Posted on Tue, May 04, 2010 @ 10:36 AM
Recently I completed 90 days of the most intense exercise regimen I‘ve ever endured. While the program was worthwhile for the physical benefits, the real value came from the lesson I learned in self-discipline. The principle the program is based in: deciding, committing and succeeding, have reshaped the way I do business and approach life...
The Program
The program I participated in is called P90X (http://www.beachbody.com/) and many of you may have seen the infomercials, partaken in the program or had friends who have participated. The program's marketing message of "muscle confusion" and "getting ripped in 90 days" succeeds in motivating but fall far short of preparing one for the intensity of the workouts. However challenging, it was worth it and I did achieve some tangible results which I'll share with you in a moment.
Understand, when I say intense, I am not just referring to the difficulty of completing the exercise but the amount of time dedicated to each workout and the frequency of workouts. Each workout lasts between 60 and 90 minutes and the program calls for working out 6 times a week. Given a busy lifestyle including two businesses and three kids (ages 3, 5, 13), the commitment aspect was more intimidating to me than the physical aspect. I am sure many of you can relate - making a commitment like this is a life changing decision.
The Challenge
By the end of three months, I had exercised 72 times in just 84 days! There were a few times I worked out twice in one day or did not work out until after midnight but one way or the other, I survived each one. In addition to time constraints and stretching my physical limitations, there were many other barriers that arose during the course preventing me from reaching my goal.
For example, I suffered from severe allergies and endured three sinus infections during the first six weeks of the program. Many of my workouts occurred inconveniently on the road in hotel rooms, at odd hours and in between business meetings. Additionally, my three year old daughter decided to create a new challenge of her own by refusing to go to sleep until she was absolutely sure I had completed the night's workout. She would find evidence of this by observing me lying in the floor out of breath and in a heap. OK, bedtime!
The Lesson
The workouts seemed physically impossible (at first) and there were obviously not enough hours in the day to complete them. Furthermore, the interruptions, distractions and "reasons" not to do it were nearly immeasurable. Interestingly though, it turns out the real value gained from this experience came about as a result of these and many other challenges encountered. It seemed with every additional obstacle, I began to realize how compelling it can be to procrastinate or give up. How simple it is to find a "reason" not to follow through and then rationalize your decision.
How often does this same principle play out in our work and personal lives? We know what we want to do and make a commitment but ultimately identify a reason not to keep going. Think about your job - what frustration have you repeatedly committed to change but are still living with? What about your personal life? Do you have a relationship that needs repair, a habit that needs to change or a problem that needs to be fixed but you never seem to get to doing it?
Too frequently we stop one prayer, a single step or just shy of the required effort to reach our goal. It has been said, the tragedy of life is not "failure" but "lost potential" in all the times we gave up too early. This experience has affirmed my belief that perseverance is the number one predicator of success. Sure, we may get lucky now and then but think back to your biggest successes and I'll bet you will find a common theme. You kept getting back up when knocked down, you stuck with it when others gave up and you refused to yield to challenges. In short, you persevered.
The Results
I wish I could report that I had a total body transformation as some of the participants on the infomercial and website appear to have had; my physical results were not quite that impressive. However, I did see some significant improvements in weight, strength and flexibility. I lost five pounds of fat, gained six pounds of muscle, increased strength by nearly 100% and saw flexibility improvements beyond measure. I feel better, eat better, sleep better, have more energy and accomplish more daily which I attribute to the empowerment of an increased positive attitude!
The Challenge
In conclusion, I challenge you to ask yourself "Where do I need to step up my game?" Do you have physical, professional, financial or personal goals you want to pursue but keep finding a reason to give up on? If so, we invite you to share your goals and your success stories here by commenting on this article.
"You do not have to be great to start but you have to start to be great." -Joe Sabah
Posted on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 @ 09:48 AM
This is a first part series of posts I am writing to share with family, friends, clients and associates about my personal plan to prosperity in 2010. Below I have outlined the person I want to "be" this year and it is my hope this post and next 11 posts of the series this year will inspire, motivate and move you to consider who you want to "be" in 2010.
During this year 2010, I resolve to be a person who strives to...
Embrace Challenges
The world offers plenty of circumstances to blame for our breakdowns, but the most effective people I know find a reason to achieve. What reasons have you relied on in the past for not accomplishing your goals? The economy, the government, global warming - these may sound funny, but others may hit closer to home. What about not enough time, too busy, relationship issues, my boss or my employees?
Let's switch gears and instead of asking "how" we can get out of our circumstances, ask "what" we can get out of our circumstances. For example, the economic pressures of the past year have helped me learn to budget better, manage my time better and be more process driven; you get the idea.
Remove Self-Imposed Limitations
How often are our limitations self-imposed? We set mental limits in our head of what we can accomplish and we make up stories about what we are "good" at and "not good at". The net result is we create a ceiling that limits our success.
A great example is the story of Roger Bannister. If you are not familiar with this story, you can read it here. The key principle is that Roger Bannister was the first person in history to run a mile in under 4 minutes. Just 56 days later, the feat was repeated by another runner. Amazingly, within 3 years, 16 other runners had accomplished this previously assumed impossibility. Self-imposed limitations!
