None of us are perfect. We all have vices that we escape to in order to distract us from things that are stressful in our lives. Maybe it's something serious like drugs, gambling, or porn. Or maybe it's something less serious but you've realized you spend way too much time on like your phone, video games, or TV. Maybe it's something that's not serious yet but you know that it's better to stay away from - for instance, we all know someone who abuses alcohol to a point where it has damaged parts of their lives in a serious way. 

One of the hardest things for us to do is to be and stay disciplined; to ignore impulses that seem harmless in the moment but we know add up to trouble. This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately because this year I have a strong focus on being more disciplined all-around. Last year, research was my major focus so in the time I would normally spend in the gym, I would spend that time reading. I realize now, I could have planned this out better and forced myself to just listen to audiobooks or podcasts in times that I was in the gym so I could still reach my goal for research while staying disciplined. But when I wasn't doing research, I found it was far too easy to get sucked into playing video games or spending time on my phone. 

This year I've been pushing myself and, even though we're only a couple weeks in, my habits have improved ten-fold and it's because I keep away from my phone and video games and instead spend that time working out or writing. I feel amazing and I see it in the goals I set for myself each week that I've been getting far more accomplished.

Let me share with you some tactics that have resonated with me from books that I've read and that have been helping me stay disciplined. I think that you will find them empowering and hopefully they will help you reach your current goals if they resonate with you as well...

James Clear, author of the Atomic Habits (a book that released over 4 years ago that still remains at the top of the charts in Self-Help on Amazon and I'm sure will remain there for a very long time) states that, "The key to building lasting habits is focusing on creating a new identity first."1,2

Clear's outlook is that we essentially are the summation of our habits - and that's a tough thing to argue. With identity-based habits, he's saying that if we want to change our habits, we should have the mindset that we want to change who we are in a positive way. For instance, if we want to quit smoking, the best mindset we can have is, "I'm not a smoker," so that if someone asks you to smoke, that can be your response and you relieve yourself from the pressure and impulse to continue that unhealthy habit and lifestyle.

This is a very powerful tool and is a great way to start when you want to set goals for yourself - by envisioning the person you strive to be. As I stated earlier, I decided I want to be more disciplined so I engineered my goals for this year around that.

Richard Thaler is a Nobel-Prize-winner for his work in behavioral economics and this tactic is from his wildly popular book titled Nudge. Commitment devices are tools used to keep us on-track for our goals.3

Thaler's most popular example of this is taken from when he used to have dinner parties. He stated that while they were waiting and talking before dinner, they would commonly have drinks and after a certain number of times, he decided to move snacks into a different room for this period of time. No one there, especially Thaler, wanted them to ruin their appetite and by moving the snacks out of sight and to a place they'd have to walk to, he realized this helped tremendously. 

We can all use commitment devices to help us reach our goals and there are countless examples. One that should be obvious is with the food you keep in your house - if you leave the grocery store without the foods you "can't help but eat," you're helping yourself tremendously because it won't even be an option for you unless you take the time to go all the way back. Another easy example is that if you keep healthy foods like fruits and veggies out where you see them regularly rather than tucked away in your fridge, you're also far more likely to eat those foods more often.

A commitment device that I've been using so far this year that keeps me off from my phone is by keeping it in the bedroom when I am home. There are times I need it to pay bills or make a call but most of the time, the only purpose it serves is a distraction if it's within reach. This certainly has helped me be productive while I'm home.

