Monday! The start of a new week! Renewed enthusiasm and improved focus! The idea of failure doesn’t even enter your mind.

That goal you have been looking to achieve; the fat loss, weight loss, muscle growth or increased energy – it’s going to happen this time!

It has really hit you!

You are not going to live like this anymore.

That weekend was just a waste. It has made you feel terrible. But, you were just getting it out of your system.

Never again!

This time it’s different.

This time you are determined.

Success is in your grasp.

Tomorrow Starts Here

“I’ll start on Monday!” is the regular war cry.

But when Monday arrives, what is going to make that Monday different from all Mondays that came before?

What is it that is different this time around that will mean previous failures will not be repeated?

Well for most people, the honest answer is:

Absolutely nothing!

You may say that your determination is greater this time.

You’ve made a serious commitment to this.

But what is it you have made a commitment to exactly?

Losing X pounds? Dropping X% Body Fat? Changing how you look?

Didn’t you want that yesterday too?

You may not have spent as much time thinking about it because you had other things going on, but you still wanted it right?

And didn’t you want to achieve these things the last time you hit the gym or went on a diet?

In fact, how many times have you said to yourself that,

“This is it! Failure is not an option! This time I’m going to do this!”

or words to that effect?

Maybe there are some differences.

Perhaps this time you have a fancy new nutrition plan; an amazing workout routine that worked for someone else or you’ve hired yourself a Personal Trainer who will keep you on it.

However, the fact remains that the target, the goal and the approach are all the same when it boils right down to it.

You are still focused on the numbers or the superficial results.

These things are not worthy goals in themselves.

They are little more than by-products of a greater goal. A deeper want. Something that just doesn’t feel right or sit comfortably with you that needs to change.

Your Success Starts Here

How you perceive yourself is all that matters.

How you look is a reflection of yourself. It is not the real you.

How others perceive you is their problem and nothing you need concern yourself with.

If you are being true to yourself and are truly happy with who you are you would not need validation from others.

So, the question then is, are you happy with who you are? 

Well first, let’s look at the question of happiness or contentment.

What are these things?

They are emotions, right?

They are not visible in themselves. But they can manifest themselves externally.

You will look happy and content if you are happy and content.

So, the external you is simply a reflection of the internal you.

Defining Success

To be successful, what is needed is a better understanding of what success truly means to you.

This is a point I seem to be labouring these days.

Most people have grown up through a lifetime of being told the opposite.

That how much you weight is important.

Your dress size will define you.

And the key is the magic diet or the radical new workout.

But who tells you these things?

Magazines (who want to sell their latest issue); TV programmes (who want high viewing numbers); Books (who want high sales volumes); well meaning parents who have been programmed this way themselves over many years; Classes or trainers (who are trying to sell themselves beyond the others out there).

And that really should include me.

I am a Personal Trainer, a Coach & a Gym Owner, so I have a product to sell, right?

However, if you look at any of these services and products I provide, they are all about giving you better tools not a magic fix.

As a coach, it is my job to find out what is at the root of what you want to achieve not to pander to the enslavement of a set of superficial goals.

You will never find a post from me telling you that if you do ‘this thing’ you’ll lose 10lbs in 2 weeks or whatever.

Your goals, your inspiration, your driving force are all locked within you.

As a coach, I can help you to discover them, but I can’t choose them for you.

So, if you truly want to make this time different rather than just another starting point for another failure, then rather than looking to change the diet, or change the workout, look to change the thing that is driving you.

How do you want to FEEL?

This is a much more important question than, “how do you want to look?”.

Make that your goal. To be moving towards that feeling and that lifestyle.

Become the person you want to be on the inside and it will reflect on the outside.

After all, if you truly respect yourself and genuinely believe in your own self-worth, then you will want to look after yourself.

You will nurture your body.

You will train it and condition it for optimal performance.

And, just like that feeling of happiness or contentment, it will reflect itself externally. Meaning that ‘look’ you always wanted will manifest itself.

Not because you sought it out, but because you discovered what it was about that look you desired the most.

The feeling that went with it.

From there, failure is impossible!

If the change is internalised and becomes a part of who you are, then you will always be moving towards that place you want to be.

And so long as that is the case, you are always succeeding.

The only way you can fail is if you stop completely and give up.

You may hit some bumps. You may have to overcome some difficulties. But, you will always get back on track, because it’s part of your reason for being. You have accepted it internally, so you are, technically, already there. It will simply take time to externalise itself.

Overcoming obstacles

Once you have this focused approach, you will have a much more driven approach naturally.

However, life can still become overwhelming.

One of the main reasons the week goes to pot is the unknown creeping up. Work becomes overwhelming. Life gets in the way. And then comes the other, familiar war cry.

“There aren’t enough hours in the day!”

Where you place your focus is, always, up to you.

If you choose to place them at work, that’s not your employer’s doing, it’s yours. You can say No!

If you feel you can’t, then it is from a place of fear.

Maybe you can’t afford to lose your job?

Firstly, what does that say about your self-worth? You don’t think you are good enough to be able to get another job at the same level?

Secondly, if you push yourself into the ground, you are going to be useless to your employer. So, where does that leave you?

But, maybe you simply feel there is a chance to earn more. There is overtime available. Or, maybe, a chance for promotion?

If this is the case, then your work is the focus because it is the most valuable use of your time. But, in that case, are there other aspects of your life you can remove time from, but still be successful?

As an example, have a look at this article on Eating Healthy with a Busy Lifestyle.

The principles do not have to apply to eating healthy. You could look at any aspect of your life and apply the same.

So, forget about Monday’s as the time to start.

Make your choices and if they are truly passionate and meaningful choices, then you won’t want to wait another minute.

If it happens to be Monday, so be it. But if it happens to be another day, that’s just as good a time to start.

Leave the failures of the past behind. Forget about the calendar. Find your reason. Internalise it. And make it happen.

Overcoming the idea of failure and generating success starts with the right mindset.

As such, I’ve put together a PDF on Emotional & Mental Foundations and how to get them in place, free to download right now.