Something I have learned about fitness is that it is more than just physical exercise and looking good (and feeling great about the way I look). I never thought that I would ever be a "fitness junkie" but I have gotten to a point in my life where if I don't get some type of movement and activity in during my day, I just don't feel well. There really is a great feeling that comes from striving to work on myself on a daily basis!
It wasn't a bed of roses getting to this point though... In fact, I was still working on finding a groove with my workouts up to just a few months ago. They were scattered and I was having a hard time sticking to one program. It was a mind game that I really struggled with. There were many days that I would spend more time thinking about doing a workout than it would actually take me to just put the DVD and bust it out. I think back now and realize that I was wasting a lot of valuable time doing this!
So what changed? Why is it so much easier to have the desire to just get it done on the daily now? Well, it started by exercising my mind!
Sounds crazy, right? Let me tell you what happened:
In June, I went to a Summit event in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first day that I was there, I didn't even have time to take my luggage to my hotel room before I had to attend my first meeting, so I hauled my bags into the meeting with me (luckily I packed lightly) and got to listen to the CEO of Beachbody talk about how he wanted us to approach the business after we left Summit at the end of the week.
He said something that meant a lot to me because it helped me realize that I had been holding onto quite a few negative emotions that were holding me back in all areas of my life. He said that it didn't matter where we came from, or what we had done in the past, we needed to move forward and leave it all behind us. He told us that we needed to promise him that no matter the success or failures we had seen already, we would return home and approach everything in our lives as if it was for the first time! He told us that he was going to be the 'new CEO of Beachbody' the day he got back home, and that we should do the same for whatever we wanted to focus on in life!
Here's the thing... I have had some pretty hard things happen in my life that were completely out of my control. I hadn't forgiven the people that had caused these struggles and trials, and I was very, very bitter about it. It caused me to go into a deep depression and was creating multiple health problems in my life... I have worked through many of these trials over the last year, but there was something about the idea of becoming whomever I wanted to be the day I got home from Vegas, and it appealed to me!
I made a resolve that whatever had happened in my past, I was going to start turning my trials into my triumphs! I realized that no matter what happened in my life that was out of my control, I could control how I chose to handle it, and in the past, I had chosen to let my struggles handle me. I knew that I couldn't let that happen anymore if I really wanted to live a more fulfilling life... so how did it change?
First, I made a decision. I decided that I was going to take the challenge of being very aware of how I was responding to the let downs in my life. I chose to respond in a positive way. Second, I started praying with real intent. Now, I don't know if you are a person of faith, but that doesn't matter to me, if you really want something in life, you find some way to think about it and meditate on that thought daily. If you take the time to do this, you'll start to see changes in your life, I promise! Third, I started reading or listening to at least a half an hour of personal development/self help books everyday. That has made one of the biggest changes in my life. I got back from Summit 3 weeks ago. Since I have been back, I have read 3 books, and listened to over ten hours of inspirational talks and conference calls. It has changed my life! The forth change that I made was to commit myself to a specific workout program. I have only finished one program from beginning to end, and that was the program I started my health and fitness journey with, Insanity. That's pretty embarrassing for me to admit, but it doesn't matter, because I started PiYo and I am committed to finishing it in 60 days! I haven't missed a day yet, and I feel amazing! The fifth change that I made was to get rid of my self-defeating story. The prayer and personal development helped me do this, but I took that idea that I have used as an excuse for so many years, and I made the decision to put it out of my life. It doesn't mean that I wont struggle with it, or I won't have to keep growing out of it (maybe for the rest of my life), but I am aware of it and I catch myself before I start manifesting it's presence in my life. If I feel it's pain coming on, at any time, I will consciously say to myself, my story will not defeat me, I will create my future, and my adversity will become my advantage! It is what will push me to greater success!
So whatever it is that you are struggling with in life, make the choice to put it behind you! Every new moment gives you the opportunity to change! What a gift that is! Be grateful for that, and show your gratitude by taking advantage of it! I'm not saying that you aren't going to come upon more difficult times in your life, but I promise you that if you put these principles to work in your life, and start doing these little actions, whenever a defining moment comes to you, YOU WILL HAVE THE POWER TO DEFINE THE MOMENT, rather than allowing the moment to define you!
Now, get out there and start creating your best life!
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