Mike Matthews is a fitness author as well as CEO and founder of the supplement company Legion Athletics, Inc. His flagship books, Bigger Leaner Stronger for men and Thinner Leaner Stronger for women has helped me and hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of others with programming their fitness routines and learning the basics of lifting.4,5

In his book, The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation, Matthews advises that when we want to do something like scroll through our phones or watch TV, we should simply distract ourselves with a task that pushes us in a positive direction instead.6 He states:

"You can also institute a mandatory ten-minute wait before allowing yourself to indulge in an undesirable activity... Decide to do whatever you're dreading for just ten minutes, and once they're up, allow yourself to stop. Chances are you'll want to keep going!" (p. 59)

It's interesting how simple of a tactic this is, yet how true and helpful! I haven't forced myself to do ten minutes because it doesn't usually even take me one minute! Once I start moving in a different direction, I get wrapped up in that task and completely forget about the bad habit I was distracting myself from. One thing that helps with this is scheduling out your day so that you accomplish the things you want to. If you do it right, you'll find that you won't have time to fool around for hours in-between tasks.

Small distractions can quickly turn into bad habits that will eventually catch up to you.
​
What's keeping you from reaching your goals or being the person you strive to be? If you have a journal and you know there is something you want to work on, I recommend writing out your response to that question. If you don't, I recommend the free website/app that I've been using recently, Penzu. Once you've done that, consider these tactics given by James Clear, Richard Thaler, and Mike Matthews to help you stay true to that.

We all can make the conscious decision on how we want to spend our day. If you use these tools, they can truly help you stay focused and spend your time wisely.

I wish you the best on your current list of goals and with getting rid of those bad habits. If you have any questions or comments, please comment below. Thank you for taking the time to read.

​I recently was recommended and gifted a book, The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy, by my friend Juan. Normally, I do not directly study entrepreneurship specifically, but it is similar to books that I normally read on self-improvement because it does cover principles in success and motivation. Darren Hardy is not only a best-selling author and successful entrepreneur but a keynote speaker who works with Success Magazine.
 
There was a part of this book that made me feel I should do some homework and I would like to share it with you. Hardy talks about how he interviewed Maria Shriver and asked his routine question of, “What is your definition of success?” and was taken back by the answer enough to realize he had not adequately defined it for himself until then.
 
In turn, this made me want to take the time to define success and what it means to me, which I am sharing here along with how you can do the same.

At its roots, I would define success as: the feeling of fulfillment in any particular area in life. Success can be reached through any goals that you may have. Everyone’s definition is different based on what makes them feel fulfilled and what they want to accomplish; it also changes regularly.
 
If you want to define what success is for you, you can think of three things (this was taken from my friend, Juan, who gifted me The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster, which he says are the three things that he focuses on when pursuing goals):

1. Finances
2. Relationships
3. Contribution

 
And ask yourself the following questions:

• What does success mean to me?
• What drives me/what am I truly passionate about?
• When I picture myself being successful, what does that look like?1

 
Challenge yourself to think critically about contribution. Juan says this is the most critical of the three and I agree with him.  Whether that contribution is a positive impact that you want to make on friends, family, or to any cause that you’re passionate about. Money is not a great, lasting motivator but giving back to someone or something you’re passionate about is.

​So ask yourself: what does success mean to me? This is a great exercise to do before you sit down and write down the goals that you currently have in mind. It also helps you realize what you are truly passionate about so on days that you wonder why you continue to work hard, you can keep this in mind and remember your why.
 
I’ll repeat a key thing that I’ve learned from my endeavors and learning from highly successful people – money is not a great, lasting motivator but giving back to someone or something you’re passionate about is. Of course, finances are still a part of it and they’re important to everyone to some extent. But the things you’re passionate about (why you’re doing what you’re doing) is what really pushes you at the end of the day. If you’re doing something solely for money, you won’t be successful or happy long-term.
 
If you decide to challenge yourself and write down your definition of success, feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below or email me directly at [email protected]. I would love to hear your thoughts on this or to assist in any way I can. Share this post on social media if you find it helpful to you. You never know, it may help someone else too.

1. The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy - p. 75-78

​Mike Matthews is a virtual fitness coach and bestselling author of several books. His flagship books and programs are Bigger Leaner Stronger (or ’BLS’) for men and Thinner Leaner Stronger (or ‘TLS’) for women. To explain the purpose of these books and his mission as a coach, he states, “I’m Mike and I believe that every person can achieve the body of their dreams. My mission is to give everyone that opportunity by providing time-proven, evidence-based advice on how to build muscle, lose fat, and get and stay healthy.”1 He also has a popular podcast, Muscle for Life, and is the founder and CEO of his supplement company, Legion Athletics.
 
