Pareto's Law and Your C-Zone

I already had a post for you today, seriously packed with info on the 5 absolute things you need to do to seriously transform your body.  Believe me when I tell you, you will want to check back next Monday with me for that one.

But then life happened. 

I sat and spoke at length with a former client, and 2 points kept coming up.  And then I began to wonder how many of you are struggling with these 2 issues.

1.) "Pareto's Law" or the 80/20 rule, and

2.) Getting out of your comfort zone

First things first.  Are you familiar with the 80/20 rule?  It's a mathematical equation that basically predicts that typically 80% of output is a result of 20% of input (simply stated-- 20% of your habits create 80% of your results).  And it applies to virtually anything.  Now in my opinion that's one heck of a rule of thumb to learn from and live by.

So let's put this in real world form. 

• Stats say that 20% of the population generate 80% of the wealth

• 80% of company profits come from 20% of the products and customers

That means that 20% of your meal choices are creating 80% of your results, and that means when you skip meals too!  If you miss meals, you will nibble during the evening hours before you go to bed.  I hear it all the time. 

Remember this, you can gain weight 2 ways:
1.) under eat and your body will store calories fearing starvation, or
2.) over eat and you have a surplus of calories your body doesn't know what to do with -- so it stores those calories as fat.

So that means, you need to ask yourself what 20% of your habits (in your nutrition and in life) are creating 80% of your problems or frustrations.  Take the time to do this, I promise it will do wonders for your productivity, success, and overall happiness.

The secret is to find what your "range" of calories is that works for you, and stay in it. 

Now onto the second rule that is worth its weight in gold.  Getting out of your comfort zone. 

Did I miss something over the past 24hrs or did success and accomplishment change?  It still requires work, right?  It doesn't grow on trees, nor can you buy them at a discount on a daily deal site.

I mean really now, if making changes and getting results was simple and comfortable, don't you think everyone would be driving around in sports cars, playing with their smart phones on the patio of their beach front houses, and never gaining an ounce of fat while eating anything they wanted?

Obviously it's not that simple.  In fact you might actually have to be a bit uncomfortable in the process of achieving your said goal(s) --  No matter what it is!

Notice I said uncomfortable, NOT miserable.  Truth be told, I can't think of any client I've had over the past 18 years that told me they were hungry anytime during the day when they followed my nutrition program.

Equally, I cannot think of a client who didn't get serious relief from pain, when they followed my prescription for rolling (self-massage) and stretching. 

The reality is, change is difficult, it's inconvenient at times, and let's be honest, it's really not all that comfortable.  However, if you want something better than what you have right now, you will have to do something different.  BUT, you can get the results you want if you're willing to change your habits a bit -- and get out of your comfort zone.

Or, you could keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.  We all know what that's called, right?

Be sure to check back next Monday when I share with you the 5 Absolute things you need to do to change your body quickly.

Until then --

Mid Week Motivation: What Are YOU Thinking About?

I remember an old phrase someone once shared with me that has given me a great deal of insight through the years and I want to share it with you:

"That which you resist persist"

I'm sure there are many different interpretations, but to me the phrase basically means, the more you time and energy you spend on something, often times the more you will experience it.

Think about it for a second.

When something really gets on your nerves, whether it's traffic, a disagreement with a friend or loved one, or a situation at work, have you ever noticed how much time and energy you spend re-playing the event over and over in your head.  And then wonder why the situation seems to continue coming up in your life?

I'm beginning to believe in this world of instant gratification we all get a bit too easily frustrated and distracted when it comes to getting things done.  When a situation doesn't go our way, we spend so much time re-telling the story to anyone who will listen, we constantly replay the event in our minds, and then wonder why we are continually running into these types of situations over and over again.  Why me?  We sometimes ask ourselves.

Maybe a better question is, why are you spending so much time and energy preoccupied with the very thing you don't want in your life?

Be clear, I'm not referring to some new age spirituality, but instead something that we all know as scientifically true .  Remember my post on reticular activation?

Why not try a different approach.  Try spending more time and energy focused on the things you do want instead of the things you don't want.  Yes, it sounds oh so simple, but try monitoring how much time and energy you spend on the things you don't want in your life versus the goals and plan you have to achieve those goals.  Which one wins out?

Here's a simple example I think we can all identify with to make the point more clear.  You've decided you want a certain outfit or a certain type of car.  Ever notice how it seems that every place you look you see that car or a similar outfit?  That's because your mind is tuned into that stimulus and has increased your awareness of it.  It's an oversimplified example but I think you get the point.

If you're sincere about wanting to transform your body, get out of pain, or just improve your day to day experiences, start paying attention to how you spend your energy and what you let affect your thoughts and grab your attention.

Need a little help nailing this down?  Check out these two:

Liberate_Yourself_from_the_Opinions_and_Judgments_of_Others.doc

Eradicate the poison that kills dreams

The bottom line is, if this year is going to be better than last year, you have to be better than last year.  Start paying attention to how you spend your time and energy. 

Now Go Out, Practice, and Get It Done!

Mid-Week Motivation: Yes, You CAN!

I have to be honest with you, I cannot think of one person I know that does not have a boatload of things to do each day.  It doesn't matter whether they are self-employed, or work a typical 9-5 job.  It doesn't seem to matter what gender the person is or how much they make a year, we all seem to be working at maximum capacity to get through each and every week.

Like you, my clients and friends have work responsibilities, family responsibilities, and personal projects that pretty much take up their complete day from start to finish. 

But I will let you in on a little secret.  Some people have a tendency to get all of their stuff done consistently, while making progress to their long term goal.  While others seem to be caught up in a rut of complaints and constantly feeling overwhelmed.

Want to know the secrets of the people that get it all done?  Check out the link below:

Shortcuts_to_Getting_It_All_Done.doc


Now understand, just because they are called shortcuts doesn't mean you do a poor job just to get it over with.  No, shortcuts in case refers to effectively and efficiently using the time you have to do the most important things first and making sure they are done to the best of your ability. 

Which of course leads me to the next item I would like to share with you.  When you go on a trip do you just jump on the freeway or interstate and kind of guess which way to go while in route to your destination?  Or when you get on a plane heading out of town, do you think the pilot has any idea where he's going before he gets into the air?  I think we can all agree that in each case there is indeed a plan, an itinerary. 

But for some reason when it comes to getting the day to day items done in our lives we seem to just wing it.  Then we find ourselves frustrated at the lack of progress or when we don't attain the goal we had set. 

There is no success without a plan. 

Anything that is of importance to you is worth taking a moment to make a plan.  Sure it may change along the way as you get more information or as life happens.  But in either case, a plan is the best possible way to achieve any goal you set.

YOU_CANNOT_FAIL_WITH_A_PLAN.doc

No matter how well thought out your plan, life will happen.  If you were traveling on the freeway and have to take a detour, you would have to make an adjustment to your plan to continue towards your goal.  If there are strong headwinds, a pilot may have to make adjustments to his flight plan.  A plan serves as a guide to keep you on track.  Life will happen, you can count on it, but don't let life get in the way of your progress.  You may need to take a step back, pause, make the necessary modifications and then proceed.

Now Go Out and Get It Done!