Posted by Eric Twitty on December 18, 2008
Welcome back!
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com
One of my favorite motivational speakers is a guy by the name of Brian Tracy, who is one of the world’s top experts on success psychology and personal achievement. In case you haven’t heard of Brian, he is sort of like a calmer, more “laid back” version of infomercial guru, Tony Robbins.
Not long ago, I had the chance to attend a seminar Brian held at the Jacob Javitz center here in New York City. One part of his talk really grabbed my attention, and I’d like to share it with you…
Brian said that that there are two diseases running rampant across America and much of the industrialized world today. If you had to hazard a guess, which two do you think they are? Cancer? Diabetes? Heart Disease? Osteoporosis? Obesity?
Guess what? They’re NONE of the above. In fact, they’re not even physical diseases – they are mental diseases.
The first mental disease, according to Tracy, is called something-for nothing disease. Something for nothing disease is contracted by people who believe they can take more out than what they put in. These are the people who want all the rewards without paying full price, or as Brian put it, “They want to go through the revolving door of life on someone else’s push.”
Quick fix disease is the second of the mental diseases. According to Brian, this disease is contracted by people who always want a quick way to reach their goals. They search for instant cures to solve problems that may have taken months or even years to develop. They seek short cuts to acquire key skills that actually take many months and years of hard work to master.
These diseases are not to be confused with the desire to constantly get better and search for more efficient ways to reach your goals (which is a positive trait). The “diseased” people are those trying to reach their goals faster than nature intended without any effort (which is a negative trait). As a friend of mine once said, “There’s a big difference between seeking efficiency and being lazy.”
Brian’s New York City seminar was mostly filled with businesspeople, sales professionals and entrepreneurs, so he referred to financial examples, such as: wanting to work fewer hours and earn more money, investing in get rich quick schemes, or buying lottery tickets.
However, I personally feel that quick fix and something for nothing disease are more rampant and insidious among people with fitness goals than they are among any other group.
Health and fitness seekers with something for nothing disease they think they can get twice the results in half the time. They want weight loss without dieting, fitness without exercise, and perfect health while eating, drinking and smoking whatever they want.
Those with quick fix disease want to take a pill, go to sleep, and wake up skinny. They are forever on a quest to find short cuts to fitness goals that that normally take months or years to attain.
People afflicted by quick fix disease are suckers for the latest “exercise in a bottle,” “fat burning cream,” “diet pill,” or “steroid replacement” scams. They impulsively buy miracle solutions on a whim, which they haven’t researched and know nothing about.
Saddest of all, they often waste YEARS of their lives on a misguided quest for the holy grail of weight loss or muscle growth, when they could have reached their goals with a better work ethic and a little bit of persistence.
People with these diseases are violating some of the most basic laws of the universe: Cause and effect, sowing and reaping, action and reaction. This is just as ridiculous as attempting to violate other natural laws such as the law of gravity. Jump off a cliff, and you’re going to plummet to the Earth below – 100% of the time.
But there’s more: Not only are you going to FAIL and hit bottom if you catch one or both of these diseases - the very act of seeking a quick fix or wanting something for nothing makes you a weaker person.
On the other hand, the act of setting a worthy goal for something you want and reaching it through diligence, determination, discipline and hard work changes the very fiber of your being. You literally change on a cellular level; you become a stronger person.
The purpose of having a worthy goal then, is not to possess the goal, it is to become a better person as result of pursuing and achieving the goal. If you get something for nothing, you may have that thing, but you have not become anything. Pity the person who wins a million dollars who has not become a millionaire in spirit and character.
It’s been said you don’t get what you want in life, you get what you deserve. If you want to achieve your perfect weight and improve your health… if you want success and achievement… if you want to win the championship title… then set the goal and go for it!
But whatever you do, don’t catch these two diseases. SHUN THE QUICK FIX, AVOID THE FREE RIDE and deserve it. You can have, do or be anything you want - just pay the price and it’s yours!
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written hundreds of articles and has been featured in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide. For information on Tom’s Fat Loss program, visit: www.burnthefat.com.
Posted by Eric Twitty on November 12, 2008
When you look around and see the situation most people are in, why would anyone want to be in a similar situation? People are stressed and looking for any way out of their situation they can find. To turn things around you must first change your mindset.
Thinking differently from the crowd and adopting the mindset of the successful will put you on track to making positive changes in your life.
Let’s take a look at the average person, then we will look at what successful people do.
What is average?
So what is average in the United States today? The statistics show that most Americans are:
- Overweight
- Have little or no savings
- Have lot’s of debt
- Completely dependent on their job for financial stability
If this is what is average in the U.S., why would you want to be average?
Do what successful people do
These are the habits of the successful:
- They exercise and eat well- eating well and exercising keeps you healthy and energetic
- They build wealth for themselves- actively save and invest a portion of your income to build financial stability
- They avoid debt- avoid debt by living frugally and not worrying about owning all the superficial things with little or no value that most Americans purchase
Take steps to better your health. Build wealth for yourself so that you can retire and enjoy life. Avoid debt. Develop other sources of income. These are things that very few people do yet everyone should strive for.
This is what successful people do. They have a different approach to life.
Be Different
Imagine living a life where you are in shape and healthy, have little or no debt, and have money invested in various asset classes that have been proven to appreciate in value over time. This is a life that anyone can have. It does take work and sacrifice though. It doesn’t come easy.
“The hardest struggle of all is to be something different from what the average man is.”
Charles Schwab
People will try to bring you down and tell you to live your life, eat what you want, and spend your money, but resist their temptations. Look at the person that’s trying to bring you down. Are they living the life they want?
Toxic people will always attempt to sabotage your productive habits but don’t let them. This is too important to you. If you are unhappy with your life then you must change it. Don’t let anything or anyone get in your way.
Don’t be like most people. Strive to be different. It will put you on the path to success.
Posted by Eric Twitty on November 4, 2008
Are the people you spend your time with holding you back? Do they constantly want you to do things with them that aren’t exactly productive?
People like this are keeping you from realizing your potential. Successful people surround themselves with other successful people. We are extremely susceptible to the way of thinking of the people we are around most often.
When you spend time with a negative person with negative habits it tends to rub off on you. You begin to adopt those negative habits. These habits are counter-productive in achieving your goals.
When you spend time with a successful person the opposite occurs. You begin to adopt their successful habits. One of the best ways to become successful in anything is to mimic what a successful person in your chosen field is doing.
Successful people know that it takes hard work to achieve your goals and they will be more supportive and encouraging. They will keep you motivated and on the right path.
Avoid Toxic People
Avoid negative people that are insecure and jealous of your actions to improve your life. There is nothing to be gained by spending time with these “toxic” people. They will bring you down and sabotage your efforts in achieving your goals.
Many discouraging people have a negative mindset and they really aren’t aware they are behaving towards you in a toxic way. Usually making them aware of their behavior is all you need to do to end it. It will be very hard for them to continue their sabotaging ways once you make them aware of what they are doing.
A great book about dealing with toxic people is “Toxic People” by Dr. Lillian Glass. It will give you specific ways of dealing with the people in your life that are holding you back.
Determine Who is Holding You Back
Write down everyone that you spend time with. Who is supportive and who is not? Do these people encourage you, or do they generally tell you that you can’t do something or you are crazy for trying? Consider each person on the list and make a decision whether they are toxic or supportive.
You should really consider spending less time with the discouraging people or make them aware of the negative effect they have on you.
Spend Your Time With the Successful
Choose to spend your time with people who are successful. Their positive way of thinking will rub off on you. By spending time with these people you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Posted by Eric Twitty on October 17, 2008
Your daily habits greatly influence the success you achieve in life.
Focusing on productive habits while minimizing non-productive habits will go a long way in giving you the life you want.
These five habits will make you healthier, smarter, and give you more money to invest in your future. At the same time, these habits will replace non-productive habits that are holding you back.
Here they are:
Habit 1: Devote at Least an Hour a Day to Reading
Reading has so many benefits. Not only is it good exercise for the mind, but it also is a great escape from the problems you are facing in your life. It is a much more productive habit than watching television. Take at least an hour out of your television time and devote that time to reading something that will make a positive difference in your life. Read about the topics that interest you. Read about improving the areas of your life that you want to improve. Read some of the great literature out there. It doesn’t matter what you read, just read.
Habit 2: Make a Daily To-Do List
To-do lists are great at getting you to do the things you need to do but keep putting off. Making a list of things that you want to accomplish daily will make you much more productive and a more efficient person. You will be amazed at how much you get done. Take some time each night and write down the things you want to accomplish the next day. Write down enough things to keep you busy. Challenge yourself.
Habit 3: Walk an Hour a Day
Walking is a great low intensity exercise. It’s great for fat burning and even relaxing. If you need some time alone, go outside and take a walk. A daily walk will help you shed the pounds and keep them off, while at the same time give you some time to yourself.
Habit 4: Drink Lots of Water
Drinking water instead of soft drinks is about the best thing you can do for your health. Try to drink at least half a gallon of water a day. I went out and bought an aluminum water bottle. I just refill it with filtered water when I finish the bottle. This saves me money because I don’t have to buy bottled water, and its great for the environment because I have no plastic to throw away.
Habit 5: Pack your Lunch for Work
Taking your lunch to work is great because it gives you better flexibility on your food choices. It’s also much cheaper than going to a restaurant for lunch. I like to cook my meals on Sunday and pack them for the week. If you are not sure what to cook, check out my healthy recipes section and read my Only Diet You Will Ever Need article.
Incorporate These Habits
You should definitely incorporate these habits into your life as soon as possible. They replace the nonproductive habits with more productive ones. These habits are a positive step towards your health, mental, and financial goals.
