My wife and I recently completed Dave Ramsey’s personal finance course called Financial Peace University. Overall, I thought it was a great course with a ton of valuable information regarding personal money management, investing and getting out of debt. Throughout the course, I was struck with how similar the ideas of debt management and fitness really are. In both aspects of your life you have to make budgets (money or calories), utilize personal discipline, and have the ability to maintain motivation for an extended period of time.

A particularly unique idea of Ramsey’s was the “debt snowball”. This was his preferred method of digging yourself out of debt by paying down the smallest debts you owed first then rolling the money that you were using to pay that bill into the next smallest debt owed. This way you would systematically eliminate all your outstanding bills one at a time from the smallest to largest.

While this method of debt elimination is fantastic, I think the idea also holds water in other areas of life management as well. Lately, as you can probably tell from the frequency of my latest blog postings, I’m struggling somewhat in my personal time management. I have a full time job, I’m pursuing a Master’s degree, I have a two year old son and a brand new baby girl. So in an attempt to get my growing “to do” list back to a manageable size, I tried Ramsey’s debt snowball method for time management.

1) I listed out everything that I had to do in the next few weeks on a sheet of paper. Some of these things were simple phone calls I needed to make. Others were long time annoyances that have been on my mind for months.

2) Next, I went through and mentally arranged them in order from “simplest to complete” to “most complex”

3) I systematically began making myself complete the simplest tasks first even if they weren’t due for another two weeks. I did this for a few reasons. One, I could now release the brain power that I had been spending on that simple task and roll it into thinking about the other items. Two, I could use the momentum from marking something off my list as extra motivation to get more things done. It’s funny how satisfying crossing off an annoying task can really be.

4) Finally, I continue this process until only the major things are left. The cleared “to do” list builds my confidence to continue accomplishing things. Plus, all the time I would have spent on worrying about the smaller tasks can now be devoted to productive thinking about the big items.

You may think this is a silly yet obviously application of the “debt snowball” but the idea has genuinely proved productive for me the last couple of days. If you are like me and currently find yourself swamped in small “to do” items progress through them systematically from easiest to hardest and let me know how it works for you.

(photo by Ivan Walsh)

Failure is a pretty common occurrence in my life. A day doesn’t go by where I don’t manage to experience at least a moderate amount of defeat. Some days I eat a little too much or skip a workout. Other days, I can screw something up bad enough that it sends the whole system into a tailspin. But by learning to fail the right way, failure can actually be a positive experience.

If you look at your defeats in the proper attitude and context, you can really experience a lot of growth and be better off for it.

Fail With Enthusiasm – Don’t let past failures deter you from your goal.

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”  ~Winston Churchill

Yesterday sucked. I woke up knowing that I was in the process of getting sick. I spent all day at work trying to correct a problem only to discover I was barking up the completely wrong tree. At home I was performing a dreaded OS reinstall when I find out that the new drivers I need haven’t even been written yet. Nutritionally, I somehow manage to consume enough food to fuel a family of Olympic athletes and the start of my new Ultimate Frisbee season was canceled due to rain. I was close (very close) to calling it a night at 7:30 and heading to bed.

Instead, however, I went to the gym. Tired, sick, and out of steam I somehow found myself deadlifting the horrible day away. Was it a great workout? No. Did I break any personal records? Not even close. But what mattered was that I turned the terrible experiences of the past few hours around by doing something positive for my body and my mind.

Every second of every day we have the option to choose failure or to choose perseverance. Which are you doing right now?

Fail Up – Try something big

“Failure is nature’s plan to prepare you for great responsibilities.” ~ Napoleon Hill

Trying anything new is a learning experience. However, imagine how much more you’ll learn if you try something BIG! When I began running, I certainly learned some painful lessons. Drink enough water or you’ll get dehydrated and may throw up. Stretch after workouts or you could be out of commission for a while nursing an injury.

However, when I started training for a marathon, it seemed like my knowledge grew exponentially. I learned what it felt like to physically run out of fuel. I learned what happened when you didn’t plan your training route very well. I also learned what it felt like running in 30 degree weather without gloves. These are lessons that I don’t imagine I’ll ever forget.

The bigger your goal, the more you can realistically learn from it.

