I believe the single most important factor leading to success is prioritizing your mindset. The mindset was the final piece for me, but I learned that it was the most important piece that should have come first, with nutrition and fitness not far behind. They all play a unique role in strengthening one another, but ultimately it’s the mindset that determines the rate at which you manifest success and if you believe you can.
In terms of setting goals of any nature, understanding the purpose of those goals, or the WHY to those goals is so crucial to determining how we choose to move forward in life, which manifests in a success or “failure”.
When we foster a powerful mindset, optimize our nutrition, adopt a healthy practice of fitness combine it with a Vision, Commitment, a Plan, & the Tenacity to NEVER give up, success is inevitable.
When we neglect our nutrition and fitness, our mind suffers because our brain suffers. Same as when we neglect of mind’s health, we make poor choices within nutrition, fitness, and life overall.
Close behind, if not right there with the mindset, comes your Nutrition. This sets the tone for your gut, which directly correlates to the health and function of your brain and what it’s going to activate or suppress within the body in terms of hormones, inflammation, neurotransmitters, epigenetics (gene expression), mitochondrial biogenesis (growth of new mitochondria- energy powerhouses of every single cell in the body), neuroplasticity (the ability to have a resilient brain), and so much more.
The third key to success with your health, but very much elsewhere like the business and personal life, is fitness. Most people, like myself, in the beginning, think this means muscles and “bulk”, which can’t be further from the truth- if done correctly while corresponding with the mind and nutrition. Exercise is more effective than meds for depression (fact, look it up!), produces the “feel good” hormones, slows down aging, stimulates the growth of new mitochondria, increases insulin sensitivity (leading to burning stored and consumed energy), positively stresses the body to grow stronger, and so much more.
I’ve been training consistently for 4 years with these last 2 year the most focused and educated I’ve ever been thanks to Jackie Lauricella (licensed athletic trainer)walking me through ACL prehab for surgery and then recovery/rehab along with Matt Hunter (performance coach) from Athletic Lab in Cary, NC working with me on my goals with Max Aerobic Heart Rate Training, Injury Prevention, and Strength on and off the bike both in the body and mind. I also owe a lot of what I have learned and coach to Mark Sission and his work on the topic of fitness and becoming fat-adaptive.
That being said, I’ve lost size on my waist but stayed about the same weight while gaining a few pounds. I look leaner at the same time, feel lighter and stronger, have a very confident and positive mindset, my digestive system has never been better, my energy levels are very high and stable rather than like a roller coaster of ups and downs, and my performance on and off the bike has gone through the roof.
You may ask “how?”.
- muscle weighs more than fat and helps burn fat.
- strength doesn’t mean bulk or more muscles. Just means strength in the body and mind. End of story, if done correctly.
- Mindset and nutrition are two of the biggest factors in determining if you actually take action towards your goals (fitness, health, business, or personal), the motivation and “willpower” you possess, and how well you feel, perform, prevent illness and disease, make decisions, and think.
The value of implementing all of this into your life is priceless and is a bulletproof plan to success as long as you commit and don’t give up when times get tough. That being said, there is also a thing called the “Emotional Cycle of Change” (ECOC) we all go through when making changes. I believe this is important to note, which in short goes as follows:
- Uniformed OptimismThis is when your emotional response to an idea or goal takes over and you feel very optimistic and see no downsides to that idea or goal.
- Informed PessimismWhen you learn more about the change that idea or goal requires, you start forming negative emotions and beliefs. The idea or goal doesn’t seem possible and you question if the change is worth it.
- Valley of DespairThis is where most of us give up. All the pain of the change gets to us and the idea or goal seems to be further and furtherer away. This leads us to think there must be a quick and easy way to end the pain and discomfort- back to where we started. It is important to have clarity on our goals and our WHY so we can ensure we do not give up or think that success is not for us.
- Informed OptimismVision is very important for the Valley of Dispair because it is that Vision that keeps you moving forward while not giving up. That “I will do whatever it takes to accomplish” a goal is fueled by the Vision along with a commitment to not give up and the tools like mindset, nutrition, and fitness. In the informed optimism area, you are back in the positive emotional state and success is much more likely to manifest. The benefits of taking action towards a change for the desired goal is starting to manifest more and more and keeps you going. This is when you must continue and not settle!
- Success & FulfillmentSuccess is where we all strive to be and even though it says “success” this doesn’t mean stopping there. I don’t believe in a destination. I believe in loving the process and continuing to grow and progress. This is when we can reflect on the changes we made and the benefits that have taken place. You have likely heard “that was worth it” or something along those lines or “the struggle yesterday made me stronger today”. It’s times of adversity that we sort out who we truly are and our inner strength to move forward. Only when our Vision is clear can we move forward, leave the “victim” mentality behind, and manifest true success in our lives.
To conclude, take care of your body and mind as they work in a uniform reactive relationship to one another. Be pro-active when it comes to your health and goals with your life. Don’t settle for the status quo and then react to negatives. Do what you can to prevent a negative from occurring in the first place. It’s never too early to take action towards your goals and your health. It also never too late if you are reading this.
-Josh P.