Mike works to give the coaching advice that he wished he had when he started working towards his health and fitness goals. He also backs up all of his advice with scientific reasoning. For instance, in BLS and TLS, he cites over 500 different resources that are mainly scientific articles.
 
For Mike’s advice on weightlifting, he mainly focuses on progressive overload. This term is used to express that you are loading your muscles enough when you work out that you consistently see progress in reps and weight you’re adding to the bar. He also focuses on “The Big Three” lifts: the barbell squat, barbell deadlift, and barbell bench press and working in the 4-6 rep range (with 1-2 left in the tank) for those lifts and in the 8-12 rep range for most other exercises.
 
For his advice on nutrition, his main focus is on your caloric intake: making sure you are in a caloric surplus when you are trying to bulk up and in a caloric deficit when you are trying to cut weight. He also states that you cannot ignore the quality of food you eat and suggests eating 1-2 servings of fruit and 2-3 servings (cups) of fibrous vegetables each day.2
 
Mike does a great job at breaking everything down so that anyone could get started on one of his programs. His programs vary between 3-5 workout sessions each week to accommodate those who cannot find time to go to the gym every day. He also has workbooks that go along with the BLS and TLS programs, more advanced books to follow, and even a cookbook, The Shredded Chef. Last but definitely not least, The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation is a book that he wrote to give advice on motivation and success to assist you further in making goals for yourself and crushing them. As you can see, Mike has been creating great content for a while and he continues to do so.

1. Bigger Leaner Stronger, p. 31
​2. Bigger Leaner Stronger, p. 206
​3. Bigger Leaner Stronger, p. 38
​4. Bigger Leaner Stronger, p. 102
5. Bigger Leaner Stronger, p. 163
6. Bigger Leaner Stronger, p. 70
7. Bigger Leaner Stronger, p. 216
8. Muscle For Life - "Ru Anderson on How to Master Your Habits"

I'm April Shwe-Paul, a Success Mindset & Purpose Coach from Auckland, New Zealand. I help ambitious people find clarity on what true success looks like and help them in achieving their goals. My YouTube Channel is all about self-development, where I share knowledge and expertise specifically in the area of mindset so that I can improve the quality of your life. 
 
We are currently in uncertain times and the next few years will certainly bring more challenges and curveballs our way. While we can't control what happens in the world and external forces that affect us, we have control over how we react to it. 

Here is a brief summary of my top 7 tips on how to manage stress given in the video above...

​Getting out of your head and into your body is a great way to manage your state in stressful situations. Walking, hiking or getting out in nature will have a profound and positive impact on your mental state. 

​Meditation allows you to be more present and live in the moment instead of worrying about future scenarios. This trains your brain to be more patient, learn to stay in the present, and to focus on what you can control.
 
Meditation also help you be more relaxed. So the more stressed out you are, the longer you should meditate.

Having a perspective change is really helpful to look at situations more objectively. I always think about the big picture when I encounter a stressful situation and ask myself questions that help me snap out of the downward spiral.

For instance, I'll ask myself questions like: “If you were given a month left to live, is this really that big of a problem in your life?” Questions like this help bring perspective and center my thoughts on what is really important.

​Do a brain dump into your journal to help you manage stressful situations. Getting your thoughts on paper can help you realize how irrational some of your thoughts are. More importantly, journaling gives you an opportunity to address some of those issues. Once you’re able to prioritize your problems to resolve, you can create a step-by-step action plan to address them. 

​Look after your overall well-being. It's easy to neglect our health when we feel stressed but in order to overcome obstacles in our lives, we must be in a good state to tackle them. Having a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and drinking enough water are all keys to taking care of yourself.

