Priorities – No Excuses Mentality

“We all find time for the things we want to do in life.  This goes for anything and everything we do in our lives.  From the people we choose to interact with, to the daily habits we have, our actions display priority.” – Gary Augustine Warren, FMI Co-Founder and weight loss inspiration

I got this great quote from his interview with PerfectBodyRX today where he talks about his over 115 pounds lost over the past 2 years without touching one fat burner pill, without having any surgeries, without starving himself, and without using any dangerous pharmaceutical drugs. With his story, Gary succinctly sums up the fundamentals of goal setting, prioritizing, and owning the situation in front of him.

When people ask me how to achieve various accomplishments in fitness, academia, or career what I found is that the lack of conviction in goal setting and a little bit of confidence to believe in oneself was a part of the hurdle.  I live by quotes and there’s three that particularly drive me forward:

“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

“Life is not about the cards that you were dealt.  It’s about how you play them.”

“The only thing holding you back from your dreams is yourself.”

Every life goes through its challenges, no matter how gilded some paths may appear.  A person’s ability to remain focused and achieve their goals, despite the obstacles, means that person has made a step forward every day to eventually be 10 steps forward rather than 10 steps in 1 different directions.

Have confidence in yourself that you can do it.  What I’ve learned is that for every crab in the bucket, there’s many more people who are willing to help you in your journey because they are simply inspired that you are taking on a challenge. You positive light will also inspire those close to you and spur them to move faster as well.