One of the many blessings that I have been given during my personal training career is the opportunity to meet and train hundreds of people in all walks of life. I truly believe that there is something I can learn from every human being on the face of this earth, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience that truth through the people I train.
My clients have come from all walks of life; young, old, wise, moms, dads, husbands, wives, all of which are extremely successful in at least one aspect of their life. When I train people like this, I try to remain as observant and open as I can in order to take note of what makes them so successful. In doing that, I’ve come to realize that the reason they are successful in their home life or career life is the same exact reason they have success in their health and fitness. This secret that they all share in common is what I am here to discuss today.
THE SECRET
As I said, all of these successful individuals share something in common, and they use it to create success in their health, career, family life, relationships, and more.
Before I go any further, let me be clear. This secret isn’t going to give you the answer to all of your problems. You’re not going to read this article and as a result find immediate success. The secret discussed in this short article only works when it is applied. So, I encourage you to pay attention. Reflect on the words you’re reading and take note of what that means for you in your life. This secret is not an answer to all of the holes in your life. However, the two-part secret will nudge you in the right direction, as log as you are willing to be nudged.
Onward.
Regardless of anything you do in life, there is a process that takes place. There is a plan, an order of operations so to speak. When you eat cereal, you don’t just get to enjoy eating the cereal without going step-by-step through the process. You pick your bowl, you pick your cereal, you pour your cereal, you pour the milk on top (if you put milk in first you’re a freaking weirdo), you get your spoon, and THEN you enjoy all the goodness cereal has to offer.
If you dig deep, you’ll discover that there are two elements to the process of eating cereal that allow it to come to fruition. These two elements make up the secret that most successful people share.
Part 1: Trust
Back to the cereal. Before you execute the steps required to make a great bowl of cereal, you have trust that it’s going to work. You trust that after each step, you’ll be able to really enjoy that cereal. The same goes with your health and fitness. You must trust the process.
Trusting the process isn’t as abstract or generic as it sounds. It’s pretty simple, really. Trusting the process along your health and fitness journey means you are trusting that the food you are eating and the training plan you’re following will get you to your end goal if you adhere to them consistently. But before you can have trust, you need to have a certain level of understanding.
The more you know someone, the more you can trust them depending on their character. The more you understand about your training and nutrition plan, the more you can trust them. Whether you hired a trainer or cooked up a plan on your own, you need to understand why you are doing it. If there are any elements of your process that you do not understand, find the answer. If you don’t know why you need to eat so much protein in a day, ask. If you don’t know why you’re lifting 4-6 reps instead of 12-15, find out why.
Once you understand why each part of your process is helping you get closer and closer to your goal, you’ll be able to place an immense amount of trust and confidence in your plan. The confidence and trust you will have will keep you from wavering. It will keep you from quitting. It will keep you from slipping. It will keep you determined and ready.
Every single one of my clients that have found success in their lives get this. They understand it and they implement it to the fullest. They develop a plan that they understand and believe in. With that belief, they place their trust in it and enjoy their daily walk towards success.
Part 2: Enjoy It
I have never had one single client that reached their goal without enjoying a part of the process along the way. Think about it, have you met someone that is extremely successful that hated every single minute of every single thing they were doing to get there? I don’t.
A key part of this secret is enjoying the process.
Trust and belief can get you a long way. In fact, you can certainly reach your goals with trust, belief, and determination. But think about this for a second: how much easier is it to do something that you want to do, versus something that you have to do?
When you get home from a long day of work, it’s way easier to watch Netflix instead of getting ahead on emails because you want to watch Netflix. Imagine if what you wanted to do is also what you had to do in order to achieve your health and fitness goals?
I’m not saying that you need to enjoy every single part of the process in order to reach your goals. That’s not at all what I’m saying. What I am saying, however, is that it is extremely important to find at least one part of the process that your thoroughly enjoy. If you enjoy cooking, find some fun and exciting recipes to try out that will help you eat the right foods. If you enjoy lifting weights, program some of your favorite lifts into your routine. For me, I thoroughly enjoying lifting super heavy. Although I am prioritizing slightly higher rep ranges for my goals, I’m still doing heavy squats and deadlifts here and there. Whatever it is, find a way to incorporate something you love into your process. You’ll see you will, determination, and consistency increase tremendously.
THE TAKEAWAYS
The first step of finding success and reaching your health and fitness is goals if fully believing and trusting in the process/plan you have created for yourself. If you don’t know why you’re doing something, find out.
The second part is very important, and that is finding at least one part of the process that you thoroughly enjoy. Whether it’s preparing healthy meals or lifting heavy weights, you must do something you love that will also get you to your goals on a consistent basis.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life. If you’re interested in hiring Adam as your coach, fill out an application here.
