PART 3 OF A 10-PART SERIES TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

Are you committed? I know you want to get fit and healthy, that’s understood. Practically everybody wants these things, but look around you … does it look like people are generally getting fitter and healthier? There’s evidence everywhere you look that people are not getting fitter and healthier, at least huge numbers of them. So something’s going wrong. Something’s just not quite adding up.

Maybe lots of those people who’d just love to be in better shape just aren’t doing what’s necessary to achieve it? Mmm … there’s an idea. But hold on … I thought they really wanted to improve their health and raise their fitness levels to unheard of heights? Was I mistaken? Was I expecting too much?

Many people just won’t do what it takes

We both know the answer to that. People want certain things but when it comes down to it they’re not committed enough and they just don’t do the necessary. And why? Because they’re not committed! They see it all as just too much hard work and they shy away from tackling it.

So what makes you any different? Are you committed? Most people aren’t … so, are you? Are you the one in a hundred who will achieve these things? Have you made the decision to do whatever it takes?

If it were easy everyone would be doing it!

Look, let’s be honest, it takes hard work. You will sweat and you will feel pain. At times (lots of times) it will feel like you’re getting nowhere. And at times you will want to give up. Quitting will seem so easy, and such an appealing option. Because it’s so much easier to quit than it is to take the harder road.

So what makes you so special? What makes you think you’re really committed enough to do what’s necessary, and actually stick to your commitment?

Let me offer a few tips, things that might make it a bit more compelling to take this road rather than the easier one.

• If you do this, if you commit and hold fast to your commitment, you will be doing something special, something rare among people. You will be holding true to yourself. Not many people do that. You can. And you will!

• It will feel fantastic to know that you are achieving something special. To know that you are creeping up on your goal and making it yours. To know that you’re beating the odds.

• Unlike most people, you will come to realise that you don’t have to do it all at once. You don’t have to suffer and drag yourself to the finish line each and every day, in pain. Achieving health and fitness takes guts, but it doesn’t have to be endless agony. In short, it’s do-able!

• Just imagine the feeling you’ll get when you’re on the way to achieving your fitness goals. There’s nothing like it! In fact, it’s its own reward. Just working towards these goals is reward enough. You’ll love it!

• Keep your eyes on the prize! Improving your health is one of the most important things you could ever do, so focus on that. Imagine achieving sparkling health. And achieving outstanding fitness can transform your life. Imagine what that will do for you.

Are you committed enough to be one of the élite?

Become one of the élite, the few that make a commitment and stick to it. Think about how great it will be to work steadily towards your health and fitness goals, and to see and feel the effects taking shape. Make that commitment! Decide that you will work towards achieving better health and outstanding fitness, and you will do whatever is necessary to achieve these truly worthwhile goals.

Once you become committed, the path is laid out for you, and it’s not nearly as tough as you might have imagined. Each and every step of the way is manageable. You can do it! And you will enjoy it too. You will love the feelings of achievement and satisfaction. Don’t cheat yourself of these things. Be among the few who want improved health and outstanding fitness and are actually prepared to work towards these things.

Decide they will be yours, and commit to doing the necessary. It’s as simple as that. Or it can be, if you don’t complicate things!

Have you got the motivation?

But hey, say you lack motivation sometimes … what then? First, accept that it’s going to happen. You will feel no motivation to speak of from time to time. It’s all part of the ebb and flow of life. Nobody feels one hundred percent motivated every day. But there are things you can do to keep your motivation level high.

For example, write down how good it will feel when you reach a certain weight, or a certain milestone, or achieve a certain level of fitness. Write down exactly how good that will be, how worthwhile, how rewarding … and read it as often as you need to. Read it every day before your workout, if that’s what works for you. Or just turn to it when you feel your motivation is slipping. Maybe it’ll be enough to give you a kick up the backside and get you moving.

Or have a backup plan. By that I mean have a secondary workout that you can do if you feel you can’t tackle the main event. Don’t feel like you’re letting yourself down; you’re not, you’re just making the best of things. It’s one hundred percent better to do a short workout, or a light workout, or even just a few minutes stretching, than to just say to hell with it and do nothing.

The fact that you’ve made the effort, that you have, in effect ‘turned up’, is hugely valuable. As Woody Allen [supposedly] said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” And have a reward system in place too. If all you have to look forward to is the next training session it won’t take long for your enthusiasm to wear thin. Make sure you do something special, even if it’s only taking a nice, relaxing bath after a workout. Always remember to treat yourself well, and to reward your efforts. With that kind of approach, and if you’re fully committed, you won’t have to worry about your motivation level dipping.