​There's scientific proof that hugs help you manage stress. Oxytocin is produced when you hug someone. Oxytocin is a hormone that has been shown to reduce blood pressure and it also counters norepinephrine (the stress hormone). So embracing someone can boost both your mental and physical health.
 
On top of all that, talking to someone you trust who has an outside perspective can help you have a better perspective on your situation. 

Don't just focus on the outcome. Make sure to also focus on what you can control in the moment. Look at things as a learning experience rather than looking at it from an outcome perspective.
​
Asking yourself questions focused on empowering solutions can help with this. For instance, ask questions like:

• What can I learn from this?
•  What is something positive that can come from this?
• What can I do to grow from this?

I decided to reach out to April because I found her content valuable and thought you would as well! April provides great information in creative ways through her Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube Channel.

​Follow her content if you enjoyed this post and let her know your thoughts in the comments below!

​I’m not sure about you but I am noticing a TON of negativity lately. And rightfully so.
 
Are you upset about politics? Are you worried about what things will look like in a year from now? Or five years from now? Have you gone through a major career change? Or lost your job and aren’t sure what direction you’re headed in? Are your kids struggling with learning from home and you’re at a loss because you simply don’t have the time outside of your full-time job to help them?
 
These are all real struggles that many people are facing right now but here is what I want you to do: Stop. Relax. Take a breath.
 
Realize that nothing gets solved by taking out your frustrations on other people. Know that even though negativity is contagious, positivity is even moreso. By supporting each other and showing each other love, you’re helping other people and you’re also helping yourself stay positive.
 
Things will get better. Your luck has not run dry. We all will get through this. We just need to keep working hard and supporting each other. Also, we need to figure out what we can’t control versus what we can control.
 
The feeling of fulfillment comes from improving areas of your life that you know need some work, a.k.a. you know you’re moving forward. Whether it is in your career, your relationships, your knowledge, or your health, making improvements in your life (even if it is just a 1% change every day) is what you should focus on if you want to be happy.
 
There are 1 million ways to go about this. Start small. For instance, here are a few:

• Try to go for a 10-minute walk every day.
• Make it a point to call your family once a week.
• Rekindle relationships with old friends.

 
Just evaluate where you are falling short and make little changes. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Small hinges swing large doors,” and it’s true.
 
There is much more light in this world than darkness. Invest in yourself so that you can live your best life and support others who could use some positive vibes.
 
So please, quit fighting and worrying and start enjoying everything life has to offer. One step at a time.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please comment below and/or share it on to others. We could all use positivity in these times, even if this just speaks to one person and helps them, I am grateful to be able to do that.

You can also subscribe to my blog by going to the Contact Page and providing your email. It is completely free and you will get my free guide to nutrition and fitness along with it! I intend to make a similar guide in the near future related to inspiration.

If you start wondering, "wait this is health/fitness blog, why are we learning about motivation," know that you're wrong. This is a blog to assist you on your self-improvement journey. A large focus on what I currently research is health and fitness related but this presentation made such a large impact on me that I felt it was important to share with you.​

If you need a kickstart to get inspired or if you just want to get some golden nuggets on how to be successful, you need to check out this presentation given by Sabrina Lloyd, CEO of Lloyd Agencies and hosted by Eric Thomas. Eric Thomas is a motivational speaker who has an incredible amount of inspirational content and I think this presentation left the biggest mark on me out of all of it.
​
Sabrina brings the same energy as ET and provides extremely powerful tips on what to do to be successful. I first heard this when I was pretty close to graduating college and the audience she is presenting to is college students at Michigan State University. That being said, this information is helpful for anyone who feels they are willing to put in the work to be successful but have yet to make the right moves.
​
Ever since I listened to this 2-3 years ago, I remember quotes from this presentation and, at times, they push me to continue working hard. In case you don’t want to listen to the hour-long presentation, here is a breakdown of the material…

Before Sabrina comes out, ET is preparing them for her. Something powerful that he says is, “degrees don’t necessarily make you successful. Its knowledge and skills and the application of those skills.” This is a great point – in order to do well outside of college and to stay employed, you need to prove that you’re worth the company’s investment of time and money. A common quote from ET is reiterated in this portion of the track as well - stating, “speed kills,” and suggesting that being 15 minutes early really means you are on time.
 
