As a gym owner I talk about accountability a lot because I want all of our members to not only show up for their workout but also achieve their goals. Having an appointment creates accountability. Having someone waiting to work with you creates accountability and having a friend or workout partner also has this effect.
My parents made sure that growing up that I was true to my word. “Don’t commit to something unless you are going to do it” my Mom always said. I can still hear those words today.
Sunday my wife and I took our son Patrick on a wonderful hike in Cave Creek, AZ and had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. It has indoor/outdoor seating and a pond area with turtles, fish, ducks etc. Patrick was hooked and proceeded to smear the beans and rice that he tried all over the glass next to our table. Not a proud moment as a parent:)
The whole day was great, spending time with my family and then Alicia and I sat down to watch the finale of Game of Thrones. We both didn’t want to miss out( although I will say it was less than memorable). I needed to still do some book work before bed but I pushed it off until after the show. Patrick had been sleeping soundly so when Alicia went to bed, I had the house to myself to work.
No more than 5 min later, Patrick was crying and his tummy was upset. Apparently he is not ready for beans and rice just yet. He proceeded to cry for the next 4.5 hours keeping me up and I was worried about him. The normal tricks I used in the past didn’t seem to work. Finally at 2:30 am he fell asleep in the rocking chair on me. I dozed in and out, finally putting him back in his crib at 4 am. Crawled into bed and 4:45 the alarm went off.
My wife, knowing how tired I was told me to cancel my morning clients. They would understand… And they probably would have. But if I am expecting them to show up, rain or shine then I need to do the same. So there I was, 6 am at the gym struggling on the inside but not showing an ounce of fatigue on the outside. My clients deserve my “A” game and have gotten accustomed to it.
I love the quote ” Fatigue makes cowards of us all”. All of us have busy lives and we get tired, stressed and just want to give up sometimes. Keep taking the steps to reach your goal. No matter how small those steps are, eventually you will get there.
Be accountable, set a goal and have a check list showing you that you are getting closer to your goal. Or have someone that you check in with each day. A simple text each day can help you stay on track.
~ Building From The Ground Up
Luke
