making changes

Pareto's Law and Your C-Zone

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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

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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

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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. 

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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 --

How Do Your Big Rocks Compare?

Two weeks ago I asked you to make a list of values that were important to you.  I then asked you to take that list and narrow it down to the 7 most important values. I also shared a few strategies that might be helpful in coming up with your 7 Big Rocks.

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Last week I asked you to take that list and put it in order, from most important to least important, so that you could get a deeper sense of clarity about the things that you've deemed important to you.  In addition, I requested that you then create sentences or a paragraph for each of your core values using the example "Being successful at (input Big Rock/core value) means . . . .". 

This week I am going to ask to take a look at your list.  Does it still ring true?  Now that you've had a few weeks to sit with them, do these Big Rocks/core values still best describe the things that are important to you?  If not, make the necessary adjustments to assure that your list of 7 Big Rocks accurately describes the things that are important to you.  Make sure to complete the sentence exercise for any changes you've made.

That brings us to this week.  I now want you to sit back and read each of your 7 Big Rock sentences aloud. How does it feel? If you're like me it feels pretty darn good to have created a sense of clarity, a map of who you are and what you stand for.  Simply, you've created your vision of the elements necessary for a successful life. You've created a guide, a map to help keep you on track with what you deem important to you.

Feels good doesn't it?

Now that you've read them aloud and have a good sense of what elements are necessary for your successful life, ask yourself, "How does my life presently (including work, spiritual practice, family, relationships, health, etc) reflect my Big Rocks/core values?"

Over the next week or so I want you to really look at what elements you've deemed necessary for a successful life and evaluate yourself honestly and sincerely to see how in-line you are with the values you hold. 

I want you to know that it is not uncommon for people to find that there is a gap between the values they aspire to and the actual way that they live their lives.  In a world that is moving so fast and requiring so much of us, it is definitely a challenge to always be consistent with the values we hold dear.

Not to worry that is the topic of next weeks post -- Getting Your Life In Line with Your Big Rocks.

Remember, my goal in sharing this information with you is to help you create the life and experiences you want to experience. Don't worry about the gaps that may exist, they are just reminders to redirect your energies and be aware of how you spend your time. Next week I'll share with you some strategies to use to help you get on track.