To begin, Sabrina states, “anything that you want it is absolutely possible if you follow the blue print to get there,” and that she is about to share that blueprint with you. By successful, she means that:

1. You control money. You don’t let money control you/your decisions.
​
2. You are able to buy nice things, morally and ethically. When you see a red Ferrari pull up next to you, you shouldn’t assume that person was handed it or that they are greedy or that they are a drug dealer. That individual likely worked hard for what they have and you should want to learn from those people.  
​
Then, she goes on to share a ton of solid tips, including:

1. Quit getting offended when someone says something to you. “When you get offended… you will get smacked around the rest of your life.” Instead, get inspired.
 
2. We are not all equal. The only time we are all equal is in the beginning. “We unequalize ourselves every day by the decisions that we make. If I make harder decisions than you, if I make tougher decisions than you, how can you say that I am equal to you... We are not the same anymore!” Start looking at how you can step up your game. 

• “You will be paid for the size of the problems that you can fix.” A good CEO is a professional firefighter, just solving problems (or putting out fires) one after the other. 
• “Train and condition your ability to manage problems.”

3. Pay back your school/country by wearing it on your back. People are what brings value to a country. Make yourself a resource.

4. “Everyone wants to be successful until they see what it actually takes.” You may have to put your relationships on hold, even family members, if you want to be successful.

5. Not until everything is stripped away do you know what you really want. For example:

• Before you can be free, you have to be enslaved. Having structure in your daily life is absolutely critical. What you do on a daily basis is what makes you into a success or a failure.
• Before you receive, you have to give. When you have $1 million, you need to be willing to give $100,000 away.
• In order to have life, you need to die. You need to kill your bad habits.

6. Wealth is a state of mind. Get in different environments to get out of the “lack”/poverty mindset and into the wealth mindset. You attract money by being mentally wealthy.

7. “Always do more than you are currently paid to do. That’s how to make an investment in your future.” Work to make impact and raise the standard.
 
8. Be a warrior. Warriors have options, they create favorable conditions, and they exist to service others. Work hard and never surrender.

I understand that ​this is a ton of information thrown in a short post so I encourage you to listen to the track so that a stronger impression is made on you. At the end of the day, ambition comes from you but I can tell you that Sabrina’s words have really pushed me to do the best job I can to make an impact in and out of the workplace.
 
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Also, if you would like to subscribe to this blog in order to be notified of new posts and big news, head over to my Contact Page.

​I see this question all the time and it’s really the main purposes of this blog site: to help you find resources for nutrition and fitness, whether you are a beginner or looking to learn more on top of what you already know. If you’ve asked this question that means you’ve already started. Something sparked the thought that you want to find a plan that works for you - for nutrition, exercise, or both. Maybe this was a motivational speaker you heard or your weight hit a number that you never want to see again or you had your first kid and realize you want to be around for as long as possible. No matter the reason, you need to find the resources to get you headed in the right direction.

​I suggest taking the following 4 steps...

​First off, what are you trying to achieve? Nutrition and fitness are far too complex to try and understand everything at once. Are you trying to build muscle? Do you want to work on your form during certain lifts? Find new exercises?

Are you trying to lose weight? This is a bit more complicated because of how many diets there are out there. My advice is to research which diet sounds most practical for you. Personally, I find Paleo to be a great introduction to avoiding sugary and starchy junk foods. By simply avoiding processed foods, you’ll find that your daily carbohydrate and sugar count will go down and it will be easier not to overeat. If diet isn’t your issue, find an exercise plan that sounds most practical depending on what you enjoy doing and what you realistically have time for.

