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How to make 2018 your BEST year yet!

Correct me if I am wrong, but don’t we go into EVERY New Year claiming that we will make it the BEST one yet? We always claim we’re “going to do better this year”, with the best of intentions. We scream from the rooftop “new year, new me”! We send wishes to others via text, email, holiday cards that say: “make this your BEST year”. And then, the end of January rolls around and reality hits. That’s when all of the excitement dies down, momentum is lost, and we throw our hands up and give into mediocre again, rarely doing anything different than we have done before. Making this year the BEST? It just seems like so much work!

Being a fitness coach for the last 20 years, I’d love to say that there is a magic formula for making any year your BEST year. Personally, I don’t think that such a “magic formula” exists. However, I DO believe that you can make ANY year your BEST year. I think it starts by attacking it one day at a time. Of course you have to have a grand goal out there in the distance to work towards, but if that’s your only focus, and you fail to take the small, yet necessary, steps each day, it’s easy to get discouraged and thrown off course. Life happens. It throws obstacles and challenges at us. Ultimately it’s your mindset that determines the outcome. So the question you must answer is: Do you face the challenges head on, or do you avoid them?

If you have the mindset of facing your challenges head on, and taking the path of MOST resistance in life, there is a great chance that you will indeed make 2018 your best year yet! You likely don’t need any sophisticated recommendations or “magic formula” for success, because you already possess it-with that mindset! However, if you are like most people and find yourself avoiding obstacles in your life, shying away from difficult decisions, and taking the path of least resistance whenever possible…read on! There is hope for you too, to live your BEST!

Being known to over-analyze and overthink just about any decision I have made about my personal and professional life, it has taken quite some time for me to realize the value of simplifying. When it comes to creating BIG life changes, here are some tactics I have used, and gotten great success:

ACT before you think! Sometimes you have to take the action forward without stopping to think about how to do it, or what could go wrong. Just DO IT, take the plunge, and then you can process once it’s done. Sometimes this is precisely what needs to happen to get momentum started. How many times have you talked yourself out of doing something before you even tried? For instance, do you want to get in better shape in 2018? Just GET MOVING! Don’t try to plan for it, make a list of pros and cons, or look too closely at your daily calendar to realize “you don’t have time”. Once you’ve taken that first step to start, then you can sit down to think about the other things that need to happen to keep you moving forward and help you reach your goal.
Do something DIFFERENT! It’s pretty simple, to get what you’ve never had, you have to do things you’ve never done. You can’t expect the solutions that worked for you last year will give you the same results this year. You have changed, the world has changed, so you have to change your approach. Your past does not determine your future…so stop living there! Try a different approach to training if fitness is your goal. Skip the “diets” of the past and try a new and sustainable change to your nutrition if you’re wanting to lose a few pounds and feel energized. Consider a new course or book to read on the skillset you want to adopt or improve on this year. Bottom line, just do something different than you’ve done before!
Create GREAT habits! If you look at the most successful people in this world, they have one thing in common: they have a lot of really good habits. When you routinely do things that will add value to your life, it’s hard NOT to gain momentum. I find that it’s a lot harder to break bad habits than it is to ADD good ones. One thing we do at TFW Greensboro each month is “Choose One Lose One”. We write down one good habit we want to bring in for the month, and one bad habit that is currently holding us back from our goals. Practice this every month for a year, you have gained 12 good habits, and lost 12 bad ones! Remember that it’s the little things you do every day that really manifest into something BIG!
Live for TODAY! Some of the most impactful moments of your life are not the ones you’ve planned out, but rather the ones that come from spur of the moment actions. Do something each and every day that lifts your soul and feeds your inner happiness. If you put it off until tomorrow, it may not happen. Tomorrow is promised to no one. Before you put something off, ask yourself: “will my future-self wish that I had done this”? If you can answer “yes”, then GO FOR IT! You never know what you do today that may create the momentum to lead you to your BEST year yet! Don’t wait for it…go after it today!

