Happy.....New Year

Back in 2000, I made a New Year’s resolution to never make another resolution ever again.  I’m kicking ass on it.  Haven’t broken it yet.  When I decide I need to make some changes, I just make them.  I don’t need any specific day to start.  Here’s my issue every time though……I decide to change too much in one swoop.  Example:  Starting today, I will get up at 4 am, workout, leave an hour for work stuff, make breakfast for everyone before they wake up and quit eating sugar.  It’s so inspiring to think of myself as this tireless, superiorly disciplined super human.  Unfortunately, it’s wildly unrealistic and actually pretty arrogant.  

Tony Robbins had a quote that I’m going to hack here, but it went something like this, “People often overestimate what they can do in a year, and greatly underestimate what they can do in 10 years.”  In other words, slow down and take one thing at a time for a longer time-period.  I also went deep on Jordan Peterson a couple years ago and he talks a lot about small, incremental changes.  I love this.  I can knock out one thing at a time.  It’s been said that 90 days is the time it takes to make real habits stick.  As a man in his 40’s,  I can make anything happen for 3 months.  Shit, I slept only 20 hours a week for about 90 days when my 2nd son was a newborn.  I survived.  

So instead of deciding to wake up at 4, go to the gym, and change my diet,  I decided to wake up 15 mins earlier every week until I got there.  It took me about 2 months.  Careful with this one tho, I now cannot sleep past 6.  

After I was awake early every day, I started working out at home.  Simple bodyweight stuff.  After a few months, I would feel like ass if I missed a workout. I did this for a full year before I snagged a gym membership.   I still ate whatever I wanted.  

After about 3 months in the gym,  I tried to change my diet.  I failed……a lot.  Food is my drug.  I use it to cope, I use it to celebrate. I use it as a reward. I use it as a measure of my manhood…i.e. eating 20 wings to prove I’m a real man.  So after about a year in the gym and now 2 years getting up early, I decided to ask for help. Yes, asking for help is every man’s personal battle, but I decided that not asking for help has held me back from my best results.  I was all done with that.  

Time to ask a pro and that pro was Mr. Dave Bonollo of AestheticPhysiques.com. I had a few email conversations with him over the years and dug his simplicity and his sense of humor.  After one year of personal training, I was in the best shape of my life.  Damn near ripped at 40!

I say all that to say this…..I decided I wanted to change and I did….in a major way.  It took me 3 years though, not 3 months.  

Stay focused and really give yourself the gift of patience.  

What goals can you apply this to in your life?

Peace Homies

Jake