I don’t believe that there is anything in life that I want that I can’t afford.

I don’t feel that there is anything in life holding me back from achieving how I want to look and develop my physique.

And I refuse to accept that there is anything in life that I can’t have if I’m willing to work hard to achieve it.

Perhaps I’m a bit naive or a tad delusional, however I’m 100% confident that there is nothing in life stopping me from achieving success with my business, my body and my overall quality of life. And perhaps the reason I’m so confident in my abilities to accomplish the goals that I set, is because I understand that I am the only person responsible for the final outcome. Therefore I can’t blame the economy when business is slow, and I can’t blame my work if I let my diet go, nor can I blame the people I choose to surround myself with for being unhappy and/or miserable.

Unemotionally Invested

One of our clients asked me the other day if I get upset or mad when a client cheats on his or her diet or is not training consistently in the gym. Truth be told, when I first began my career in this industry it really did bother me when clients would not listen to me. I could never for the life of me figure out why someone would hire a Personal Trainer/Fitness Coach if they were not willing to listen and follow their trainer’s advice. I also had difficulty understanding as to why someone would find it so complicated to remain on task and stay focused on achieving their health and fitness goals if this is something that they had desired to achieve. Fast forward almost twenty years later and I still care about holding my clients accountable for achieving their goals, but rarely if ever will I allow myself to get emotionally invested if and when they don’t.

Going Through Changes

For a person to make a change in their life, they need to want to make that change. And what I mean by this is that they REALLY WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE. And if you truly want to make a change, then in my experience, you will stop at nothing until that change has been made. Whether it’s a change in career, a bad relationship or a poor diet, no changes will be made until you’re willing and ready to make them.

Bodybuilding – My Saving Grace

I owe alot to Bodybuilding. In fact, I owe my entire life to Bodybuilding. For if it wasn’t for Bodybuilding, I wouldn’t be living a life that I love. What first began as a goal based purely on aesthetics and vanity, turned into a therapeutic hobby that allowed me to cope with the stresses and demands of everyday life. This hobby led me to finding a passion for helping people achieve their own health and fitness goals through diet and exercise, which ultimately led me to obtaining a successful career within the Fitness Industry.

But Bodybuilding has also taught me how to remain disciplined with my diet, focused on my business and structured with my training. What were once considered to be chores are now considered to be habits. I don’t think twice about prepping all of my meals for the week ahead because it’s just become a fact of my life now. I don’t dread going to the gym to workout when I’m feeling tired, because not going is no longer an option. And I still work 7 days a week because I enjoy my work and having an entire day off from what I love would just seem strange and unnecessary to me.

Habitual Habits

I’m not trying to persuade you to think or act like me. In fact, I believe that I’m a bit of an extremist and that my all-or-nothing mentality is not suitable for most people. However I do believe that this type of thinking does work well for me in most cases. I may not be the most balanced person, however I do find that my daily habits that I have formed throughout the years, have allowed me to be a productive person. I don’t rely on stimulants to keep me energized nor do I require sugary carbs to keep me happy and content. I don’t surround myself with negative people and I don’t give into short term gratifications at the risk of obtaining long term satisfaction. I no longer find it difficult to refrain from temptations or give into my emotions. But it took lots of time and lots of effort for me to break old bad habits and develop new good habits, it didn’t happen overnight.

Remember, Rome may not have been built in a day, but it was eventually built. Set a timeline to reach your goals. Seek outside help from a professional that can provide you with the necessary tools to assist you in reaching your goals. Don’t beat yourself up and become frustrated if you don’t reach your goals right away. As long as you’re doing better and are closer to achieving your goals now then you were a year ago today, then you’re on the right track. And if you’re not, then it’s time to start forming some new good habits……

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance