IS YOUR GOAL A JOKE?

“A guy calls a company and orders their 5-day, 10 lb. weight loss program. The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands before him a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck. She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company The sign reads, "If you can catch me, you can have me." Without a second thought, he takes off after her. A few miles later huffing and puffing, he finally gives up. The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10 lbs. as promised. He calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program. The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning, beautiful, sexy woman he has ever seen in h is life. She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, "If you catch me you can have me". Well, he's out the door after her like a shot. This girl is in excellent shape and he does his best, but no such luck. So for the next four days, the same routine happens with him gradually getting in better and better shape. Much to his delight on the fifth day when he weighs himself, he discovers that he has lost another 20 lbs. as promised. He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the 7-day/50 pound program "Are you sure?" asks the representative on the phone. "This is our most rigorous program."
"Absolutely," he replies, "I haven't felt this good in years." The next day there's a knock at the door; and when he opens it he finds a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, "If I catch you, your ass is mine." He lost 63 pounds that week.”
It’s a funny joke because what it actually illustrates is that if you want something bad enough you’ll do it. The guy in the joke always had the ability to lose weight, he just didn’t do it. The same can be said about all goals. The question is not whether or not you will get your goal but how bad you want it and how hard you are willing to work for it.

LIVE AND LEARN

The other morning I was backing out of my office parking space and managed to hit a cement pole. The result was a very minor scratch on the front bumper. Immediately, I began to bombard my thoughts with what I "should" have been doing. It didn't change what happened. It only made me feel worse.

In that moment I recognized that this was similar to what some overweight people do. Let's say you were to binge and then afterward feel "bad" about it. Typically the "feeling bad" is followed by reprimanding oneself verbally. The cycle continues as one feels bad and continues to punish oneself. Never recognizing that this obsession is the problem.

Being healthy is not about beating oneself up after making a not so wise choice. It is the decision you will make afterward. What will you focus on?

Even if the damages to my car were more severe, my punishing myself would not change what already happened. What really was necessary is what I was going to do to rectify the situation and that I learned to pay more attention the next time.

YOU DON'T NEED A FOUR LEAF CLOVER

The phrase that all successful people in any given area (physical fitness, business etc) dislike the most; "You are so lucky." Luck has nothing to do with it.
Throughout the years my peers and I often find ourselves discussing why only 3% of any given field is successful. In other words, only 3-5% of law students go on to be successful lawyers. Only 3-5% of people who get certified as a hypnotherapist will actual do it full time. Only 3% of the population is debt free. And the list goes on and on.
We have concluded that success is often determined by due diligence. The person who keeps showing up and doing the work will often be in the upper percentile. Certainly I can testify that in the field of physical fitness the person that puts in the best effort at the gym will get the best results. I am not suggesting that you spend hours at the gym --- although if you have the time being physical should always trump watching television. I am suggesting that if you continue to put in a quality work out you WILL get results.
So if you happen to see me at the gym--know that I probably got up early to allot proper work out time and prepare a healthy breakfast, the night before I most likely passed on desert, did not consume alcohol in an effort to "relax" or "have a good time." What I did do was create my own luck. If you want to be lucky you have to put in the work. Stay positive. And all the luck will come to you.

BEING OVERWEIGHT IS NOT THE CAUSE OF YOUR HEALTH PROBLEMS

One weekend I went to visit an old friend who is now suffering from many physical ailments. He is overweight. Over the years his doctors have advised him to drop the pounds. Apparently he had continued his bad eating habits and lack of physical exercise.

My concern led me to discuss his behavior with a friend and colleague. What we found to be interesting was that being heavy is often portrayed as the cause of being unhealthy. Yet he and I both concluded that there are many athletes who are husky who do not suffer from physical ailments. Being overweight is a symptom of being inactive. It might be more accurate to say that being inactive is what causes many physical ailments.

Regular physical activity is what we were designed to do. And consistency is key. If you are inactive and decided to play football with guys one Saturday morning, you might be asking for injuries. However, with regular consistent activity one can help prevent injuries and many illnesses.

YOU ARE WORTH IT

These days food can be an expense. And so you might buy the cheapest stuff out there. But cheap food is not necessarily healthy. And this can lead to more expenses in the future. Food prices might seem high but paying your own medical bills is even more expensive.

If you want to eat out, you can go somewhere with healthier, better food, and eat less. You might split an entree, or have an appetizer instead of a main course. You can forego alcohol which will decrease the bill. At home spend just a little bit more at the grocery store so you can cook healthy, great-tasting meals that will make you enjoy eating at home.

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY DEPRIVING YOURSELF OF

When it comes to choosing strictly healthy foods---the battle cry for some overweight persons is typically “I don’t want to deprive myself” or “you have to live”. May I suggest that if having a piece of pie is the highlight of your life, perhaps you need to re examine your life. And what are you really depriving yourself of? Think about it? What has over eating really cost you? Think about what you really want.

THE MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP

Good relationships start with good communication, but relatively few of us communicate effectively. Psychology teaches us that effective communication starts with the ability to create rapport.

Rapport is the state of ease and trust, where communication flows without resistance. You are naturally in rapport with 25% of the people you come in contact with. It doesn't happen consciously. When someone says "I feel like I've known you all my life" or "It's so easy to be with you," this is unconscious rapport.

Good communicators establish and maintain rapport unconsciously. You can create the same results through conscious awareness. This is important not just with relationships outside ourselves,nut the relationship we have with ourselves.

Most of us go about our day without communicating with our physical bodies. Without rapport, no meaningful exchange is possible. From a health point of view, you are more likely to make better choices when you bring the needs of your physical body to your conscious awareness.

Develop a more effective relationship with your physical body.