I hope that you are feeling encouraged to take action and let NOTHING stop you from finding your greatness in 2018. You have what it takes to succeed! Believe in that, and take one small step today that will give you momentum!

If you are struggling to find momentum on your own, consider allowing myself and the team at TFW Greensboro to facilitate your journey. Try a risk-free one month trial for our group training program for $99. CLICK HERE TO APPLY for this limited time offer. You’ll get guided and structured strength and cardio training, nutrition coaching, tracking of progress to keep you on track, and a community of supportive people that will help you succeed!

Learning From Loss

This past weekend I was spending time with a close friend of mine who lost her husband last year. As we reminisced about the many memories of her late husband, our conversation unexpectedly shifted to the lessons we learned from this great man. Being a lover of life, he was also a man that always had a plan. He is a constant reminder that your life is exactly what you make of it.

When our visit was over, I couldn’t help but think about loss on different levels, how it affects us and how we grow from it…or how we decay from it. We all experience loss. It is inevitable in nearly every stage of our life. We lose loved ones, we lose jobs, we lose use of our body due to injury or illness, we lose confidence (even if only temporarily), we lose self-esteem, and often…we lose ourselves.

There is a great deal I have learned about loss in my (nearly) 47 years on this earth. Although there is more loss to come, bringing more lessons with each one, this is what I can share about a few of my own losses with hope that something resonates with you and helps you grow today.

• DEATH: When my best friend in college was brutally murdered, I learned that everyone deals with loss differently. Considering that this was my first true experience with loss/death, I was oblivious to this concept, and struggled to understand why some people pushed me away because I reminded them of her, while others smothered me in attempt to feel closer to her. After all, we all were in this together…right? Why couldn’t we all deal with it together, in the same way? It was a terrible time, and I found myself trying to make sense of something that would never make sense. I was desperate to feel close to her. I started doing all of the things that she did when SHE was alive, even though they didn’t all interest me before her death. It took a while to learn this lesson: TIME heals everyone. Tragedy hurts, but each person must embrace their own journey with it…and there is no “right path” to follow. Do things that bring joy to your day. LIVE, if nothing else, for the one you lost. They sure would be if they were still here with us! And sometimes you just have to separate yourself from people that choose to bury themselves in the sadness. You can’t save anyone that isn’t ready to be saved, so save yourself first. LIVE by example, it can be contagious. There have been many significant losses since my college friend, and each one has continued to teach me how valuable TIME is, and how time HEALS.

• EMPLOYMENT: Although I haven’t really lost a job, I have lost something that greatly impacted not only my job, but my life’s passion. As soon as I got settled into my first brick and mortar location for my business, the building I was leasing was pulled out from under me. It was a nightmare. Just as I was building my clientele base and getting momentum in my space, the rug was literally pulled out from under me when the landlord served me a notice they were tearing down my building & I had to move ASAP. As a gym owner, the last thing you want to tell your students is “we have to move, don’t know where yet, but don’t worry…keep paying me & it will work out”! This is the time you learn what you’re made of, and I discovered I had “grit” that had never been discovered. Over the next 3 years I would move my business 3 times, as seamlessly as possible with NO interruption. (I don’t suggest this to anyone, it’s incredibly stressful & expensive!) Losing a job would have been easy compared to the mental, physical, and financial stress during those 3 years…but I would have NEVER learned what I was capable of. I would have also never learned how powerful the community was with my members, friends & family that supported me and helped me get through that time. Lesson: When you help others, it ALWAYS comes back to you!

