My Keys to Success
When I began losing a noticeable amount of weight, people would always ask me what I’m doing to shed the pounds. I would always tell them my routine and what I’m eating, but I never thought it was helpful because what works for me, may not work for them. People were genuinely interested as they wanted to get in shape as well, but I didn’t think I was doing them a favor by telling them what worked for me. I really wanted to help people so I changed my answer when asked what I’m doing to get in shape. I don’t tell people “what” I do, I now tell them “how” I do it. It took me a really long time for me to figure out the “how”, so I have decided to put it on paper so I can always refer to it and it’s actually pretty simple…
My “4 D” approach has not only worked for me in regards to weight loss and health, but is applicable to all facets of my life:
Desire
We all want to get in shape, lose a few pounds and hit the gym regularly. That’s not the desire I’m referring to here. I’m talking about wanting it so bad that it’s the only thing you think about. Wanting it so bad, that you’ll do anything to hit your goal. There is an amazing speech by Eric Thomas that illustrates wanting something so bad. Take a look at that video and I think you’ll understand what I mean by wanting it. There came a time where I was just sick and tire of being sick and tired. I had hit my proverbial bottom and was ready to make a change. We all want to hit our goals, but the amount and depth of desire is the starting off point.
Diligence
This word has many meanings and I believe all the definitions apply. I have spent a ton of time in researching exercises and food, logging workouts and food, preparing food and the list goes on. I do my due diligence in my approach to weight loss and fitness. I don’t believe this is fully necessary to make healthy changes, but it’s a part of how I did it and hit my goal. There is a downside to diligence, I should say too much diligence in that there could be some paralysis by analysis. I track everything and I weigh all my food. It gets overbearing and mundane at times, but it works for me. It keeps my head in the game and the fire of my desire stoked.
Determination
To have determination is to have resoluteness, firmness and perseverance towards the goal. Having the desire is a great start, but having determination is where it’s at. To be successful in weight loss, I know that I need to have laser-like focus on the goal and the determination to make it happen. Things happen in life that makes it tough to reach goals, but determination recognizes those obstacles and says “who cares”! Be determined means that your goal is the focus and you will stop at nothing to achieve it. Everyone around you knows what your goals are and knows that you are determined to conquer and achieve. Be determined and nothing will stop you from achieving any and all of your goals.
Dedication
This is where the rubber meets the road. The three “D’s” above are about the mental aspect of success. Dedication is both mental and physical. Being dedicated is going all in. No matter what life throws at you, you find a way to get to the gym, to prepare healthy meals…whatever it takes to get done what needs to be done. Dedication is having a plan when you get to the gym and executing on that plan. There are days when I don’t want to workout, but when I drag myself to the gym I execute my plan and get it done. Late work meetings, bad weather, dip in motivation…it doesn’t matter whats going on, you lift yourself up and make it happen. I have a young child, so I find myself at the gym really late at night or really early in the morning because I love spending time with him before and after work. Dedication is what leads to execution which leads to success. If you want it bad enough, you’ll be dedicated and go all in to make it happen!
My intent of this post is not to say that this is what you have to do to be success or to sounds like I have everything figured out. I fail at executing all the time. This is what has worked for me in the past and what continues to work for me. All of us have it in us to be successful, it’s a matter if you have the desire to do it, the diligence to do it right, the determination to finish and the dedication to execute. Simple right?
One Response to “My Keys to Success”
Dude, this is a great article!