The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure. – Sven Goran Eriksson
Everyone is tested in life, everyone has something that they want but the fear of failing is greater than the need to succeed.
I’ve done it before and I’m sure that at some point in you’re life you have as well.
You have a goal, but then you realize just how much hard work it will take to succeed in making this dream a reality and you begin to cheat, or skip out on some of the work, or procrastinate and find something else to occupy your time.
- Here’s an example of what I’m talking about: Your goal is to get ripped for the summer and you go 2 straight weeks without missing a workout. Then one morning you wake up feeling a little flat and you decide it won’t do much harm to skip out on just one. A week later you miss your second, a few days after that your third, you continue repeating this patter until you’re only making it to the gym a couple times a week, if that. Needless to say your goal of getting ripped by summer has taken a back seat to sleeping in every morning.
I’m not trying to be harsh, it’s just a reality. Habits make or break us, both good or bad. If you make it a habit to workout, and you are habitually in the gym at 9 am 4 days a week, for example, then you’re going to get ripped for the summer. But once that first excuse creeps in there, it allows room for a second, a third, and a fourth until you’re barely working out at all.
You don’t have to be perfect, everyone needs a day off here and there. You just have to be able to recognize when your off days are becoming routine lounge days or if they’re actually days where your body or mind need some extra recovery time.
How do you know? Test it out. I can’t count how many times I’ve felt like crap but picked myself up, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the gym anyways. Once I got the blood flowing I was fine, and after the workout I felt much better than before.
Sometimes you just have lazy days, and I love those lazy days every now and then. But try and make those lazy days your day off, or push yourself through them every once and a while. You’ll feel better for it, and you’ll feel amazing if
One of my favorite singers, he made the necessary sacrifices and realized his dream... haha I thought this was a funny pic...
you reach your goal!
You’re going to need to make some sacrifices if you’re going to reach your goals, no matter what they are.
At some point in your journey to reaching your goal, fitness or non-fitness related, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices in order to reach your goal. In physical fitness this may mean skipping desert every now and then, or following a guided meal plan, writing down your meals, including the ‘cheat’ meals you lay out for yourself each week.
I’m not saying you can’t enjoy your life; there’s no point to getting in great shape if you can’t enjoy life, but you will at some point have to make some sacrifices.
The most important things in life always require the most work, this is true for the most important relationships in your life, the most important decisions, jobs, you name it; if it matters a lot to you, you’re going to have to work for it.
If you want to lose 50 lbs, you’re going to have one hell of a tough journey, but that journey will make the finish line that much sweeter in the end.
In my journey to put on muscle and get in better overall shape I put my body through some hard workouts. I also began to eat healthier than I ever had before in my life and began to live my life a different way. It started out with small things, but then I actually began to enjoy eating healthier foods. I have more energy to put into the things I’m passionate about and I love it! I had a goal and I took the necessary steps to achieve it. Along the way, the things I dreaded to do became habits, they became a part of my everyday life. I didn’t think about them anymore as chores or things that had to get done to stay healthy, I actually began to live a healthier life.
I now have very good eating habits, I workout 4 times a week without question unless I’m purposely taking some time off.
Remember, in trying to get in better shape, in trying to improve the quality of your life and become successful in all areas of life, you’re going to have to do more than just commit to a week of change, you’re going to have to change your way of life. This all begins with changing a habit that hinders you into a habit that betters you.
