I would have to say without a doubt that one of the hardest things about living a healthy and active lifestyle is the commitment and the consistency that’s required to constantly stay focused and motivated to look and feel better on a regular basis. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients over the years, all of whom have started at different fitness levels and have had different training goals. While many of our clients have achieved their goals, others have not.

When I first got started in the Fitness Industry I would blame myself if one of my clients were to not reach his or her training goals and not achieve the results they desire. As a Personal Trainer / Online Training Coach I felt as if I had failed the client. If for some reason a client did not rebook a training package with me I would take it personal and would become discouraged with the career path I had chosen to pursue. Even though I never had a single client specifically blame me for not helping them achieve the physique of their dreams, I always felt like I was partially responsible. There were many times that I thought about giving up personal training and entering a different field. And then one day all of a sudden my thought process completely changed. I was not the person to blame for my clients lack of results. Nor was I the person to take credit for my other clients who had achieved results. What I realized was that whether or not my clients achieved success was not up to me, it was up to my clients.

I’ve always struggled to find reason as to why some people are able to set goals – whether it be fitness related or not – and achieve them while others quit and give up too easily. I’ve given this much thought over the years and have come to the conclusion that a person requires much more then just self motivation, desire, discipline and ambition to achieve success in life. Despite what all the motivational videos on YouTube tell us, I believe we need to have something more. I’m not sure if this something you are born with and have naturally or something that is built up over the course of a person’s lifetime due to his or her’s surroundings and upbringing. What I’m referring to is learning how tap into one’s self internal survival mode.

I’m not going to lie. There are plenty of days where I feel like staying in bed and just lounging around the house. I feel unmotivated to train myself or go and work a 14 hour day in the gym. These are the days I start to question whether I’m tired and burned out or just being lazy. Regardless as to why I feel like this I’ve always made sure to push forward and just get the job done, no matter what. Naturally, my zodiac sign is Libra and we are known for being very indecisive individuals. In other words, I’m not good with choices and/or making decisions. Therefore I usually try not to give myself any when it comes to my business and my own training. There’s never been an “Option B” when all that matters is getting through “Option A”. This is the way my brain functions. Is it a good way to approach life’s constant demands and obstacles? I don’t know. But it works for me and I can definitely say without hesitation that my shit always gets done this way.

Now I can’t say that I have accomplished everything that I want to achieve in life just yet. I would however say that I’m consistently self motivated to get up each morning and attack each day with a positive attitude so that I move one step closer to reaching my life goals. Sure there are times that I slip up and make a mistake. But I learn from these incidents and keep pushing forward. Yes, it’s true I don’t go on vacations nor do I rarely take a day off from training or from work. Will I eventually one day burnout from this? Perhaps. However I don’t think so. I love what I do for a living and enjoy running my own business. I take breaks when I need to but my philosophy is and always has been to rest when the job is done, not when I feel like stopping.

This is what works for me. I’ve tapped into my internal survival mode. Will I die if I don’t achieve my ultimate goals? Probably not. However I will feel like a failure if I just stop and give up on them all together.

So in the end I guess to be truly successful in life, we (or at least me) pretty much needs to be in survival mode 365 days a year. If you are reading this and thinking about a goal in life that you had and gave up on to easily then perhaps you might need to tap into your own survival mode as well.

The one thing in common that all of my idols and people who I admire share in life is that not a single one of them ever took their foot off the gas pedal until they achieved what they set out to accomplish. And even once they did achieve their goals, they still didn’t stop. They just set new and higher goals. If they can do it, then why can’t we?

Self motivation, desire, discipline and ambition are all great qualities to have but I think to reach that extra inch we all need something a little more. I found my “something more” and apply it everyday to tackle life’s daily struggles and obstacles that get in my way. Tapping into my own internal survival mode is the only way I can succeed.

And when times get tough and I want to stop and quit I’m reminded of one of my most favorite quotes from one of my favorite motivational speakers:

– “When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful”
Eric Thomas

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove