Developing Persistence

In all walks of life, in order to obtain a goal or achieve a desired result, you must be persistent. Many people who embark on the P90X or Insanity journey come out of the gates on fire, but after a week or two, end up giving in and quitting. Maybe this sounds familiar because it has happened to you. I know this scenario all to well. I purchased P90X 6 years ago with the intention of going all out for 90 days. Well, I made it to week 3 my first attempt. My second attempt at it, I got to week 6. It seemed that whenever on obstacle “hindered” me from working out or an “un-planned” meal was served, I threw in the towel. Notice how “hindered” and “un-planned” are in quotations…those are called excuses…

So what can you do to develop the persistence required in order to complete your fitness program all the way to the end? What can you do to ensure you finish strong without wavering during your journey? How can you develop the habit of persistence? Our answer is founds in a book written by Mr. Napoleon Hill called “Think & Grow Rich”.  With any type of success whether it be economic or health and fitness related, persistence will carry you to your desired destination. So lets take a look at the four steps  to develop persistence as outlined by Mr. Hill.

1) A definite purpose backed by a burning desire for its fulfillment – Lets break this step down a bit. “A definite purpose”: You need to have definitive goal that is measurable. A goal of “Well, I just want to get fit” completely lacks any definiteness and you will most likely find your excuse to justify you quitting or not giving it your all. Your goals should be specific and measurable. A good example would be “I want to lose 35lbs and be able to do 15 unassisted pull-ups”. This goal has a clear objective and your level of effort can be measured by your progress toward that goal. These goals also need to be backed by a “burning desire”! You will get nowhere if you just sort of want it. If you want real results, RIPPED RESULTS, then you have to be fired up about it! You have to have a fire that causes others to look at you funny! People wonder why I post on facebook about P90X all the time. Well…Im fired up about it and I want to get other people fired up about it! People should be able to see your burning desire to reach your goal!

2) A definite plan expressed in continuous action – You cant just walk into a program like P90X without a plan. You guys have heard me say this over and over again, “If you fail to plan, then plan on failure”. When you lay out a plan to succeed, you will be far more likely to follow that plan with “continuous action”. This is exactly what many people lack going into an intense fitness program. P90X and Insanity will push you to your limits! Your body WILL push back and your mind will do gymnastics looking for reasons to quit. A definite plan was exactly what I was lacking in my first attempts at completing a round a P90X. I went in blind so to speak. Without a clearly defined path to my desired goal, I was a drop out waiting to happen. Here is a quick tip for planning: Write down your goal and how you plan on getting there, ex: “I will wake up at 5:00am everyday for my workout”, “I will plan all my meals in advance, but prepare for the unexpected by having healthy snacks available in the car and at work”. You will be surprised, but when you write it down, it becomes more real. Your mind takes it more serious and your will to reach that goal becomes stronger.

3) A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends and acquaintances. – Read my article “Negative People”

4) A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose. – This is where the RIPPEDCLUB family comes in and why I encourage you guys to be actively participating in our private facebook group and commenting on these articles. When your goals are expressed to those who want to see you succeed just as much as you want to see yourself succeed, you automatically have the accountability needed to reached any desired goal.  You wont hear any negativity coming from your team mates here. The best part about finding encouragement from the RIPPEDCLUB community is that they know EXACTLY what you are going through because they are doing the same thing! So rely on one another! Rely on me, your coach! My goal as your coach is to help you reach your goal! Its a win-win!

Now you have a choice. You can close this window and keep doing things your way, continue about hoping to reach your goals, but never sure if you will. Or you can apply these four steps to your fitness and health and take control!!! I leave you with a closing from Napoleon Hill.

“These are the steps by which one may control one’s economic destiny. They are the steps that lead to freedom and independence of thought…They are the steps that convert dreams into realities. They lead, also, to the mastery of fear, discouragement, indifference. There is a magnificent reward for all who learn to take these four steps. It is the privilege of writing one’s own ticket, and of making life yield whatever price is asked.”

BRING IT!