Fit for Life: Three Life Lessons

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Matt Espeut

As I get older, I would like to think I am getting smarter, or at the very least, more experienced and more levelheaded when it comes to dealing with what circumstances life throws at us.

I have also discovered that despite humans being different on many levels, there are some universal codes that we all need to live by in order to succeed and flourish.

I have learned and acknowledged these life lessons, and I am going to share and see who this resonates with.

Please feel free to either agree or disagree with some or all of these lessons.

I would love your feedback.

Lesson 1: Own everything and blame nothing.

I live by a creed, and the third line in this creed is “I am responsible for everything in my life, and that gives me the power and control to change my circumstances.”

I recite this daily and that keeps me accountable for everything that happens or doesn’t happen throughout my day.

Excuses are way too easy to come by, and when we stop making excuses, we realize that although they may be valid, they don’t excuse you from your duties and responsibilities.

If I am late to get somewhere, I don’t blame traffic or the weather, I tell myself I should have left earlier.

If I forget an appointment, I own it and say that I forgot and got sidetracked. I don’t blame anyone or anything else but myself.

If a customer is unhappy for something my team did or didn’t do, I don’t blame them because it’s my fault I didn’t train them well enough to carry out their job description. If they don’t get something done, I blame myself for poor communication, until it becomes clear they are goofing off, then I hold them accountable for their actions.

I lost money; I made a stupid investment.

Someone rifled through my car yesterday and stole some petty cash because I didn’t lock the doors. It wasn’t the merchant I was visiting’s fault; it was mine.

If I bang my head or step off a curb and twist my ankle, I wasn’t watching where I was going. It isn’t the curbs fault or the low hanging beam.

This rule goes for everything, big or small, that happens to me. I always look inside first and try to figure out what I could have done differently to create a different circumstance.

Own everything, blame nothing.

Lesson 2: Failure is better than quitting

I heard a commercial about quitting smoking, and the catchphrase was “Most don’t get it on the first time”, and that goes for a lot of instances in life.

If at first, you don’t succeed, try again because when you quit, your chances of success become zero.

At my last 6-week challenge orientation, I hammered this home with the folks participating.

If you slip and cheat on the meal plan, it's ok if you get back on the horse immediately and try again.

However, if you go into a tailspin, develop the fuck it attitude and go on an eating binge, you quit on yourself, and it will likely take a long time to course correct.

The same goes for every facet of life.

Not a good athlete and the coach won’t put you in?

If you work harder and exert more effort, your chances are better than if you quit trying altogether.

Didn’t get that promotion at work this time around? Own it, figure out what you could better and try again.

Quitting your job won’t get you any closer to that promotion, so focus on the next step on the ladder of success.

Remember that every time you fail at something, it creates feedback and a learning experience, so it won’t happen again. Everyone will fail at something, but quitting won’t resolve the issue, it just enhances the chances of failing all over again.

Failure means that you made an attempt to do something out of your comfort zone, and when we test ourselves, we learn and grow from our mistakes.

If you keep swinging, you will eventually get a hit.

You will miss 100% of the chances you DON’T take, so step out of your comfort zone and give it all-out effort and keep trying until you succeed. Even if you fail at first.

Lesson 3: Show gratitude

Start by changing the term “have to” to “get to” and you will become more grateful instantly.

Instead of I have to go see my grandmother, I can still say I get to see her.

A change I have to work, too I get to work.

You have the opportunity to earn money and buy the things you need. Feel grateful you have a job.

You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to and the sooner you realize this, the happier you will be doing tasks you thought were punishment.

I tell my football team at the beginning of every season that they don’t have to be here, they get to play organized football.

Kids in third world countries wish they had the same opportunity.

You don’t have to go to the gym, but if you are physically able, you get to improve your health.

Think of all the people that don’t have the ability to move, let alone work out.

It even works when you pay taxes.

I know this sounds stupid but think of the flip side.

If you aren’t paying taxes, you are either poor, unemployed, or disabled on some level.

Nobody likes to pay unnecessary expenses, but we get to live in a free country, have our trash picked up, and travel on roads and bridges that we’re built with our tax money. So, I agree, paying taxes doesn’t sound like a privilege, but deep down it is.

So, there are 3 simple life lessons that I learned over the years that can help improve your thought process.

When you improve your thought process, things get a little easier to deal with.

When you relieve some of the burdens of everyday life, you become happier and happiness is a universal emotion we all strive for. (Hey there’s another lesson)

Committed to your success,

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.