Two things have had a bigger impact on my outlook on life than anything else…
- being an entrepreneur
- and getting serious about working out
Before either of them I always had a “victim” mentality. I had an excuse or a rationalization for everything and I would blame anything but myself for the situations in my life.
Wyatt Woodsmall, a popular expert on “change” and NLP says “Human beings are addicted to their sufferings. It’s what allows them to rationalize their existence”
This is exactly what I was doing…
One of my first “awakenings” was when I was working out with Vic about 2 years ago… Vic was my trainer and put me through some grueling workouts. I remember in one of my high rep deadlift workouts I was ready to call it quits and go home. We had another superset of pushups and body rows to do, but I was just planning on skipping them and being done for the day.
Vic had other plans…
The thought of me leaving didn’t even cross his mind. It was in that moment that I realized why I had never seen results with my workouts before. I was never willing to do what it took to get results. I always cut things short, or did just enough to get by…
It wasn’t my genetics or some other excuse that was holding me back. It was me.
Mark Rippetoe has a great quote about this in one of his Youtube videos…
“The process that a person goes through when they go from sedentary to active, demonstrates quite conclusively to everyone that does it – that you get out of this activity exactly what you put into it…it’s the most stark lesson in the way the universe operates”
That single lesson has taught me so much.
It’s helped me with my workouts. It’s helped me with my business – And it’s helped me to be a better person.
It’s a lesson I wish I would have learned earlier in life, but I’m grateful that I finally did learn it.
I’ll leave you with a quote that Clem Stone (billionaire salesman) told to Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup author) when Canfield was interning for him…
Taking 100% responsibility means you acknowledge that you creat everything that happens to you. It means you understand that you are the cause of all your experience. If you want to be truly successful, and I know you do, then you will have to give up blaming and complainging and take total responsibility for your life – that means all your results, your successes and your failures. This is a prerequisite for creating a life of sucess…You see, Jack, if you realize that you have created your current conditions, then you can uncreate them and recreate them at will. Do you understand that? Are you willing to take 100% responsibility for your life?”
I hope I have a few more “eye openers” like this coming my way…
{ 1 comment }
Hey Justin, very insightful. I think as we get older we are more receptive to lessons like that, that is why we rarely have them growing up.
How do you think learning this lesson has helped you in your business?
Comments on this entry are closed.