If you aren’t sure and would like to do a further assessment to figure out your goals, check out a popular post of mine - Setting Goals (Warren Buffet, Jordan Pederson).

​If you look at my Recommended Books Page or my About Page, you will find a number of experts with all different backgrounds and areas of expertise. Whether you want to build muscle, lose weight, or work on improving specific aspects of your current programming, there should be someone you can respect and would like to learn more from more. Check out their website, books they've written, interviews they've done, etc. to find out if you want to learn more of what they have to say.

​Personally, the only form of media I trust for full nutrition or fitness plans are books. Most programs are simply too complex to explain in an article and you want to make sure it is a plan that you trust will work, especially if you are a beginner. Also, don’t just pick up one book. I find that self-help, fitness, nutrition, and cookbooks all go together. At a minimum, pick up or download 2-3 books from a mixture of those categories. For example, if you want to work on your diet, pick up 1 book from the expert you chose to learn from and then pick up 1 or 2 cookbooks related to the diet you would like to try. Many nutrition books introduce their own meal plans and provide recipes but I can tell you that cookbooks will give you a much better idea of all the options and should make you realize the diet won’t be too difficult to follow.

Take this step seriously. Keep a highlighter with you and really get to know the diet/training program they’re prescribing. When looking at cookbooks, cut out or mark the pages of recipes you want to try.

​In the end, it is all on you. You can read all the self-help, fitness, and diet books you want, but if you don’t act on it, nothing will change and you will just waste your time and money. All while researching and reading, you should be doing something to get started. Pick up dumbbells or a kettlebell, or find a gym or a club that you like, or make an effort to limit sugars/carbohydrates. Find what you like best – you make tweaks to their program or combine aspects of different programs. Whatever you enjoy doing and can see yourself doing consistently for a long time is the program for you.

I hope this helps you. This is the method that I took once I had the motivation to get started. I had been working out consistently but wasn’t seeing any improvements so I decided to take it seriously and attempted to improve my nutrition and find a workout plan that works for me – and I did. There are experts out there who want nothing more than to assist you in reaching your goals who have huge followings raving about how well their programs work.

If you want advice on which expert to follow, comment below with what you are looking to accomplish and I’ll do my best to help. You can also email me at [email protected].

Lastly, if you enjoyed this post please share it on (simply copy the link into your social media feed) and subscribe to the blog on my Contact Page. I will not spam your email but only notify you of new blog posts or important news related to the blog. Thank you for reading!

​Aside from this blog, there are many things I am doing behind the scenes related to the goals that I’ve put in place. Whenever I am not at my job, I am usually researching or writing. Health, fitness, and motivation are all topics I find extremely interesting and I find value in learning and sharing what I find. Over the past 3-4 years, I’ve been invested in educational podcasts and books on these topics and just can’t get enough.

​If you’re wondering what keeps me motivated, I would say it boils down to three things:

​There is a reason there are so many people like Joe Rogan, Tim Ferriss, and Tony Robbins that have such a huge following. Not only do these people have inspiring backgrounds themselves, but they’ve also inspired thousands (if not millions) to start their own businesses or passion projects.

​Twelve Paths revolves around researching experts, which opens my eyes to just how many people like this there are out there. Health and fitness experts like those that I have researched have worked extremely hard for the past 10+ years to get where they are and now many of them have 6 or even 8-figure companies. The fact that their inspiration comes from helping people and the amount of knowledge that they share keeps me wanting to learn more and to research more experts.

​When I was in elementary and middle school, I loved reading. Through high school and college, I dropped this hobby, likely because all of my time was focused on either school or my friends. Although, the amount of work I had in college reinforced my love for learning and I feel like I proved to myself that hard work does pay off. Towards the end of college, I got turned to motivational people like Eric Thomas and Jocko Willink. Both of these icons share an incredible amount of knowledge that revolves around working hard to achieve your goals. Then, Jocko turned me to a world I never researched deeply before but always found interesting, health and fitness, referencing experts featured on the Joe Rogan podcast like Peter Attia.
 
