In my opinion, laziness is one of the most unattractive qualities a person can have. Personally, I’ve always admired people who are ambitious and relentless when it comes to achieving their goals in life. People who are passionate about their work and enjoy what they do motivate me to try harder and push further with my own business. People who are dedicated to taking care of their health inspire me to complete my workouts regardless of how tired or busy I might be. And people who manage to balance a healthy lifestyle with a successful career, encourage me to do the same.

As someone who has coached and trained people to help improve their health and transform their physiques for the better part of the past two decades, I’ve always emphasized the importance of setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) Goals. However as I become older, wiser (relatively speaking) and more experienced, I have found myself starting to question some of these “SMART” Goals that I myself have always abided to.

Comparing Yourself To Others

I have said it before and I will keep saying it for years – I am SO GLAD that I did not grow up in the age of Social Media. I am without a doubt one, if not the worst people when it comes to following the latest and greatest social media news. Up until a few days ago, I didn’t even know I had followers on my Tik Tok account as I only use the application to make videos for my Instagram Stories. Oh and speaking of Instagram Stories, I didn’t even know I could check and see who views my Instagram stories up until a few months ago! As for Facebook? Well, go and  take a look at my personal profile page and see the last time I wrote a post or posted a photo. I just don’t do it because I just don’t care. Twitter and SnapChat? No Thanks. We don’t work together. It’s not you, it’s me. I just don’t have time to commit to a cesspool of toxicity mixed with stupidity right now.

I use Social Media strictly for business purposes. I don’t yearn for “likes” on my photos and I don’t require validation from strangers about my weekly blogs or Q&A videos. 90% of things I post on social media, I post purely for business reasons. And as I’ve said before, when I retire from the Fitness Industry once and for all, I will unplug from Social Media for good.

I honestly feel bad for those people that compare their own lives to those on Social Media. There are always going to be people out there that are more wealthy, good looking, and successful than you and I. This is nothing new. Social Media just reminds us that these people are out there on a daily basis. And quite frankly, I have no issue with these types of people as long as the content they are posting is done in good taste. Making others feel poorly about themselves just makes you an ugly and malicious person on the inside. I’ve always tried my best to post content that educates and inspires others to improve the quality of their own quality of life through regular exercise and healthy dietary nutrition. My goal is to not only grow my business, but also help others feel better about themselves and create a positive environment where we can support one another, rather than tear each other down.

High Expectations

I don’t think it’s bad to have high expectations as long as those expectations are realistic. I also think that it’s important to have high standards and expect the best from others if you yourself are giving your best to everything you do. Just remember, that not everyone you meet in life will hold themselves to those same standards though. And most people are quite okay with mediocre work and status quo production. And as much as you yourself might try to fight it, it cannot be fixed. People are who they are. And people will only change if they truly want to change. I’ve always tried my best to just remain in my own lane and stay focused on how I can improve the quality of my own life while helping those close to me improve the quality of theirs as well.

When it comes to expectations, I set them based on the amount of work I’m willing to put in, in order to achieve them. For example, it would be silly of me to expect to retire by the age of 40 if I didn’t have multiple streams of passive income to rely on or at least a seven figure portfolio that paid exceptional dividends each month in return. You can’t wish for things to happen. You have to get out there and make those things happen.

So How High Is Your Bar?

I’ll be honest. Mine is pretty fucking high. The sky truly is the limit. My passion to teach and educate others on how to become more healthy and fit remains at an all time high. My motivation to grow and expand our business is limitless. And my desire to be successful has never been questioned. If you truly want something bade enough, then I believe that you will stop at nothing in order to achieve it.

So go ahead and set your bar has high as you possibly can. Have high expectations and don’t settle for mediocre results. Life is short, so live it the way that YOU choose to. Don’t live it the way that others tell you to live it. Work hard, play harder and enjoy your life.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance