Fit for Life: The Price of Greatness

Fit for Life: The Price of Greatness

I have a routine where I work out with one of my coaches twice a week.

We hit the gym on Sunday morning, and we hike Diamond Hill on Friday mornings.

 

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I am 55 years old, weigh over 200 lbs, and currently have some knee pain. He is a healthy 22-year-old who weighs 155 lbs and is fast as lightning.

 

I will tell you this to see the contrast in physical appearance, ability, and age.

 

I can outlift him, and he crushes me in every other category.

Since we have consistently done this, he has become stronger, and I have better endurance from trying to keep up with each other in different workout environments.

 

Those are the differences; however, our conversations are all about how we can both get better and achieve more. We talk about growth, mindset, and what it takes to succeed.

 

Last week, we started discussing what it takes to be the greatest of all time. We mentioned names like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Muhammed Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Tom Brady, to name a few.

 

We discussed that becoming the greatest at anything requires not only built-in talent but also significant sacrifices in one's life.

 

Maintaining the level of greatness achieved by the above-mentioned takes more time and effort than most are willing to invest. TB watched countless hours of game films and studied the game inside and out.

 

Kobe would be at the gym shooting well after the sun went down and would be there before anyone the following day. Ali sacrificed not only hours in the gym but also his health later in life.

 

That's the formula to be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest of all time.

Be talented, and outwork EVERYONE AT ALL TIMES!!

 

The bad news is that being the greatest is reserved for the few, and it's likely that none of us will ever reach that pinnacle in life, regardless of how hard we work or how big the dream is.

 

The good news is that you can still become great by being consistently good.

 

Let me explain.

 

Ironically, this week, I was reading a post from Frank, a great coach in my Todd Durkin Mastermind group. Every time I meet with Frank, I leave with tons of valuable tools to implement in my business.

He is an all-around great guy with lots of experience in the fitness business world.

 

His post was about a series of bike races he did last week in San Diego.

He did 5 races and hit the podium on all of them. He didn't win them all, and he's not the greatest cyclist of all time, but what I learned from his words of wisdom in his post is that it's more important to be "consistently good, rather than occasionally great."

 

This resonated with me because many people believe that if I can't be great at something, I will just quit and stop doing it. But that's the wrong attitude.

 

My advice is to try and be consistently good at everything you do and not worry about being perfect or the greatest.

 

How do you do that, you may ask?

 

As Frank said in his post, it takes 3 things: Strategy, Effort, and Consistency.

 

Since I am in the fitness arena, let's consider these three elements when determining what it takes to be in great physical shape. Now, I am not talking about hitting Arnold's level as the greatest bodybuilder of all time; I am talking about being in great shape.

 

The first is strategy. This is where the planning comes in. You need to set your sights on a grand goal and determine what you will take to get there.

    •    Will you hire a coach?

    •    Will you try to do it alone?

    •    Do you have a meal plan?

    •    How many days per week will you commit to working out?

Everything we want to accomplish requires a game plan and a roadmap.

 

Next is effort. Anything from being in great shape to running a great business requires effort, as nothing in life worth having comes easy to any of us. Drop the mentality that we are entitled to an easy life because we are not. Anyone successful in any area of life must exert effort and lots of it.

 

The last and most crucial factor is Consistency. This means you need to work hard on the reps day in and day out, even when you don't feel like it.

 

To be fit, you need to work out consistently 3-5 times per week and eat well all the time, not just when it's convenient for you.

 

To run a great business, you must consistently improve and market your product.

You need to show up and invest in your team.

You must stay dialed in on your metrics and consistently use the data to drive your decisions.

 

So the next time you get discouraged that you are not the best or greatest at something, remember the sacrifices the greatest had to endure to reach there.

 

Instead, create a strategy and exert the effort to be consistently good at whatever you want to do.

 

Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest Pro Football Coaches of all time (along with Bill), has a great quote:

We strive for perfection but will never reach it because no one is perfect, but we will achieve greatness along the way.

 

Go out and be GREAT!!

 

Coach Matt