralyze ourselves.
And once your head begins to fill with all the obstacles that could potentially keep you from achieving your newfound goal, your desire even to try is suddenly crushed.
But what if you removed all the obstacles?
Think about it for a moment: if whatever deterred you from attempting to build your very best body suddenly vanished, you’d have no fear to stop you, right?
What if I showed you how to take those obstacles and instantly transform them into strategies for achieving success? Would you consider starting, or sticking to, your new (or current) fitness plan then?
“… we can choose to transform those circumstances that oppose us into specific decisions and actions that can lead us to our goals.” The truth is, we can choose to transform those circumstances that oppose us into specific decisions and actions that can lead us to our goals. True empowerment you can use to your advantage!
Let me explain.
The Breakthrough Technique
So how can we break through our fears, smash those barriers, and transform those obstacles into strategies for achieving our fitness goals? It’s pretty simple—allow me to introduce you to the Breakthrough Technique. Here I’ve taken the eight most feared obstacles that potentially stand in the way of your success, followed by a specific success strategy to blast through them and help you reach your fitness and physique development goals.
Are you ready? Great. Let’s get started!
Obstacle #1: I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME.
Believe it or not, individuals who achieve extraordinary success have days just as hectic as ours. They’ve got obligations: commitments to work, friends, and family. And let’s face it, we’re all confined to an equal amount of time—the same 24 hours. Yet some people continually find the time to make exercise a part of their daily routine.
So how do they do it? Simple—they create it. You can instantly make time if you begin to plan, plan, and plan some more. That means planning your days, at least a day, sometimes even a week in advance. One of the best time-creating techniques is to make a list of your daily “to-dos” and schedule when you’re going to exercise. (This is a common challenge—we forget how important it is to schedule an appointment with ourselves to exercise.)
Then divide your “to-dos” into things you must do and things you would like to do so you’re less likely to confuse urgency with importance. Getting to the gym is essential, whereas getting your haircut may seem urgent when you’re running late but can undoubtedly be rescheduled. And before you do anything, always ask yourself what you could be doing that would be more productive.
Success Strategy #1: PLAN AHEAD. Creating the time you need to exercise is easy! Plan your days by creating action lists of the most important things to accomplish each day.
Obstacle #2: I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
Don’t know what exercises to do to help you get the most out of your workouts? Not sure what to eat, when, to help you put on muscle and shed that unwanted body fat? And supplements, well, these can be downright confusing!
That’s all understandable: so many techniques are recommended by many “fitness experts.” So, whose advice can you trust? It can become paralyzing. So instead of trying to sort through all the (mis)information, stop now: keep yourself from chasing every exercise theory or latest diet craze. But this doesn’t sound like it will do us any good.
So how do you find the answers? It’s simple—model the success of others. For example, try our free programs like Maximum Growth, the Lean System Success Plan, or the 21-Day Energy Plan.
The greatest thing about success is that it leaves clues; if we pay close attention, we can pick up those clues and model the actions and behaviors to produce similar results. Find people, whether in person or in a magazine, who have achieved the extraordinary success you wish to achieve, and find out what they did. It’s as easy as that.
“If you follow a proven exercise, nutrition, and supplementation approach, you will achieve similar success. “Success Strategy #2: STUDY A SUCCESSFUL FORMULA—AND FOLLOW IT. Seek someone who has achieved the “extraordinary” results you desire and learn from their “winning” actions. You will achieve similar success if you follow a proven exercise, nutrition, and supplementation approach.
Obstacle #3: I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY.
Do you wake up feeling energized, powerful, and ready to take on the day? Or do you rise feeling as tired as the night before, resenting that a new day has presented itself so soon? Do you fear your current energy levels will never allow you to participate in a fitness program?
Your energy is an excellent example of the perceived problem—your lack of energy to exercise—being the ultimate solution. We might believe we’re too exhausted to exercise, but we lack energy simply because we don’t exercise!
It’s been scientifically proven that incorporating exercise into our lives gives us more energy. Moderate levels of training can even help us sleep better at night, so we wake up renewed.
How else can you bolster energy levels?
As long as we feed ourselves with properly balanced protein- and carbohydrate-rich meals, we immediately impact our energy levels. The more closely we keep to our preferred eating strategy, the better we feel, period. Feeding our bodies every two to three hours throughout the day provides us with a stable, constant supply of nutrients required to be more energetic.
Success Strategy #3: GIVE YOUR ENERGY A BOOST. Exercise and proper nutrition are vital to our energy levels and allow us to perform at peak levels daily.
Obstacle #4: I HATE SETTING GOALS.
Goals come from having a clear vision of what you want. Knowing you want to build your very best body is a great start, but you need something more than that—a compelling statement pulls you, like a magnet, in the direction of its achievement.
So, maybe you’re not sure how to set practical goals. If that’s you, then don’t worry. Everyone starts off this way. You must learn the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting technique to establish functional fitness goals and ensure you reach them. This technique will enable you to set the most compelling destinations and help focus your efforts on exactly what you want to achieve.
S.M.A.R.T. stands for:
Specific—you must be clear about what you want to achieve, creating your goal in the present tense. That means using “I am in the process of…” to start your goal statement.
Measurable—how do you measure “better shape” or “slimmer waist”? You can’t. So scale your goal to a specific number (e.g., 10% body fat, a 33-inch waist, or a size six).
Action-oriented—you must be able to create an action list of things you must do to achieve success.
Realistic—make confident your goal is real yet stretches you, given your expectations and timeframe.
Time-conscience—a date forces us to give it a priority and puts positive pressure on us to achieve it.
