Fit for Life: There’s No “Hope” for Us!
Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor
Fit for Life: There’s No “Hope” for Us!
Humans are like houseplants. We need constant watering and nurturing to grow and thrive.
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Self-development is like exercise; you must be focused, consistent, disciplined, and regularly sharpen the sword to see continued progress and success.
You can’t learn one thing from one source, then stop and “hope” you can achieve the results you are looking for. The same goes for your fitness. At Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, we are constantly changing and evolving so our team and members can stay on the cutting edge with new routines and programs and continue to grow and develop.
I am currently part of 3 mastermind groups, and I get abundant knowledge, motivation, and structure from all 3. A Mastermind is a group of individuals all striving for the same or similar results that can bounce ideas off each other and offer raw, unbiased feedback to one another.
My FBBC family offers cutting-edge business strategies that help me grow my business. My Todd Durkin group allows me to reset myself mentally and spiritually and motivates me to work on myself. Lastly, the group run by my Project Brother David Gilbert helps me set personal goals, focus on self-care breathing routines, and helps me focus on recent accomplishments, so I can get some self-satisfaction and not always be thinking about what I “should be doing.”
All three groups are different. All three have a different format. What I have learned is that no matter how many gurus you listen to or how many groups you are part of, for any of this to work and have a lasting effect, we all need to incorporate the same traits, or we will continue to chase our tails and “hope” things work out.
Remember, “hope” that things work out, or “hope” success comes your way isn’t a feasible way to achieve success on any level. We need to build the foundation, incorporate traits of successful people, and take action daily!!
The first trait is FOCUS. If you are constantly distracted, your chances of accomplishing your goals, or being productive, are slim to none. You will fail or get minimal results if you attempt to achieve anything haphazardly.
In other words, you can’t “dabble”; you need to go “all in” for success to become a reality.
It’s like multitasking. I am telling you there is NO SUCH THING. No human can dial in and focus on more than one thing at a time. You can’t work and scroll social media, nor can you thoroughly perform multiple tasks at a time. You think you are multitasking. However, you are working with distractions and spreading your attention thin.
This goes with everything. If you are not focused on your fitness goals, you will be easily distracted and enticed to fall off your routine. Details fall through the cracks when focused on something other than your work. When you are not focused on parenting, your kids will easily get over on you. Everything we do and want to be good at requires FOCUS.
Discipline is another trait we must instill if we want a desirable result. This muscle helps us avoid distractions, make sacrifices, and delay gratification. When you are disciplined with your routine, it makes it more likely you will focus on the tasks at hand.
A perfect example would be to develop a structured morning and nighttime routine and be extremely disciplined, regardless of the circumstance. Remember that circumstances do not relieve you from your responsibility, and discipline is what will keep you on point with upholding your duties.
My am routine consists of waking at 5:30 am and NEVER HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON. (Disclaimer, I hate getting up this early, but to be productive, I need to). Next, I immediately drink 32oz of water, mix in my powdered greens & wellness shot, make my coffee, read for at least 15-20 minutes, then open the laptop and work until I head to the gym for a boot camp workout. This gives me three wins to start my day. Therefore, I never venture from this routine, regardless of where I am or our season. This is non-negotiable, just like my 8 hours of sleep.
Discipline also forces us to delay gratification, like eating a cupcake that gets put in front of us, and it forces us to make sacrifices, stay focused, and avoid seeking the easy way out or the path of least resistance.
You won’t grow unless you endure pain, sacrifice, and delayed gratification. Strong discipline enhances this ability and keeps us on track and moving forward.
The last trait necessary is consistency. In most cases, success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a series of wins and learning from failures to succeed; without consistency, we will never reach the pinnacle.
The reason people fail is that they didn’t try hard enough, or they didn’t put in enough reps and quit too soon.
I see it all the time with people and their fitness. They aren’t consistent enough to get results, get discouraged, and quit. They eat well for a couple of days then cheat, or they come three times one week and none the next. You never reach your goals when this happens, so consistency is important for growth.
Think exponentially, but act incrementally is a great quote I heard during one of my meetings last week. We need to identify actions that maximally affect the outcome we are looking for.
In other words, you need to set big, long-term goals, then take the necessary (small) actions to act as stepping stones to your destination.
Regardless of what you are doing, what goals you have in mind, or what variables get thrown your way, the traits of success are all universal.
Focus on the task, be disciplined with your approach, and consistently swing the axe until the tree comes down!!
Coach Matt