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I am not speaking as the expert in this blog, rather as the
experiencer. The past 10 years of
my life has been one crazy roller coaster. I have ran 300 miles in 4 ½ days, completed an Ironman and
70 something other endurance events, started a business and expanded that business;
got married, had 3 daughters but tragically we lost 1; started another
business, lost it; and yes there is more.
But, I am not here to bore you into itemizing stories about my life;
today I share my opinions on life balance and plain and simple, how I’ve been
able to GET some SHIT DONE. And
ultimately, I want to fire you up to accomplish your goals and
aspirations.
Here is my take on a “balanced life”….It doesn’t
happen. When you think about it,
who wants to live at balance? I
ask this question not necessarily knowing the answer but with my past
experiences guiding my learning curve, I have realized that perfect life
symmetry just does not happen. For
the split second that you feel you are perfectly in control, let’s say
balanced, BOOM! A blow comes down
and smacks you in the face. Then
the teeter-totter heads back down; when you reach the “ground”, there is only
one way to propel yourself back up…You push yourself off the ground. You soar back up; enjoy the ride, only
to hit the apex of the teeter-totter once again. It’s an ongoing process. How do you respond?
So you want to get in shape? But you have three kids between the ages of 4-8. You have work pressure as your boss is
on you to close two big accounts.
You haven’t gone on a date with your wife in 3 months. You feel sluggish, lack energy and the
body aches. You are overwhelmed
because of the three soccer games this weekend. Yeah, that’s a tough one.
Here are a few things I recommend: (remember, I am speaking
as the experiencer, not the expert)
First, get things GREAT with your wife. Go on a date, like tonight! Make her your priority. Over work, over your kids, over your
exercise, over everything, she is #1.
When you have long days and want to crash on the couch the minute you
get home, don’t be selfish, she needs help. Get up and go help!
A happy wife equates to a happy life!
Second, make two small changes to your diet. Eat 4 servings of vegetables everyday and
drink 65 ounces of water everyday.
These two strategies, when built into habits, will snowball into other
positive and healthy habits. Be
consistent as it might take months, even years to form these habits. Do not try and revamp your entire
lifestyle. This is a recipe to
become even more overwhelmed and right now you need to destress, not add
more. Instead, work on no more
than 2 various strategies at a time.
Do not move on until it is connected into your routine. When you feel ready to move on, choose
1 or 2 more habits to work on and go with the same process.
Third, find the time to exercise. We all have at least 30 minutes every single day for
movement and exercise. Either wake
up 45 minutes earlier in the morning or do it before you go to bed. YOU HAVE THE TIME. If you aspire to train for an event,
like a triathlon or half-marathon, communicate your goals and time budget to
your wife and family, then plan an efficient training schedule (or hire a
coach), write in all of your workouts in your weekly calendar and go for
it! You do not have to be the
fittest person in the world. Just
be the fittest YOU can be. What
makes you happy? If running with
your buddies makes you happy, go do it.
What drives you? If looking
good naked for your wife motivates you, then get to the gym. What are you willing to sacrifice? Late nights, social gatherings, sleeping
in, processed foods… If you want to achieve big things in fitness, you have to
make sacrifices.
Lastly, you must take 100% responsibility for your
life. Eliminate excuses. Read the books that will help you
grow. Exercise. Eat healthy (but indulge once in
awhile). Build STRONG and positive
relationships. Remove negativity
and things that send you south.
Keep going when SHIT gets hard.
Don’t blame; find solution.
Stay motivated! Be happy in
the moment.
It is very easy to get complacent, lose productivity and ultimately lose motivation. You sit down and end up watching 2-3 hours of television, when you should have been reading or exercising or working on a project. We all can write a long list of excuses why SHIT is not getting done. But do no be the excuse maker. Be the ACTION taker.
This is a journey.
And not to sound too philosophical, but life is a wild ride. You are going to win some and lose
some. Some days will be harder
than others. Some days you will
want to stay in bed all day, but can’t because SHIT needs to get done. So GET UP! Rise today.
Don’t worry about tomorrow just yet. Yesterday is gone, so move on. If you can dig deep and find your strongest self, this thing
we call LIFE can be pretty amazing.
Do not accept a mediocre life.
Challenge and push yourself to your limits. Realize that it will be uncomfortable if you want to get
SHIT done.
Do not search for a balanced life. Instead, be in pursuit of your ultimate self.
Remember, I got your back. Peace Out!
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