People come to PN explaining how they can’t dial in their nutrition and exercise habits. They say they want to be fit, but that they can’t pull the trigger. They can’t change their life. We see this… a lot.
So, what’s up with this? What are they missing?
Well, we have some great ideas. But, today, instead of offering up more advice ourselves, we wanted to provide some advice from your peers. From folks who’ve recently been in your shoes.
To be honest, I’m continually amazed at the amount of wisdom being shared in the PN Member Zone forums. So I’ve gathered some of my favorite posts from PN members. Stuff about how to change your habits. Stuff about how to change your life – for good. Powerful stuff.
Focus on goal numero uno
You cannot plan a total life overhaul and stick to it. You can, however, pick the simplest goal and achieve it.
Pick something and do it, become someone on a mission. Nothing else matters.
Focus on what you can control. You likely have an idea on how to get into great shape – it comes down to you implementing it.
Break it down. What does “being in great shape” mean to you? Start there.
Know thyself
You must know yourself before you can change yourself.
What’s important to you? What matters to you?
Life is a series of choices. Where you are in life is the result of those choices.
Here’s my own example (from a PN forum member):
I went into computers to make money. I was good at it and made a lot of money… until I had a meltdown. Then I had to assess what I really wanted out of life. It turned out that money was low on the list. I valued personal time, control of my surroundings, ability to express myself creatively, and interaction with the people I help. I now have a job that pays less than half what I was making two years ago — but what I value is closely matched to what I do.
Just do it
Once you figure out where you stand in life, put things in motion. Without action, nothing changes. Spending time thinking about plans or looking at pictures and stories of “those who did it” doesn’t get you very far.
Small steps
Big things are achieved in small steps.
Remember JB’s example: if you don’t know the way to California, just start driving west and figure out the details as you go. It doesn’t matter if you are taking the interstate or a back road, going west gets you closer to your destination.
Eat PN style and work hard at the gym. Fill in the details from there.
Small things add up. Remember, many droplets can turn a mill. But singly? None.
Do what you love
Success, and more importantly happiness, comes from carving out a road that makes us feel worthy of life.
Find what you love and figure out how to do it. You have to discover this on your own. This often means deciding between conflicting goals, but unless you want to be a miserable old coot, make the necessary changes.
Don’t spend your life doing things you loathe.
Chase passion and success follows.
Give of yourself
Love others and it will be returned. Do things because they are right, good, and/or kind.
Nothing is less remarkable than a person who does things in expectation of repayment.
When you ease someone else’s burden, yours gets a little lighter.
Joie de vivre
This is a term used to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, or the joy of living.
To me it means grabbing life and laying the path you want to take. We all come to a day when these decisions are taken from us. Don’t wait until then to find a way to live with zest.
Have fun doing kettlebell snatches now. Savor the big salad now.
It’s a habit
Success and failure are habits, simple as that.
You change your life when you change your beliefs and your behaviours. Changing your beliefs means challenging the ones you have and replacing them with beliefs that support you rather than slow you down.
You can do this by reflection and contemplation, but that will only go so far. You must take action. After you reflect, change behaviours to form new habits.
Get your environment right
Nothing works faster to change any organism than changing their environment.
Look at any negative habit and see how the environment supports the negative habit, then alter the environment to support a better one. For example, how much does a big TV cost compared to some barbells? Seriously, get rid of the TV and buy some barbells.
It’s all you
Your current situation is a direct result of what you have believed and what you have done up to this point.
Does crappy stuff sometimes happen? Sure. But it happens to everyone. It’s what we do with it that matters. And what you do with it is based on what you believe.
Let me repeat: your current situation is a direct result of what you have believed and what you have done up to this point. If you don’t like your situation, you need to change what you think and what you do. It’s your responsibility.
If your situation isn’t great it’s because what you know and do isn’t working so great.
Change what you know and what you do.
Learn more
Want to get in the best shape of your life, and stay that way for good? Check out the following 5-day body transformation courses.
The best part? They're totally free.
To check out the free courses, just click one of the links below.
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