This past Sunday afternoon I broke a wishbone with my son. His face lit up as he stood holding the larger half.
Simple fact is we all like to win—be it the flip of a coin, a hand of poker, or even the win we feel when our home team prevails. But there’s something better than winning and that’s succeeding.
What’s the difference between winning and success?
Success is winning when you have a hand in it. It’s the achievement of something you’ve planned.
I believe success is the answer to the age old mystery why some people get and stay fit and others struggle to get and stay motivated.
Being fit feels like success—all the time. It’s an ever-present confidence that is visible to all.
Consider “Success Stories.” Success Stories is the universal term used in reference to “before and after” fitness transformations. We don’t call them “Fitness Stories” but rather Success Stories.
Success Begets Success
Success in one area of life promotes success in others because success begets success. When you’re experiencing success in business you’re more enjoyable and engaging with family and more likely to take better care of yourself.
Unfortunately, we so often choose our successes in just that order—what amounts to a reverse order. We start with the most difficult to achieve and strive to “make it” sacrificing our bodies and lives in the process. As a result we wear down and limit success capacity.
This is what I call “living life backwards.” Hoping you’ll get the riches before you run out of “runway” and further banking that you’ll be able to make it up later, getting back your body and life.
More often than not, it doesn’t work out.
What if you fully accepted that being lean, strong and fit is Success? Go ahead and stop pretending it’s about fitness or even health and accept it’s really your personal development and overall life capacity program.
To do this, to embrace your strength of mind and body is to engage Life from a Position of Strength
Success is Motivation
When you engage in an intentional practice of improving your fitness—exercising, eating “clean and green” foods—in a few short days you’ll start to feel better. And what’s that feel like? You got it: Success.
You begin to feel successful, competent. And then guess what? You get a surge of motivation. You want to do it more and more. I liken it to shooting a basketball at the hoop. You may miss 6 in a row, but hit the 7th and you’re back on, shooting, shooting. Hit a couple in a row and you’re in for another while.
It’s a matter of feedback and expectations. When you do something right and get positive feedback (Success), you’re naturally inclined (i.e. motivated) to do more of the same.
90 days
Aim for success—get focused on the area in your life that you have the greatest ability to impact. Produce successful outcomes and begin reaping the life-changing rewards that success delivers to your life.
If you’d like to enjoy more success in the coming months join me for the 90-day Fit for Success Challenge ‘09.
It’s not an “adult bikini contest” but rather an engaged, fun and fitness focused group of high-achievers who plan to make this summer their best ever—in every way.
Get Fit -> Be Success -> Live Your Dream
In closing, please share your thoughts and desires for future SSM’s with me in the comment section below.
Until Next Week…
Stay Strong,
Shawn
Follow Me: Twitter.com/shawn_phillips
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| About the Author | |
| Author, innovator and expert in Life Performance for two decades, Shawn Phillips is as respected for his physique as his wisdom. Working with his brother Bill (of Body for LIFE fame) he helped create the performance nutrition giant, EAS. For a "how to" guide to a Lifestyle of Fitness Freedom, check out Shawn's most recently instant best-selling book from Bantam BooksStrength for LIFE, called by Next-Level in Transformational Fitness, Here. |
4. June 2009 at 9:15 am
Shawn, Thank you for your words this morning.
Your comments today, sadly, ring so true. I am a textbook example of your article. I was a top 2000 winner in the BFL contest in 2004. I had gone from 298 lbs of flab to a fit 235, crowned by even completing the 10-mile CRIM run in Flint MI and the Detroit Half Marathon.
I was happy with myself and confident for the first time in my life. My health got me thru a painful divorce and other obstacles. My routine WAS my success, my outlet, my motivator for other things in my life. Over the last two years I took a new position at work, fell in love again, and now I’m to be married in August.
In that time I let those roles reverse, just as you said, and have watched with great frustration as I’ve allowed myself to slip back to old habits, my health deteriorating daily. I haven’t made time to maintain my routine, rather I’ve made great strides to over-perform at work traveling early in the mornings and working until late in the evenings. Restaurant meals, drinking and entertaining, non-stop travel, and immense self-inflicted stress have really gotten me down.
