Do you feel your life is on repeat? Many of us do. I know I did. I would wake up, get ready, and go to work. Most days working in healthcare, I would work 10–12-hour shifts. Heck, I still do occasionally. After work, all motivation was lost for me, and again, I am sure it is the same case with many of you reading this. I always had big plans to go to the gym or do a light jog. Unfortunately, even with the long drive home because of the ridiculous amount of traffic. I felt depleted, and I didn’t want to do anything. When I got home, I showered, ate, and watched TV until I fell asleep. Then, I would wake up and do the same thing again.
What changed? Well, for starters, I got a second job, which was not ideal for this situation, but an old client I had contacted asked if I could start teaching self-defense for a self-defense club he had put together to teach students from Stetson University. On day one, I quickly realized how out of shape I was. I needed help to keep up with the students. I felt embarrassed as an instructor and as a previous badass.
The biggest battle I had to deal with was my mindset. I made all the excuses in the world. Taking the easy way out was so much, well, more accessible. I didn’t want to put the work in because it was tough. The battle I had was building so many negative thoughts that I became that one negative Nancy we have all come to know at some point in our lives. I had to rebuild myself again.
Discipline is what I lacked, and I knew that. Waking up right before work slowly became waking up 1.5 hours earlier. I made it a ritual. During the extra 1.5 hours, I started my morning with a 5-minute high-intensity workout. This enabled my body to loosen up and wake me up even more. Then, I would begin to get ready for my day. Once I was ready, I would make my cup of coffee and sit down and watch motivational YouTube influencers. This got me pumped for the day. During my long drives to work, I would listen to podcasts or audible self-help books.
However, I will admit that many of these audible books put me to sleep rather than motivating me. The narrator is what got me. If there is no energy, I will feel it. So, I would purchase the physical copy and read the books before bed. Overall, they were helping. Slowly but surely, my late nights, where I watched TV, became more short workouts or even a few walks around the block. Gradually, I started to turn my short exercises into complete exercises. My diet was never wrong, so I didn’t need much help in that department. However, I have a sweet tooth for cookies.
As I reflect on my journey and discuss it with my colleagues, we have all agreed that our biggest challenge is just getting started. Why? Because we have that mental battle, we have yet to overcome. We tend to make excuses because it’s easy. We tend to give up because it’s easy. It’s just like pointing the finger at someone else rather than it being your fault. We must own up to it and overcome our mental weaknesses to become the person we have always wanted to be. Discipline is vital to your success. Trust me, I know it’s not easy, but it’s well worth it.
“If you look good, you feel good; if you feel good, you do good.” – George St-Pierre.
Below, I have listed a few of the best motivational books I have read that helped me along my journey. Also, check out my top five picks for men’s multivitamins.
- Can’t Hurt Me
- The Mountian Is You
- Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself
- The Power Of Discipline
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- Never Finished
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