By Guest Blogger: John Abdo
Getting, and keeping yourself motivated to consistently improve in life; whether it’s in business, fitness, family, or all of life, is often a wrestling match that even the elite experience from time to time. But don’t ever consider throwing in the towel when ‘tough’ times are upon you as there are plenty of proven solutions that ensure success, and they’re closer than you think!
Tough times don’t last, but tough people do!
As a health, fitness and Olympic Strength & Conditioning Coach, my profession extends beyond instructing physical exercises and sports performance skills. Great coaches must also integrate a variety of mental conditioning methods that inspire, educate, and motivate each of their athletes. These mental instruments are designed to train the MIND, so that the athletes (and students) can then train their bodies for higher and higher levels of achievement. These techniques are not confined to athletic enhancement; they apply to all goal-driven motives. However, in today’s fast-paced society, too many people are approaching their transformational quests with an incorrect frame of mind, and this leads to failure in spite of great physical expenditures.
As a prime example, let’s take two guys who once came into my gym to learn how to work out. Both were relatively the same age, body weight, and they had similar skill-sets and lifestyles. One of the guys approached me and said, “John, I have to get into shape. My doctor is demanding it,” while the other fellow said, “Hey John, I want to get into great shape! Just tell me what do I need to do.”
Of the two, the ‘have to’ guy or the ‘want to’ one, which ‘mindset’ would you place your bets on? Body, sports, business or life, mental motivation emanates in a variety of ranks. Those who desire high levels of achievement must function with ‘high-performance mental fuel’ as the energy that drives that person’s exertions. Without proper mental fuel, there is a very predictable and dramatic difference between success and failure. The ‘high-performance fuel’ or mental motivation I’m referring to is ambition, determination, desire, and passion! Want to, not have to!
It’s no surprise that there really is a mind-body-life connection. So when I declare the solutions are closer than you think; the answers that yield ultimate levels of achievement and success, they’re (literally) located inside your Mind; while your body and your life is all the Matter.
When the mind is properly conditioned, energized with ‘want to’ motivational power, one can enthusiastically and confidently approach their tasks, challenges, obstacles and goals with that “For Sure” attitude. These are the people who literally engineer their own lives from the Inside-Out, and nothing stands in their way. Over time, that person continuously unleashes their truest genetic potentials, a gift that they have always possessed but just had to learn how to set it free.
5-Step Success Plan that REALLY WORKS!
STEP 1: Define your mental attitude. Do you resemble the ‘have to’ guy or the ‘want to’ one? This is the first step you MUST establish. Once this seed principle is firmly implanted into your consciousness, the success you’ve been striving for, and deserve, is not only possible, it’s inevitable!
STEP 2: Everyday—literally, you must write out your goals onto a sheet of paper. Make certain you write from an ‘already-acquired’ viewpoint, such as, “I am a strong person” or “Everyday, in every way, Iam better and better!” Something magical happens when the brain can generate a thought that physically, and visually, gets recorded onto paper.
STEP 3: Everyday, after you write down your goals, you must read them out loud. Again, there’s a phenomenon that occurs when you profess what you’re (passionately) envisioning to manifest in your life. Simply hoping or silently wishing for a goal to manifest has little or no stimulating power. Stand up, assume the role of your own coach and motivator, and say aloud, with conviction, “Everyday, in every way, I am better and better!” Affirmation vibrations connect with and influence Universal Consciousness.
STEP 4: Write out two more lists. The first list itemizes all of the things you need to do to obtain your goals. The second list outlines all of the things you must avoid and/or eliminate that are standing in your way. Let’s call this the ‘action plan.’
STEP 5: Make a date with yourself. Treat yourself every week (or more frequently if possible) to a positive engagement. Donate time to a pet adoption center. Visit a nursing home and take an elderly person by the hand. Reach out and counsel confused kids and their parents. As you continue to improve in your own life, you must ‘give back’ by inspiring, motivating and guiding others along their own life journey. The more you give the more you get™!
Epilogue
Everybody, even the elite, experience tough times and can fall off track. It’s not falling off track that matters. It’s how fast you get back on it that counts. Be a champion. Prove to yourself that you possess the passion and motivation to achieve your goals, in spite of any setbacks. Develop the confidence, ego if you may, that failure is not an option. If you do fall off track, don’t stay there long. Just stand back up, dust yourself off, lift your chin and chest, kick yourself in the ass, and then re-GO for it all over again. Remember, you need to become your own coach, motivator, and disciplinarian; don’t rely on anybody else to assume that role 100%. You are always a success in the making! Tough times don’t last but you do!
Finally, investing in yourself pays huge dividends now and forever. Make up your ‘Mind’ and then watch your body and life (your ‘Matter’) mold into the images of the thoughts you have impressed into your psyche. You and the world surrounding you are a much greater place because of YOU!
Think Up™ – Keep the Passion!
About the Author: John Abdo
John Abdo is an Olympic Strength & Conditioning Coach, Inductee into the National Fitness Hall of Fame, Award-Winning Health & Fitness Expert, co-developer of the popular TV male performance formulas, Androzene® and AndroPhase™. John is also the author of the critically acclaimed book Ultimate Sexual Health & Performance™. Please visit www.Androzene.com for more information.