One thing we can be sure of is we are not likely to exceed our own expectations. Why bother to dream if you are not dreaming big?
Clearly Understand my Purpose
So often we fly through life on remote control giving little thought to where we are going. Other times, we may know where we are going, but we have not stopped to consider if we are heading to a place we want to be or when we want to be there; weeks, months, years...
Would any of us take off on a road trip with no destination, no map or no time line?
It is critical that we consistently schedule time to slow down, reflect and be intentional about where we are going and why. This requires digging deep down to the core of what you want your life to be about. We are not talking about bank account balances, job titles or materials possessions. What is the essence of your reason for being and is your life in alignment with this reason?
Have a Plan
What problems do you have right now and you know they need to be addressed but you are pushing off dealing with? We all tend to avoid dealing with the frustrations in our lives that don't have a clear cut answer, are awkward or push us out of our comfort zones in some way.
To be effective, we have to "deal" with our problems, not "live" with them. In order to deal with problems, we first have to acknowledge them and commit to taking action. It may sound simple but it is not easy. A good way to determine what you are "not dealing with" is to take notice of the circumstances, people and situations you complain about.
Invest in Others
There is nothing more satisfying than to invest your time, talents and resources to others. Ironically, when we invest in others and we do so with the right motives, we inevitably experience a radical return on our investment.
At ClubPay, we call this our "give to give" philosophy and we work hard to live it out in some way every single day. It may be as simple as sharing some valuable information, giving an encouraging word or making a professional introduction for a colleague. The key is to be intentionally "others focused" for part of each day.
Conclusion and Challenge
What resolutions did you establish for yourself this year? At twenty-two days into the year, how successful have you been at sticking to your goals? If you are meeting all of your goals so far, I congratulate you for your resolve and self-discipline. If you are already struggling, maybe taking a different approach will help you accomplish more with less effort - something we are all about at ClubPay.
Join us this year in building a community of support and encouragement; invest in each other and help us "be" who we want to "be" in 2010.
Who do you want to be in 2010?
Posted on Tue, Sep 01, 2009 @ 04:17 PM
I recently read Noah St. John's The Secrect Code of Success and while I give the entire book 5 stars, there is one secret that I just can't wait to share. Mr. St. John has discovered a secret technique for achieving goals which may be one of the most useful tools to achieve personal effectiveness ever discovered.
Get a copy of The Secret Code of Success to learn all of the secrets, you won't be disappointed.
What is the secret?
This technique is so deceptively simple that when you first hear about it, you are probably thinking what I was thinking - "no way this works". But, as you will see in a few minutes, it does work! It works very, very well and I believe it will have an immediate positive effect for you.
So, what is the secret? It is what Mr. St. John calls "afformations". Yes, you read that right, "afformations" as opposed to "affirmations". What is an afformation? An afformation, as defined by Mr. St. John is like an affirmation, only phrased in the form of a question and with the assumption of having already occurred.
As I said, this seems deceptively simple and if whether you are feeling skeptical or intrigued right now, I encourage you to read on.
Putting into practice...
Making afformations is incredibly easy. Just think of something you want, phrase it as a question and assume it has already occurred. For example, if you want to lose twenty pounds, instead of stating "I am going to lose 20 pounds", phrase as "Why have I lost 20 pounds?". This simple adjustment yields surprising results.
Since many of my readers work in accounting or management positions in private country clubs, let's look at a real life example for club management professionals. Let's say you want to get your financials out by the 5th of the month. We simply say, "Why do I always get my financials out by the 5th of the month?".
Now, give it a try. Think of something you would like to accomplish, phrase it in the form of a question and say it out loud. Repeat it several times. Take note of how you feel when you ask the question out loud. Do you feel powerful? Do you feel like your goal is suddenly more achievable?
How does it work?
To get the entire explanation, you'll have to read the book. I will attempt to provide you the Reader's Digest version here. The reason this works is that you are essential tapping into your subconscious when you ask a question. You are triggering your subconscious to look for an answer.
When you make a statement such as "I will get my financials out by the 5th every month", your subconscious automatically kicks in with reasons why you can't get your financials out by the 5th. You mind will start telling you things like "I can't do this, my bank statements are in, inventory is never done on time, I have to wait on others, and whatever other negative reasons it can pull up.
However, if you ask the question, "Why do I always get my financials out on time?", your subconscious will automatically to look for reasons why you can accomplish your goal. You will subconsciously start looking for the actions that will lead you to your desired result.
Start asking questions...
Take our your goals or think of what you want to accomplish and write each in the form of an afformation. Get in the habit of reading your afformations out loud each morning and measure your results. Are you feeling more in control and getting more done?
If you decide to give this approach a try, comment on the article and share your results. Likewise, if you decide to read the book, let us know what you think. I hope it helps you get one step closer to reaching your goals.
I have been practicing afformations for several weeks now and the results have been impressive. I will close with a question, "Why did this blog help so many people?"