Success Strategy #4: TRANSFORM YOUR FITNESS GOALS. Using the S.M.A.R.T. technique will ensure you’ve set a practical and commanding goal and will not only clarify your path to success but will compel you to achieve it.
Obstacle #5: THERE’S TOO MUCH RISK.
The physical transformation on your outside (your body) is a metaphor for the mental (inner) transformation that takes place on the inside. You see, not only should your chosen program change the way you look, it is just as important that it change the way you feel about yourself.
“…not only should your chosen program change the way you look, it is just as important that it change the way you feel about yourself. “Every time we purchase the latest miracle pill, workout gadget, or eight-minute solution, we’re just avoiding the process of a true transformation and trying to find a quick fix. This is nothing more than treating the symptoms and not the causes. It does nothing to improve our self-esteem, confidence, or personal power.
Let me share a little secret and save you time, money, and frustration: this approach never works. And you’ll never feel a true sense of fulfilment when you try this type of “magic bullet” approach. Unless you start from the inside, you’re sure to find yourself right back where you started, only more disappointed.
We must challenge ourselves to find a solution that involves total balance. This complete solution integrates essential elements, such as proper nutrition and supplementation, cardiovascular and weight-training exercises, and, most importantly, strengthening our inner selves and minds.
Your chosen program should help you set commanding goals, transform your old, self-defeating beliefs into new, empowering ideas, and change your patterns. You’re continually producing results that take you closer to your goals.
Remember, you can’t transform a lifetime of poor habits in a matter of days. It takes time—a couple of months at best. Rest assured, following a solution allowing you to transform your inside and then your outside is a sure plan for long-term success.
Success Strategy #5: FOLLOW AN INSIDE-OUT APPROACH. To successfully transform your physique and achieve your fitness goals, follow an approach that focuses first on increasing your self-esteem and building confidence before concentrating on your shape. You’ll more likely be able to create extraordinary results that will last a lifetime.
Obstacle #6: I CAN’T STAY COMMITTED.
There’s a massive difference between intentions and action. And the difference is commitment.
Our commitment to our goals leads us to achievement, even during the most challenging times. There is a direct relationship between motivation and commitment. And if you’re committed to making a change now, the only way to make it happen is to create a sense of immediate importance.
You can do this by attaching reasons that are so compelling and so intense you must follow through. So right now, ask yourself the following questions and come up with at least three compelling reasons you must commit to your transformation goals.
What will this cost me if I don’t change right now?
What has this cost me so far concerning my health, physical condition, self-confidence, and energy levels?
If I do change now, how will I feel about myself?
How will this impact my life?
What will I gain as a result?”
Your answers to these questions will help you understand what you’re committed to and why!
Success Strategy #6: IDENTIFY YOUR REASONS. Clearly state your reasons for wanting to change and make them so compelling you become genuinely committed to achieving your fitness goals.
Obstacle #7: I LACK THE CONFIDENCE TO SUCCEED.
Sometimes the accomplishment of our goals might seem overwhelming, and the immediate temptation is to give up before we even start—which diminishes our self-confidence even further. It’s true. We can’t gain confidence until we take action. Yet, we don’t want to take action until our confidence levels are raised sufficiently. See the “catch”?
Take, for example, the intimidating obstacle of your entire fitness goal needing to be achieved in a giant, single step. Now that’s paralyzing.
“… to gain confidence, you must break your fitness goal down into measurable steps. “That’s why, to gain confidence, you must break your fitness goal down into measurable steps. For example, if you wanted to lose 12% body fat within 12 weeks, then you could realistically set your increments for one per cent of body fat reduction per week. This way, you don’t have to focus on the whole goal at any given time, nor do you notice all that you have not yet accomplished; instead, you can focus entirely on the smaller, manageable steps ahead. This gives you a tremendous sense of control and achievement. You were building your confidence each step of the way.
By the time you near the end of your first couple of weeks of your fitness program, you will feel more confident despite the ups and downs in progress. You will be determined to advance one more step and make an effort to complete your fitness program and build your very best body.
Suddenly, as the fear dissipates, you will discover newfound confidence. And best of all, you will have achieved what you once thought was impossible—one increment at a time.
Success Strategy #7: MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS. Success is accomplished only through measuring your progress, always from where you’re coming from (backwards). This way, you will never lack a sense of accomplishment and build your confidence with each step.
Obstacle #8: I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MOTIVATION.
So you need a source of motivation in your life—something to get you out of bed in the morning and carry you through the day?
One way is to continually “see” what you want to become by finding a picture of someone’s physique you would most like to emulate, cutting it out, and hanging it someplace you’re likely to see it over and over again the day. You might even write down your reasons for wanting to achieve this goal with the photo.
By seeing the body you want to achieve in front of you all the time, you’ll be pointing your subconscious toward realizing these results. This constant source of inspiration is a reminder of where you are going. It’s called bringing focus to the center of your awareness.
Success Strategy #8:
- FIND AN INSPIRATION.
- Discover your inspiration, someone who has turned their body and life from ordinary to extraordinary, and use that as your source of daily fuel.
- Look for inspiration in our Success Stories, such as David Silbaugh, Marina Popelka, and Mark Harden, who have each reached their goals and are helping others do the same.
Final thoughts
Remember, building a better body does not follow a completely straight line. Life doesn’t work that way. But now that you’ve found the principle of turning any obstacle into a stepping stone for your success, you can create the fitness and physique results you desire.
By committing to turning these once fearful obstacles into powerful success strategies, you will begin to create extraordinary results in your physique and ultimately achieve your fitness goals.
If there are any other obstacles I overlooked, please email me kamal@kamalgood.com, and I will gladly help you find a success strategy to blast through it.
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