I once again was listening to John Meadows speak and instantly felt the need for this post. He is one of those guys that when he is speaking, you stop what you are doing and just listen. Whether it be on training, nutrition or life, he is someone you stop what you are doing and pull out the pen and paper. He asked the group “What is your destiny?” then followed it up by “What are you doing to fulfill that?” This truly made me sit back and think: What is my destiny?

This made me think back to when I was younger. I would often get asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Instantly, I’d respond: “I want to help people”. Now, I think of how I would respond to John’s question and my answer would be the same but with a much more narrow scope. I want to reach and help as many people possible – not just help them, but truly teach them habits and skills that they can carry on, not just in training, but in life. I would do this through strength training and implementing/educating them on proper nutritional habits for their goal, whether it be the general population weight loss client or competitor (aesthetic or performance-based).

Okay, cool! Now, what will I do to fulfill that? I sit here and think about what I am doing. I’ve had the opportunity to work with over hundreds of individuals, start an all women’s training aspect to the company and implement tons of my studies into real life practices. I’ve done this by branching off from not solely weight loss clients but almost every aspect of nutritional work you can imagine and so on. I do the day in, day out work, the grinding work, the work when you are tired after training for 10 hours a day and still have to answer X amount of emails.

I do all these different aspects daily and I still think, “What is it that I am really doing to make sure all of these necessary steps of my career get done even when I am exhausted and all I want to do is close my eyes?” What are the habits instilled in me that created the discipline to push and then, push some more?

I began to think further about what is it that I do every single day outside of “work”. It could be as little as brushing my teeth everyday to lifting weights. I found three habits that I feel are truly the main driving force that keep me focused on taking the steps to fulfill my destiny.

1. I write every day. Whether it be a simple motivational note to a client, a Facebook post, or blog post. Doing this daily keeps me focused on what matters most — getting out content to the people. (This doesn’t include programming. I truly love programming but this type of writing comes from a different area of my brain and something I put feeling into). My writing has feeling behind it and not only does it help others, but it truly helps me relax and cognitively express myself.
2. I read every day. This is my favorite part of the day even more so than my own training. I cannot stress enough how important it is to read and continue your education! Reading helps you gain knowledge to pass on to others and in turn. helps yourself. I tell everyone I spent 100’s of thousands of dollars on education. I have learned from the best professors, coaches and trainers in the world but nothing has been more educating than reading.
3. I am active every day. The reason I got into weight training and working out was to be healthy! I’m not talking about pulling the garbage cans to the end of the curb. I mean doing some physical activity. This is the root of my passion! If I want to help others become healthier, I have to walk the walk. There are absolutely zero repercussions from being strong!

These three “lifestyle goals or daily habits” lay the ground work for me to achieve those necessary aspects of my career to fulfill my destiny. They are extensions of all the small habits I’ve done since a kid (brush my teeth, make my bed, do the dishes etc.).  They’ve become instilled in me due to my view on discipline.

Discipline is the root to all of this. Without discipline you cannot and will not be successful at fulfilling your destiny. (If it’s actually worth something, I would hope if you are reading this you give yourself the upmost value.) I truly believe that you have the choice to do whatever you want in life. Will it be easy? Absolutely not! But, if it was easy, why would you even want that to be your destiny? I am a great example of this and I can promise you that hard work does pay off.