This morning I awoke and as I stood in front of the mirror I felt disappointed and defeated. I vowed (as I have been doing now for several months, but without conviction) to get back to what I was. I want to be proud of myself again. I want my self confidence back. I want to (have to, need to) feel good again. Your note today is the simple understanding and motivation that I needed at a time I really needed to see it. I will print this out and hang it on my mirror as a reminder to get my priorities in line and to get back on the program. As I did before with BFL, I will be looking to you and your many support tools to help me realign my life and priorities once again and I will look forward to your continued words of help, support, and encouragement.
Thank you for what you do here.
All the best!
Brian Plott
4. June 2009 at 1:10 pm
Brian,
Thank you for the honest, open, share. Life is like that… a journey not a straight line. Some times we have to loose things a few times to remind ourselves how damned great we really are. You are that fit guy and you’re frustration, which I can feel, is because you’re external is not a reflection of your true self. That inconsistency creates an energy–use that energy.
I truly believe achieving anything is not about discipline but about a vision, destination and belief. What’s the biggest goal you can allow yourself to believe? Identify it and then stretch just a little further–go too far and your belief will “snap” and then you lose it. Just go far enough… belief is a powerful force that both propels and limits us. Stretch yours and strengthen your self image and watch your body follow along.
Yours in Strength,
Shawn
4. June 2009 at 10:09 am
Shawn your beautiful advice touches & moves me, however, I have many
challenges as a 45 yr. old I am Bipolar, have O.C.D. & recently have learned that I have parasites. I found out through tests of my B.M.s and it explains the myriad of things wrong with me most of my life. I have a real hard time eliminating, my digestive system does not work efficiently. I need a protein that does not contain Lactose, Casein or a lot of sugar, and I don’t want the risk of getting addicted to drink-ing protein shakes to the point that I do more damage to my liver and pancreas as I already have. Is your Strenghth for Life, a Protein Isolate, or does it contain the lactose and casein etc. ?
Your stuff is very expensive, too, it does not fit my budget.
I wish that at one point you would shed some light in the importance of micro biotic balance, like the Good Bacteria vs. harmful bacteria in our intestines, and the necessity for a Probiotic diet that contains the beneficial strains of healthy enzymatic cultures.
Have you heard of Kambucha, & naturally fermented Probiotic foods, besides that of some Yogurts or Keffir? This would be so helpful and informative for others out there that suffer from my symptoms.
You always give excellent advice, and one of the best was the 11 days of giving our body a rest. That’s the ideal time to do a colon cleanse by the way; I did the ‘Master Clease’ which consists of making a fresh and Organic tonic blend of Lemon, Cayenne pepper, and Maple syrup.
There is also a Gentle Laxative tea to drink nightly, and a Salt water drink to be consumed 1st thing in the a.m. to cleanse and induce elim-ination of toxins in the colon. The ‘Master Cleanse’ is only $14.00 and a treasure. Check it out Shawn, this will put even more feathers in your Cap.
Shedding light on this taboo subject of the Sci-fi seeming culture of micro-worlds that exist inside the human body will help so many out there who are in desperate need of help.
Thank you for your time, patience, and passion for Living strong.
Sincerely,
Marina Mares
4. June 2009 at 10:42 am
Hey! I think you really nailed it! It is not all about fitness, but rather success! That sure explains alot of what happened to me. I started with what I know and can handle and as I made progress with “successes” in my mid-50’s I got hungry for more. Now I have done five marathons and having a time of my life! I plan to do two more this eyar. I am going to be 57 this year and really looking forward to life ahead! I am enjoying all my successes and of course I am more fit than I ever been in my life.
4. June 2009 at 10:52 am
I printed out a copy of the Life From a Position of Strength diagram and will post it along with my “vision book”.
4. June 2009 at 12:18 pm
i don´t even know how i got on this mailing list, but i did read bfl and efl a few years ago. each time i recieve these emails and open them i feel very thankful to see another medium that can motivate me in my lifelong goal of health and hapiness. i think the 90 day program is a great idea to get people on track. i myself am training for college basketball while living in quito, ecuador and studying abroad. though studying abroad presents its own challenges, i am determined to return to school in shape and ready to compete. seeing the 90 day challege only further reminded me that i can do it. thank you.