The road less travelled

Had to go way out of my area of operations to day to collect a new part for my Blender. Got into my vehicle, set my GPS and off I went. " In 500 mtrs turn left onto the freeway, at the traffic light turn right" etc etc droned the pleasant female voice. I trusted the machine and off I went. 30 minutes later I ended up exactly where I needed to be.

Pretty much like a training program and eating plan, you have to have faith. You choose a GPS based on the product reliability and you know the map software will take you there otherwise they wouldn't sell many products now would they.

So you choose a plan....or a trainer and off you go....several weeks later you pretty much know that you are headed in the right direction.

The one essential element of this scenario that you have to do, is motivate yourself to get there. I could have the best GPS in the world but if I don't feel like getting into my car my blender is going to stay broken for a long time.

The absolute rolls royce of eating plans and training programmes is of no value whatsoever if you cannot motivate yourself to follow the plan.

So....what is the answer. I personally believe that it is when you genuinly hit rock bottom. I have written about this before but it is critically important so bear with me while I go back to the well, so to speak.

Ad men talk about 'spaced repetition' helping to ingrain a product in a persons sub conscious so I don't feel bad repeating myself on this subject.

What is rock bottom. Well it is different for everyone. Adam Waters knows what it is, Pam Brown knows what it is, a recovering alcoholic or drug addict knows and when you get there you will know.

Let me illustrate it this way. Deciding to quickly get a six pack 6 weeks before christmas is fleeting motivation. Chances are you will bale and decided to start again in january.

Waking up one day and looking in the mirror, KNOWING that you cannot go one more day looking like this, is real motivation. Somehow you just KNOW that this is it. Strangely enough when you reach this point you just know that this is your day and before you know it a few months have gone by and you look fantastic.

Sometimes it's triggered by seeing pictures of a bunch of people at a party in which you are the central figure. " Who is the fat boy " you nonchantly ask, knowing that although you are "big", you have this believe that you are actually quite muscular. You wear big clothes thinking they hide all the fat and make you look "big".

When your friends look at each other and then, back at the picture, and back at you and start snickering " hey, that's you dude", you realise IT'S TIME.

When your God given spirit and soul lets you know that it doesn't want to operate like this any more then you know " ITS TIME"

It's not about doing it for others...it's about what YOU are doing to yourself. Stop and think about the pain and anguish Adam Waters went through, the repeated failures, but one day something happened deep inside his soul and that was it. IT WAS TIME.

Search your own heart, for if you are unhappy about the way you look and feel, I hope, that very soon....it'll be YOUR TIME and when you get there, you'll know.

In the mean time keep searching for what it is that keeps destroying your faith in yourself, your self image, don't ever give up, for one day soon you WILL find that IT IS TIME and you will finally be a winner.

Once you finally 'get' the concept of lifestyle you will then be able to sustain your fantastic efforts to that point and three years down the road you will be helping others to do the same.