Be PREPARED For The Obstacles

Ah, Monday.

The day most people hate.

Monday should be an exciting day. The day you get back to work at the job you love to do. (If it’s not, something needs to change.) But that’s a post for another day.

Today we’re going to talk about obstacles and the reason you don’t have what you want out of life yet.

The biggest obstacle to any week is getting derailed off the goals that really matter. Not just the ones that everyone else wants you to accomplish, but the big goals, the legendary ones.

Starting Monday, most of us get straight to work on other people’s goals. We check our e-mail and respond to the chaos that has rolled in throughout the weekend.

My inbox currently sits at 126 e-mails. Many of them opportunities, some of them problems, most of them miscellaneous. But none of them are more important than the work I need to do this morning.

Once you get into your inbox, you’ll almost never get out of your inbox. You’ll start thinking about other people and their problems, their demands on your time. Everyone wants your time, but are you giving yourself enough of your own time?

This is what I mean by preparing for the obstacles of the week.

Distractions will come. You already know what 99% of them are! Why are you acting surprised when they come?

Only about 1% of the things that take away our time are true emergencies we didn’t see coming.

Everything else, you can prepare to win.

Oh, you cheated on your diet because you went to that same doughnut shop you seem to stop at every single Wednesday? Yeah. That wasn’t a surprise, you just didn’t plan to beat that obstacle. That’s your own fault.

I was a victim for a long time and would blame all these situations for derailing me off my goals, until I took responsibility and took charge of planning for my known weaknesses.

I knew that if I had the chance to watch a movie instead of going to the gym that I would take it.
I knew that if I had the chance to eat ice cream instead of eating within my meal plan, I would take it.
I knew that if I got into my inbox Monday morning instead of working on my own goals, Monday would somehow disappear to everyone else’s problems.

We encounter the same problems almost every single week. What are you going to do to beat them?

To combat movie watching, I got rid of my TV. I would only allow myself to check my Twitter when I was at the gym doing cardio. I love Twitter, so that was my reward and now that I’m at 84 consecutive nights in the gym, it clearly has worked.

To combat ice cream, I simply don’t fucking buy it. If the temptation isn’t there, I can’t cheat. I planned my meals out. I cooked them in advance. I prepared to win.

To combat my inbox, I only skim my inbox at noon and then only answer the urgent e-mails. Every other email can wait until the evening. I also stopped taking and making calls on Monday morning, because phone calls are always a time waster.

The most important thing on Monday is getting the week started on your terms. Even if you have a 9 to 5, stop being a sissy and get up early to work on something that matters to you.

It is completely my fault if this year doesn’t go the way I want it to. I know my distractions. I know my weaknesses. If I don’t have a plan to beat them, they will win every single time.

I had too many years of throwing my hands in the air and playing the victim card. Never again.

If you have a plan, you don’t even have to think about it. You just follow the fucking plan. Our willpower is limited, so the less decisions you have to make, the better. This is why a plan is essential.

You know what gets you off course. You know what gets you away from the gym. You know what meals you can’t fight a craving against. You know who distracts you the most.

Minus the true life emergencies, it is 100% your fault if you lose the week to something you already saw coming.

No warrior goes into battle without knowing the enemy.

Take a sheet of paper. List your top two priorities in your life.

What do you need to do in those two areas? What would really get you closer to your long-term goals? Write them down.

Now, what obstacles get in the way every single week that take you away from your goals?

List two, no fuck that, five ways you will beat those distractions.

Prepare to win.

Most people hate Monday because it’s spent on everyone else’s terms. Dominate Monday on your terms, and you’ll never hate Monday again.

Shortcut to Size Review: Week 12 Final results (Before and After)

I finally finished Shortcut to Size.

(Also, if you want to try this program, you can find it for free here: Shortcut to Size)

So let’s just jump right into the results:

Weight gain: I gained 14 lbs. Some fat, but mainly muscle. It’s a mass gaining program so this was expected.
Arms: Gained 2 inches.
Hips: Gained an inch.
Chest: Gained an inch.
Waist: Gained an inch.
Quads: Gained three inches. (Ridiculously stoked on this. I have chicken legs.)
Calves: Gained an inch.
Forearms: Gained an inch.
Shoulders: Gained 1.5 inches.
Neck: Gained 1.5 inches.

Also, here are some before and after pictures:

(Note: Sorry for the shitty quality, I had to take these myself and the only camera I have is my iPhone. Hopefully you get the point anyway.)

Arms: Beginning/6 weeks in/12 week final:

Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 3.04.49 PM

 

 

Back: Beginning/12 weeks:

Screen Shot 2014-05-13 at 1.07.32 PM

Legs: Beginning/12 week:

Screen Shot 2014-05-13 at 1.10.24 PM

So, there you go!

This program is awesome and clearly produces results. I can’t say I followed the diet/supplements perfectly, but I definitely made sure to get in a shit ton of protein shakes.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to gain some muscle! Train for your goals, not for you gender.

I also did a video review of this program:

Also, a big thank you to Jim Stoppani for creating this program and also giving me a lifetime membership to his site! It is hands down the best site ever and anyone who wants to stop wasting time and actually get results should check it out: https://www.jimstoppani.com

You can also check out Jim’s supplements to accompany the program: here.

Drop any questions in the comments!

 

Warrior Wednesday: Make A Decision And Build Your Army

The secret to winning any battle is a well thought-out plan and warriors willing to give battle their all. They must function as a complete unit, and if there is a weak part in the chain, there is a weak part in the whole unit.

Accomplishing a huge goal in your life is no different.

If you have someone in your inner circle who doubts you and your goal, you have a weak link in your whole foundation. The doubts of those around you seep into your subconscious whether you want them to or not.

On your path to any worthwhile goal, your big mission, it is essential that you create a unit around you that is just as committed as you are. You might all have different big goals, but it is essential that the belief is there 100%.

One of the hardest parts of working toward a goal is to let go of your current surroundings and have 100% blind faith that everything will work out through your hard work and consistent efforts.

It is one of the most interesting laws in the universe is when you are working toward a huge goal, and you are putting in all of the effort you can muster, that the world will meet you halfway. Your troops will come to support you on your journey, to help you build your empire.

When I was 17 and decided to move to Denver without ever having been to Colorado or knowing anyone here, I just had to trust it was somehow going to work out. I made the decision and then everything from there on out either supported that goal or detracted from that goal. The world met me halfway, and everything opened up to make this goal happen effortlessly. The right people came at the right time, and no one in my inner circle doubted my goal.

At the time I only had four people in my inner circle, and that was all I needed. We supported each other, we pushed each other toward our goals, and we never planted seeds of doubt.

This was not planned, and these people only came after I made the decision to leave Michigan, not before.

Decide on what you want and the world will bring you what you need.

There was no way I could have planned these people coming into my life before I made this decision. That’s the power of a decision.

When we hesitate, when we doubt, that detracts from the goal. That sets up obstacles. That creates worry and anxiety. The chain is weak.

When I decided to start the path of getting my body into the shape I wanted to, the world conspired to make this happen.

I was in a place of dark depression, but I discovered Elliott Hulse that changed my whole mental outlook on life.

Then, I discovered the writing of Chad Howse, and he has given some of the best advice out there on how to become a true Warrior. He is living it every single day.

Then, just to top it all off, Jim Stoppani gave me a FREE LIFETIME membership to his website, which is pretty much a dream come true.

There is no possible way I could have planned these events. The world brought them to me by me making the decision and putting in the effort. I don’t really understand how this works, and I am not particularly religious by any means, but this is one of those universal laws that is just simply true.

My next big mission is to move to Los Angeles, CA within the next year. I don’t know how this is going to all come together but I do know that the world will bring the situations and the people into my life that I need to put this dream into reality, as long as I hold up my end: Putting forth 100% effort day in and day out.

This is the key part, you must hold up your end of the deal. If you aren’t putting in the energy, the world has no energy to react to.

Too many people want things but aren’t willing to put in the work day in and day out without a single indication that the effort is going to pay off. That’s where most people quit.

Be stronger than that. Put your head down, charge forward, do the work, and become a warrior.

Plant the Seeds NOW

The only way to enjoy a feast in the future is to plant the seeds now.

The one mistake many of us make is to wait until the future to make our dreams come true.

We push our hopes and dreams to some future “one day” that never comes. Then we look around and wonder why we don’t have the things we want. We don’t have them simply because we never planted the seeds early enough.

You can’t wake up one day and have a fit body after no effort. You have to go to the gym as often as you can, planting the seeds and then tending to them at every opportunity.

You can’t have a writing career without putting pen to paper every single day. Writing even when it hurts, even when it is uncomfortable.

Just realizing this all myself recently, I am starting to plant seeds now that won’t matter for another 5 years at least. That’s a long time out to be planting the seeds daily now, but it will be a hell of a harvest if it all plans out the way I want.

Plant the seeds. Be consistent. Get the life you want.

Write down your 5 year goals. Put them in the present tense. Repeat 3 times daily. STAY FOCUSED.

A Tribute to Elliott Hulse

November 2013 was the lowest of the low.

I had no money, I just went through a ridiculous break up, I was sick, my living situation wasn’t working out, and I was constantly quitting at everything hard.

Essentially, I had pretty much nothing left.
Rock bottom.
Drowning.
Whatever you want to call it.

I stayed in this sad state for a few weeks. Not really feeling anything, and just floating along, sinking deeper into depression with each passing week. It got to the point where I just didn’t even want to get out of bed, then eventually where I just wanted it all to stop.

Desperately looking for some kind of answers, I went to YouTube.

I had been subscribed to this guy, Elliott Hulse, for a while but none of his messages had really sunk in to my head yet.

One of his newly updated videos was in my feed, and I clicked on it. Then I clicked on the next one. Then the next one after that. I didn’t stop until I watched every single last one because something about these ideas resonated in my brain.

All of these new ideas were too much to absorb at once, so I just kept watching them over and over. For Christmas all I ordered were the books he recommended. I couldn’t get enough.

His first recommendation that hit me was to just simply pick one thing and stick with it so you could build the virtue of discipline. He swore that was one of the things that got him on the path to success. This simple idea seemed almost too simple, but I figured it couldn’t hurt.

I decided on finishing my work out program (Shortcut to Size) because after two embarrassing years, I never made it through all twelve weeks of the program. It was one of the biggest things that haunted me and reminded me how much I sucked. I never thought I’d make it past week seven (the point I always failed).

One of his biggest lessons is that it is not WHAT you get by doing things but instead who you become.

That lesson changed everything as I grew to understand it.

Now when I was at the gym every rep no longer stood for a better body, but it stood for building a better life. Changing my character structure. Making myself stronger as a person.

I learned that it mattered far less what it was that I did, and far more that I actually did the thing I said I was going to do.

This gave meaning to my work in the gym every single time I was in there. Even on the days where I accomplished absolutely nothing else, I made sure I went to the gym. Even if it was 11 pm and I was exhausted and craving my bed. Fitness become my lifeline and my hope to a better future because I knew if I could get past this hurdle, I could maybe create a better life.

As the weeks went on, I couldn’t believe how everything started changing so quickly.

The weeks, started piling on and I had no desire to quit. This consistency started drifting to other areas of my life without me trying so hard. I started to believe in myself again. I started slowly introducing some of his other ideas (like The Bow and bioenergetic releases), which you can find on his fitness channel: Strengthcamp.

Now, here I am. The farthest I have ever made it in this program and the end is just around the corner. I have never, ever made it this far. Outside of high school athletics, I never stuck with anything for nine straight weeks.

Through this journey, I can also finally hear my intuition that had been silenced after years of college and years of being told what I SHOULD be doing.

I woke up one day and felt like the negative feelings had finally left and I had once again regained clarity and purpose. That weaker side had been laid to rest and I can finally move on to bigger and better things. Things from my past have been left there and the weight off my shoulders is incredibly freeing.

I hear my inner calling; my Hero’s Journey, and with this realization comes a shift in how I will be living my life. I could not be more excited.

I also know I can finally finish the goals I set for myself. That I can start something and see it through. That I am finally on the path to becoming the strongest version of myself.

I am forever grateful that I discovered Elliott Hulse and his work. It saved my life.