New Year's Resolutions, Your Business & Going to the Gym - ISSUE 3 - 1/6/10

The holidays are over and the New Year is upon you. The remnants and scent of your holiday celebration are lurking throughout your house. You have cleaned up your annual mess and are ready for a fresh start. It's time to change your current habits and to form new ones.

For you the New Year means "New Beginning." You keep telling yourself this year will be different than all the rest. You are going to work harder, smarter, and more efficiently than ever before. You are going to sacrifice your free time for the greater good of your life and your family's.

You are going to go to the gym, eat healthy, eat out less, and stop wasting your money on frivolous items. You are also going to start saving 10% of your income, and you are going to start investing money into your 401k. This is going to be the year you really make it big and really make a difference in this world.

SAME BEHAVIOR - SAME RESULTS

Every New Year brings the same unkempt promises. Every year you promise the same things but never follow through with them. You make tons of promises to yourself and they all sound great but your new behavior will only last for about a month before you begin to revert back to your old ways.

You begin the first week of the New Year by setting your alarm clock for 5 AM, waking up extra early to go to the gym before work so you can feel great the entire day and then be in bed no later than 9 o'clock to do the whole thing again the next day.

A week goes by; your body is sore and tired. The following Monday your alarm clock goes off at 5 AM and you hit the snooze button. It begins.

GOALS MUST BE MEASUREABLE

To make this year better and to accomplish your New Year's Resolutions, you need to have goals containing measurable results which include a starting and finishing point. In other words, where you are now and where you want to be. In general, "people don't plan to fail; they fail to plan."

Let's say you decide you want to lose 50 lbs by the end of the year. If you look into the mirror every day, you are going to quickly become discouraged because you aren't going to see any changes. It's like trying to watch a plant grow. If you sit and stare at it, you will never see any changes.

However, if you use a ruler and measure its size on a regular basis, you will see a slow, but gradual change over time. This applies directly to losing your 50 lbs. You must track everything you do in the gym to determine whether your behaviors are working and to help you stay focused on your goal.

WHAT SHOULD YOU TRACK WHILE IN THE GYM?

CREATE YOUR WORKOUT PLAN

Legs

Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Calves

Leg Press, Hamstring Curls, Calf Raises

Arms

Biceps, Triceps, Forearms

Bicep Curls and Dips

Chest

Bench Press and Pushups

Shoulders

Shoulder Press

Back

Lateral Pull-downs

Abdomen

Sit-ups and Crunches

Cardiovascular

Jogging, Walking, Stairs

DISCIPLINE AND SUCCESS

The purpose of a New Year's Resolution is to start over. It's the time of the year you can have a fresh start. However, the whole point of a New Year's Resolution is to create discipline in your life, especially when it's directly related to your health and the health of your business.

Discipline is crucial to sticking to your New Year's Resolutions and creating success in your life. Whether you are trying to lose 50 lbs or building your own business, you must discipline yourself in every facet of your life.

None of your goals are going to accomplish themselves.

There may be days when you don't feel like going to the gym or working on your business, but you must stay focused on your goals if you ever want to achieve them.

This is why writing everything down is so important whether it's your workout routine or just general thoughts and ideas. You must be able to measure your progress and you must be able to create new thoughts and ideas.