Fit for Life: Reach your Full Potential in 2020

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Saturday, January 18, 2020

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Matt Espeut

So here we are, almost 3 weeks into 2020, and my question is:

Have you chipped away, or accomplished any of your resolutions yet?

Have you even given them a second thought since making them?

Have you tried and given up on most of them already?

In general, all resolutions are about growth and improvement.

Make more money, be a better person, lose weight, compete in a race or some sort of competition etc.

The problem is that it’s easy to make these goals in your head or on paper, however, it takes a lot of effort to actually accomplish them.

Talk is cheap.

You see motivational sayings on Facebook every day, but have you ever stopped, thought, and put any of them into a plan of action?

Or do you read them, get a surge of feel-good dopamine for 15 minutes, and fall back into your rut again?

I am always listening to podcasts, reading books, and hearing great quotes and mantras, so I am going to share a few with you and then we can put a plan in action and actually move forward with our goals and resolutions.

“The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret” is a very powerful saying I heard from a business and lifestyle coach I follow named Craig Ballentyne.

Let’s dissect this quote with a few examples.

If you work out first thing in the a.m. you will find that it is extremely difficult to get up when its dark and cold outside.

You are nestled under the warm blankets when the alarm goes off. “This sucks” you probably mutter as you put your feet on the floor, but you get up and get it done anyway.

That’s the pain of discipline. You do what you know you need to do, as opposed to doing what you want to do.

On the other hand, you could hit snooze and get up an hour later.

You still drag yourself out of bed, but your endorphins aren’t kicking in, your serotonin levels are low, and you leave the house with no sense of accomplishment.

You missed your workout, so you miss racking up a victory first thing in the a.m.

You feel like shit the rest of the day. That’s the pain of regret.

Another example would be with your nutrition. You weren’t disciplined the night before, and you neglected to prepare your lunch. Now you go out with coworkers, eat bread and fries then go back to work with low energy and feeling lethargic.

When Friday comes, you get on the scale and regret that lunch because you aren’t seeing a favorable result.

So, what’s more painful, spending an extra 15 minutes prepping, or the horrible physical feeling from eating junk, and gaining weight?

So next time you are struggling to stay disciplined, just remember to avoid instant gratification, and know that you will regret your poor decision later on.

Another analogy comes from a guy Ed Mylett who has his own podcast. In one episode he says his biggest fear is to get to the gates of heaven and have the gatekeeper look back on his life and say “You’re not the man that we originally designed. You have lived far below the potential that god originally gave you”.

Give that one some thought. If you died today, would someone think that of you?

Let’s face it, we could all be better. If life were easy, we would all be millionaires with 6 pack abs, however, that’s not an excuse to constantly underachieve.

We aren’t supposed to be overweight, out of breath, and medicated. We are not living up to our full potential when we feel sorry for ourselves or feel like a victim of circumstance.

We are ALL better than that.

We all have potential, but it takes time and discipline.

Every swing of the ax that makes contact with the oak tree will get you closer to chopping it down.

This goes for life and business.

The more effort and consistency we apply the closer we get to success.

So, roll up your sleeves, and get back to attacking those resolutions.

Committed to your success,

Matt

P.S. If you want more short motivational articles that can help you achieve the life you deserve, pick up a copy of my book “Unleash your full potential” on amazon.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitness consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one.