From there, I found a topic I could dig my heels into and I’ve rediscovered my love for reading. I mainly focus on health and fitness but I also educate myself on business, motivation, and writing so that I can develop new skills and achieve my goals. I also learn through podcasts and articles – the amount of resources you can find on any topic nowadays is endless. If you searched, you can find experts you enjoy learning from about topics that interest you in whatever form of media you prefer – my forms are books and podcasts but if you prefer documentaries and audiobooks, then all you have to do is search the topic that interests you and go from there.

​I’ve learned that time spent watching TV and playing video games is mostly wasted. There are definitely times that we all need to just get away and de-stress. I love spending time with family, spending time outdoors, and playing video games but I also feel like I need to work hard while I’m young and I can say I feel like I’m making good use of my time overall. By setting goals and working towards them, I feel like every year for the past 4 years has been better than the last when it comes to feeling accomplished.
 
The health and fitness experts that I follow often share valuable information on creating new habits, setting goals, and other motivational tips but I also look to people like James Clear, Michael Hyatt, Eric Thomas, and Jocko WIllink for that information as well.

If you are inspired simply by reading this post, I highly suggest you do the following… Start. Find a topic that interests you and do your research. Find books, podcasts, documentaries, or whichever media you enjoy most and start digging in. You’ll come to find out there is an endless spiral. There will be experts you do not care for and experts that you respect and enjoy listening to. It could be music, art, business, writing, history… Whatever you enjoy or want to improve your knowledge in. You can tell yourself, “I don’t have the time for that,” but most media you can listen to while you are driving. I bet you will start to enjoy it and rather than spending time watching your favorite show or playing your favorite game, you’ll choose to educate yourself through reading or watching a documentary.
 
Thank you for reading! If you have questions or comments, please comment below. Also, if you enjoyed reading this post then subscribe on my Contact page and share this post by doing a copy and paste with the link. If you subscribe, I promise I will not spam you but will only notify you when new posts are up on this blog.

In these crazy times, I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I've been a little stressed out. Between the fear of getting sick and being told to stay home while looting and rioting is happening all over the United States, it is tough to not be sucked into what is going on and stressed out by it. People have a right to be outraged but, personally, I feel the best thing I can do is focus on everything else I have going on. It's important to understand what is going on but there is no use in watching videos and reading articles that are solely generated for click-bait and to get your stress levels up.

I understand that this post is different than my other posts, but I feel it is important to share ways for you to de-stress and stay motivated to work on improving yourself. From studying successful entrepreneurs like those in the health and fitness space, a tool they seem to all have is to not get distracted and keep working hard on what they believe in. Almost all of them have gone through difficult times in their lives, where they had nearly nothing, and they just kept pushing towards their goals and still have not stopped.

Some great resources for staying motivated to reach your goals are:
The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation by Mike Matthews
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
and I will be referencing them throughout this post.

To quote Tyler Durden from the fantastic movie, Fight Club - "You are not your job. You are not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents in your wallet." I believe people being forced to stay home has brought to light what is most important; I know it has for me. We should be showing the ones we love how much we care and spending time with them as much as possible. Life is meant to enjoy and be others, not to be stressed out and alone.

As Ryan Holiday says in The Daily Stoic, "The person you'd like to be, or the person you see yourself as - how closely do your actions actually correspond to him or her (p.147)?" Start thinking of goals you have in all areas of life and what habits you can start applying to get there.

As Mike Matthews says in The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation, "There's probably very little we're actually incapable of; there's only our sense of urgency and willingness to act (p. 146)." 

Most things are not as complex as people make them out to be. If your goal is to change your body composition, dieting and exercising work; it's just finding programs that you will adhere to. If your goal is to improve the relationships you have with your loved ones, pick up the phone and randomly call them more or go out of your way to visit them more. If your goal is start your own business, do your research, make a plan, and get the ball rolling.

Rather than getting sucked into social media or video games, use the time you have wisely and invest it in yourself. There is always room for improvement.

Rather than focusing on all the negativity, use that time to teach yourself something. If you want to educate yourself on topics related to what is going on today, study people like Martin Luther King or Frederick Douglass or study times of large protests or economic downfalls. If you want to focus on something else, find something your passionate in - pick up an old hobby or find a new one! Pick up a new instrument, start journaling, or find a topic you want to learn more about. We have more resources than ever at our fingertips - whether you prefer movies, articles, books, or podcasts you'll find something to peak your interest.

It always helps to be kind to others, especially with everything going on nowadays. Make someone laugh or smile and let them forget about the stress in their lives for a minute. This is also something that successful people I have studied practice - selflessness. Make an effort to help out others when they ask or donate money to just causes if you can. Think of all the little things you take for granted and what little things you can do for those who do not have those things.

Many small business, those looted or shut down due to COVID-19 are hurting bad so, anything you can do to support local businesses is an especially kind gesture at this time. Keep your gym memberships even if you are not going and donate to these causes if you can. Also, reach out to friends who are stuck and living alone regularly.

I hope that this post sparks some ideas in how you can use this time wisely rather than stressing yourself out. We will persevere and get through this. In the meantime, work on yourself by setting goals or setting standards for yourself.

Another powerful quote from Ryan Holiday in The Daily Stoic is, "The work of living is to set standards and then not compromise them... Not, I want to do good - that's an excuse. But, I will do good in this particular instance, right now. Set a standard; hold fast to it. That's all there is (p. 302)." Something I plan on doing in the near future is establishing the standards I live by. I know a few off-hand but have never listed these as a practice. I hear a good resource for finding good life and business standards to live by is a book written in 2017, Principles by Ray Dalio.

To wrap up, I want to share my favorite quote from ​The Daily Stoic...

​"Time is our most irreplaceable asset - we cannot buy more of it. We can only strive to waste as little as possible (p. 365)."

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, please share it on and subscribe to be notified of new posts on my Contact page.

Strength/resistance training is not the end-all/be-all of exercise. Cardio and strength training both have a wide variety of different benefits, and from my research, they are both just as important. No matter what your goals are, you are missing large benefits if you train one way and ignore the other.

That being said, until I started strength training, I didn't know what I was missing. When I start my day with resistance training, I notice enormous improvements to my mood and energy for the rest of the day and I feel like I'm ready to tackle whatever decides to come at me.

Even though most of my posts dig deeper into optimizing your training/nutrition, what is more important is the individuality - why it is important to you and what keeps you motivated to come back to the gym day after day.

For this post, I decided to ask the following question in a Facebook Group and I want to share the wonderful anecdotes that I received...

Here are several different of the answers that I received:

1. Anti-depressant and good mental health benefits.
2. To be happier when looking in the mirror.
3. After having a serious intervention with my doctor, I decided this was the best course of action.
4. To step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself.
5. To lose weight.
6. To reduce chances of injury in other sports.
7. To overcome an injury.
8. To look good naked and get more attention from the opposite sex.
9. To build confidence.
10. To build the strength to work through physically demanding tasks and not be wiped out
11. Because getting stronger feels magnificent.
12. To relieve stress and anger.
13. To help motivate me to stop smoking.
14. To slow/counter the aging process.
15. To be healthier for my children; being able to join in family activities later in life.
16. It makes me feel alive.
17. And of course, "GAINZZZZZZZZZ."

These are all answers from one Facebook Group. I'm sure there are hundreds of unique reasons.

If you lift and you would like to add your reason to the list, take a minute and comment on this post!

I love getting these answers and I hope these reactions "wow" you like they did for me. Whether you are male or female, 15 or 50+ years old, you are bound to reap the benefits, both physical and mental.

If you have any questions/comments, comment below! Also, if you enjoyed this post, please go to the Contact page and subscribe to get notified of new posts.