Each new athletic achievement has shown me that something even bigger is possible. My athletic life has given me a whole new future. In the next 12 months, I’ll do new and different things that would have been unthinkable for most of my life.

Go Big And Get Specific

“Health” And “Fitness” And “Successful” and “Rich” and “Happy” Are Not Sufficient Goals

As it turned out, dying young and fat wasn’t a big enough concern for me to continue my thrice-weekly cycling regimen. I became a runner (then a triathlete) because preventing illness and early death wasn’t inspiring.  Impractical and audacious as it is, triathlon gave me a tangible, achievable, big enough goal that was interesting enough to be worth exercising regularly (training!).

What You Should Know

• You keep getting what you’ve always gotten, if you keep doing what you’ve always done.
• Fear stops us dead in our tracks. This year, millions of jobs will go unfilled, single people will go dateless, books will remain unwritten, and businesses will not be started because fear stops humans from taking simple, decisive actions.
• Fear can motivate a person to change the trajectory their entire life. I was inspired to get fit in a way I would never have done before. Thank goodness I didn’t wait until my heart attack or stroke!

Create Your New Future: 8 Steps You Can Take

1. Take an inventory of every area of your life that’s important to you.
2. • Rate each area on a scale of 1 (This is horrible) to 10 (I’m living the dream!)
3. • Look at all areas of your life: health, fitness, marriage/relationship, family, finance, friends, work, play, spirituality (name more if you have more that area important to you).
4. Envisionwhat each of these areas has in store for you in 3 years, and 10, and 20.  Ask yourself: Is there an area of life where I’m not seeing the progress or outcome I want?
5. Design a new future (Plan your Product).
6. • Define it like it’s inevitable (it is, if you go all in).
7. • Write it down in detail (here’s an exercise you can use).
8. • Describe it in present tense.
9. • See the sights, smell the aroma, feel the sensations, hear the sounds, taste the flavors.
10. • For example, here’s my personal vision statement.
11. Get help (People) if you need it. Enlist others in your life, find a coach or support group, or create a mastermind group.
12. Create a Plan that will be supportive of that new future. Create it with others who will be impacted by the execution or results of the plan.
13. Take action (Perform) consistent with your plan. For example, here’s a model I use to deliver results and continuous improvement in my life and business.
14. Keep moving. Never give up (Practice, Perform, and Produce). Repeat the steps above as often as you need to revise your design, communicate your vision, make changes on your team, or refine your plan.
15. Share your story with people close to you in your life and below. Develop mastery in your own skills and support others on their journeys. Produce future successes!

For more information

How to Crush Your Habits in the New Year with the Help of Science