• ILLNESS: Loss comes in many forms. For many years I have battled a nasty little thing called Ulcerative Colitis. It had been in remission for nearly 10 years when the stress of the 3 year business transition (mentioned above) wreaked havoc on me. Now 2.5 years after that dust has settled, I still haven’t gotten my system to calm down. That’s how powerful stress can be on the body. I have tried medicine (very expensive), acupuncture, & radical changes in diet. I tried everything I could, while ignoring what my “gut” was telling me to do all along. None of the “remedies” truly worked, at least not for long. But I kept working insane hours, rarely took days off, every waking thought (& sleeping thought) was about growing/maintaining my business & how I could have the biggest impact on others. I had lives to save! I didn’t listen to my body, my “gut”, and what it needed. I just kept giving to others instead. Then, for the first time in a long time, I got a few days off to spend at my most peaceful place on earth, the ocean. Only a few days, lots of sleep, and completely disconnected from everything…and my symptoms stopped. Not a trace. Not until I returned to my insane routine of giving all I could give to everyone else, too little sleep, stress, and no days off again. BOOM! All symptoms came back. Repeat same “miracle remedy” of ocean time again, and no shocker, symptoms stop again. It’s not rocket science, you can only go so long with high energy, stress, & no rest. Lesson: Give your body what it needs! Your body doesn’t fail you, you fail your body by abusing it and driving it into the ground. Now I still work insane hours and give all I’ve got…with a different attitude. When I can feel things building up, I just stop for a bit. Emails, marketing, planning…can all wait. I now allow myself space to “just be” and not have to get it all done every day.

• CONFIDENCE, SELF-ESTEEM, & SELF WORTH: People assume that because of my role as a leader in fitness, that I have never struggled with lack of confidence, a low self-esteem, or that I have never felt “good enough”. Truth is that I was a terribly shy child. I craved attention that I was not able to ask for. I felt weak & inadequate for a good bit of my youth. I was never an athlete, nothing even close! I was scrawny, and running to the end of the driveway left me wheezing. It was on a whim (& driving desire to change) after my senior year in high school that I started walking, then joined a gym, & then discovered how regular exercise made me feel. As I gained a little muscle, I gained confidence. As I gained ability to physically do things I had not done, my self-esteem rose higher and higher. Because I was physically stronger, I became mentally stronger and all the sudden, I WAS “good enough”. This transition grew stronger over the years and ultimately guided me like a compass to what I do today. I so much loved how I felt by taking control of my mind and body that I had to help others do the same. Lesson: Just because you don’t start with something, doesn’t mean you’ll never have it. All it takes is the decision to start something. Then take the necessary first step. And take another, and another. Every step adds up. Whatever you are lacking, and whatever you are dissatisfied with in your life…decide what you want to change and just start today!

When my friend & I were reminiscing of her late husband last weekend, we talked about his favorite and most recited quote: “LIFE IS GOOD”! It truly is, if you can see past the lessons we are forced to learn. There is ALWAYS a silver lining, and it’s rarely obvious. The challenges in our lives are put there for a reason. I believe they are there to make us stronger. One of our mantras at TFW Greensboro is “The STRUGGLE makes us STRONGER”! There is no doubt that I will face much more loss in my future. I expect it. And just as I have done until now, I will learn & grow from it.

If you are looking for a supportive community to help you thrive and grow, join our FAMILIA at TFW Greensboro. When you are surrounded by positive people on the same mission…ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! www.tfwgreensboro.com

It’s all about the JOURNEY!

Anyone that knows me, knows one of my personal missions in life, and one of the core missions of Training For Warriors, is to “Save Lives”. I want to help people live longer and better!

My latest goal is to start writing about our INCREDIBLE students at TFW Greensboro. Each and every one of them have a special story and inspires others just because they are taking on great challenge and change with their training and lives. The truth is that so many people are scared of exercise and really don’t understand our message and what separates us from other training programs.

Today, I’d like to share one of those stories. Steve Johnson has only been with our program for 6 months, but he has gained SO much in a short time! Maybe his story will sound familiar.

