Shawn Phillips | Start Strong Monday

In the last episode of SSM I shared with you a story about my recent Challenge with a bike and 3 mountains.

[See my #1 Success Tip for 12-Week Transformations Below]

This a totally new challenge to me helped awaken me to the the challenges many face when pushing themselves to new levels of success. And it’s this wisdom, compressed into 10+1 tips that I continue sharing with you today, with:

Having no experience at this sort of distance (120 miles) on a bike I did my home work. I had studied the course we would ride and spoke with numerous veterans about what I could expect. I felt I was prepared for the major, most obvious obstacles, the three major mountain passes we’d climb. I even rode Squaw Pass, the first of the passes (and the longest), numerous times to ensure I was ready.

I was confident that I was ready for the challenge of riding The Triple Bypass.

Leaving the starting line at 5:45 to get an early start on a long day, (see slide show) we eagerly summited Squaw Pass and sailed down to the town below, Idaho Springs. Feeling confident and strong my mind was zeroing in on the next major obstacle, Loveland Pass, some 30+ miles ahead.

Little did I know that my biggest obstacle to success that day was right under my wheels.

Take a look at the profile of the ride (above) and you can see what I was focused on, the 3 mountain passes that we would climb are very obvious, looming obstacles.

So occupied I was by these “high points” that I overlooked the hidden challenge that nearly took me out–the experience I shared in last weeks lead in.

In retrospect, I recall some veterans of the ride talking about this section but I never fully understood what now seems clear by looking at the same map. Simply put: I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

Along the brutal stretch up to mountain pass #2, the team of riders I’d begun the day with had come unglued, each in their own battle to reach the next milestone. I was holding a smooth peddle stroke up the road to avoid cramping, while driving into the steady head wind.

The last hour of this brutal climb spent dancing with my inner dialogue so as not to allow my mind to quit and willing my body forward at the same time, when I did finally arrive at the Loveland pass rest stop I was exhausted physically and mentally.

It was not until the next day when I reflected on the entire day that I realized that this stretch of road —an obstacle I never even saw or considered–was the greatest obstacle to me reaching my goal.

You (I, we) don’t see things as they are but as you perceive them to be. A difference as enormous as it is subtle.

When you’re preparing for a challenge, be it a 12-week Transformation, a marathon or a even a new career, know that you interpret it through your own lens of experience. Your attention will zero in on the the things you’ve learned to be aware of. As a result, you get derailed by things—some times relatively little things—that were hidden in plain sight.

For me, who at 194 lbs is not the most natural climber, I focus in on being prepared for the climbs. In this case I became so fixed on the 3 main parts them that I missed the whole. As a result I was unprepared for the hardest stretch. Now, had I known what I know now, this stretch would not have been easy but I would have been ready.

The difference isn’t in the challenge changing but in our perspective on it.

In a Transformation Challenge there are as many ways for hidden obstacles as there are people doing them–for it’s individual. A perfect example of a big-giant hidden obstacle that millions of “Transformers” have grappled with is beginning a 12-Week Transformation from a depleted, energy drained state.

As I explain in Strength for LIFE, the most common mistake people make in trying to Transform their body’s is beginning an intensive training program from an exhausted state, physically and mentally. You’re just adding stress to stress and the body will rebel against you in every way.

The solution to this is found in the 12-Day Reboot called Basecamp in Chapter 5. It will get you back to Full Strength which is precisely where you have to be to begin a successful Transformation.

I can only imagine the disaster that would have been me on this 120 Mile ride if I’d not prepared myself by resting and fueling properly. I stayed off the bike almost completely for the week prior, got plenty of rest and nutrition. The 12-Day Basecamp in Strength for LIFE is about that simple–in it I show you how to eat, rest and recharge your body and mind in 12 short days.

Take a moment to think about the greatest challenges in your life at this moment.

     Q: How have you interpreted the road ahead?

     Q: How might your perspective be leaving you in for an unwanted surprise?

     Q: Who can you go to for guidance who has been down this road before you?

Learning from those who have gone before, if you really listen, is invaluable to your success.

Next week Challenge Success Tip #2: When Your Goals Work Against Your Success.

Until Next Week,

RIDE Strong,

Shawn
Follow Me: /Twitter/shawn_phillips

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Meet The Author, Shawn

Known as "The Fitness Philosopher," for his deep, clear approach to the cutting through the fitness conundrum, Shawn is a 20+ year veteran in the field of Lifestyle Fitness and Peak Performance. Author of several best-selling book, with one of the most photographed physiques in history, Shawn, with his brother, Bill Phillips (Body for LIFE) catapulted EAS sports nutrition into the world leader and Muscle Media magazine and the documentary movie, Body of Work. He created the first computerized training system in PowerBuilding and the popular Variable Split System for Muscle Mass. Now, in his 40's, a husband and father of two young children, Shawn is passionate about helping busy, high-achieving "men in the middle" enjoy vibrant, energized, amazing, Full Strength lives! He has recently created the World’s 1st and only true premium nutrition shake for men, Full Strength — clinically proven to build muscle, burn fat and boost energy. His most recent book, Strength for LIFE is the "how to" guide to a Lifestyle of Fitness Freedom.