1. What were some of your struggles before you came to TFW Greensboro?
Getting up and doing the workout – or otherwise making it a priority in my day, dedicate time to do it. , knowing WHAT to do to maximize my results from my efforts, and understanding how to eat.

2. What made you reach out to TFW Greensboro?
The gym I was attending closed. But I wasn’t sure at the beginning – my old gym was really just a loose collection of guys that got together 3 days a week to workout with a trainer… limited access to equipment (no free weights) and no motivation or other ways to manage progress. TFW was an entirely different experience that I wouldn’t change.

3. What are some of the significant results you’ve gotten since training at TFW Greensboro?
Oh good lord, where do I start? Better fitness consistency, stronger, smaller clothes, new friends, friendly competition, common goals with new friends, respect for others’ goals/struggles/successes, better diet, better understanding of how lifestyle and diet affects results, desire to keep going even when it’s hard.

4. What are the top 3 tips that helped you transform?
1) Be consistent on training but diverse in method,
2) learn how to fuel myself,
3) be surrounded by team members who are going through the same thing I am.

If you are looking for a community of like-minded people to inspire and lift you to new levels, CLICK HERE to apply for a limited time offer for a one month trial. See for yourself what separates our training system from the rest! APPLY NOW and someone will respond immediately!

Are you are WORRIER or a WARRIOR?

The way I see it, you have already survived the worst day of your life! You have endured the worst thing that has happened to you so far. The sooner you recognize that, the sooner you will take on life’s next great challenge with confidence and strength.

When I got into the fitness industry back in 1998, I knew I wanted to help people…but I didn’t quite understand the magnitude of what my mission was, nor what being a “warrior” really meant. As I began making a positive impact on lives, the most profound message that would come back to me was not how grateful my clients were that I had helped them shed a few pounds or get physically stronger. Over and over, it was about overcoming a great obstacle, helping them face a demon, and empowering them to do things they never thought possible. I realized then that the training goes far beyond the workouts. That’s exactly why I adopted the Training for Warriors program 2013! The mission & core values of TFW are parallel to mine. The only difference is that now I can have a bigger impact on the world!

This brings me to the question: Are you a worrier or a warrior?

You see, we all are one of the two. And sometimes we have been BOTH…but never at the same time.

WORRIERS tend to move slowly through life filled with anxiety and caution, anticipating what could go wrong. WARRIORS are ready for anything, focused on how they will overcome any obstacles that come their way. Instead of spending time worrying about all of the things that might happen, or allowing yourself to be buried beneath the rubble of what has happened, remind yourself that you can do ANYTHING! You are a WARRIOR, you just need to bring out your WARRIOR WITHIN!

Here are a few things you can do to immediately start bringing out your WARRIOR WITHIN:

Surround yourself with others on the same mission as you! Studies show that people go further and accomplish greater things when they are part of a group. Whether it’s group training, a mentorship, a study group, etc., as a group you can take on greater challenges.
Every setback is a chance for a COME BACK! Failure is inevitable. We will all be knocked down in life, but we can’t let ourselves stay down. Some of the greatest achievements in the world are the result of many failures. Let each setback be an opportunity to learn, grow and COME BACK stronger than before!
“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right!” Great quote from Henry Ford. The mind is a powerful tool, and we often use it against ourselves because we don’t believe. Think about all the times you have given up and said “I can’t.” Well, my motto is this: The only way you can use the word “can’t” is if you attach the word “YET” to it!
Never give up! There will be days you feel like quitting, but you can’t! Remember that everything counts, and every small step makes a difference. Some days you will make more progress than others, but try not to let the days when you take a step backwards throw you completely off course. It happens; accept it as part of the journey and keep moving!

If you’re struggling to get ahead on your own, be a part of something bigger! Dailey Fitness/TFW Greensboro can help you bring out your WARRIOR WITHIN! Know that there is a great TEAM of like-minded people just like you at our DOJO. Feel free to contact us here to learn more:

You can do ANYTHING! You are a warrior!