Fail Often – Success can make you stale

“Success is never final; failure is never fatal” ~ Unknown

By failing you actually may learn more than by succeeding. Success can sometimes make people lazy. Either they think that they are naturally gifted as the smartest people in the world or they become so used to winning that they forget how to try hard. Believe it or not, this can happen. If you get used to being the “best” at something, your drive and passion will die out.

Failing enough times will teach you how to fight. Fight for something hard enough and you’ll know what real success (not luck or happenstance) feels like.

Fail Fast – Don’t be afraid to act

“I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

When you are so worried about failing that you never take the first step, that’s when you’ve really lost. Don’t plan so meticulously that you never get around to actually executing. Steve Pavlina has called this “Ready. Shoot. Aim.”

Take your shot at something you’d like to accomplish. If you don’t succeed, adjust your plan and try again. Keep adjusting your sights until you hit the target dead on. It’s much better to have a thousand misses and one bulls eye than to never take your shot in the first place.

Fail Without Fear – What is the worst possible scenario?

“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” ~ Sven Goran Eriksson

For the most part, the things we’re afraid of happening as a result of our failures aren’t actually that bad. Now this doesn’t really apply to all things (tightrope walking and skydiving come to mind) but if you’re honest, you’ll probably agree that the fear of failure is worse than actual failure.

I’m still really afraid of public speaking, but when I think it through, it’s silly to be so afraid of it. The worst thing that can happen is to make a fool out of myself. I literally do that everyday anyway, so what’s so bad about doing it once more? Maybe if I actively tried to swallow my pride and face my fear of humiliation head on, I’ll have little to fear when I actually try something new. Just a thought.

(photo by tibchris)

Last week, I wrote about the dangers of comparisons and got some great discussion going both here and on Twitter. Comparing yourself to others can be frustrating and demoralizing. Ultimately, no fruit comes from holding yourself up to the standards or successes of others. However, on the flipside (and there is always a flipside) there are some things that can certainly be gained by looking at the examples of others. Finding solid examples in areas where we are personally lacking can be a great way to build momentum for successes of our own.

Seek out Successful Examples:

Examples Inspire: They show us what is possible. I would never have even become interested in fitness in the first place if I did not first become inspired by other healthy examples in my life. Without knowing that losing a lot of weight was actually possible, I never would have been able to lose the weight that I did. Primarily because I would have thought it was completely out of my reach. Healthy weight-loss examples showed me that others have had success. Therefore I knew that I could do it too.

Examples Teach: They show us what to do. Following practical examples are one of the best ways that we can learn from others. I have learned more about how to eat right and exercise from watching the success of other people than I ever could from reading text books about nutrition. Find people that have experienced the victories that you want to see in your own life and follow their lead.

Examples Motivate: They get us off our butts. Personally, there is nothing more motivating than a real life success story. Watching another person make progress on their fitness goals is thrilling to me and pushes me to work just as hard. Knowing that every success story had to start somewhere can really help remove self-defeating attitudes. What you want to achieve is possible. It has been done before and it will be done again.

Refuse to compare yourself to others by focusing on your inadequacies. Instead, look for examples of what is possible and follow them. Health and fitness is by no means a “zero sum” game. Looking for successes and following those who have been there is the best way to get there yourself.

(photo by jonrawlinson)

It seems that one of the biggest sources of discouragement in my life are comparisons. Even when I personally know that I am on the right track to meet the goals I have established for myself, I can quickly become disheartened by looking at others around me. I can always find someone who is faster than me, someone who is stronger than me, or someone who is more successful than me. It seems I really hold myself back by continuing to compare myself and my personal achievements to others.

Simply put, I know this is foolish. I know that no one faces the exact same struggles I do. I know that everyone’s strengths and weaknesses are unique. I also know that no matter how awesome I ever become, I can always find someone who is better. Comparing one’s self to other people can literally be a devastating blow to their own personal growth. I know this is something I have to cut out.

Avoiding Comparisons:

Comparisons discourage. There is no other way to put it. If you measure your worth by holding yourself up to others, you will always be left discouraged. Unless you are simply the absolute best at everything you do, eventually, you will be let down by your inadequacies.

Comparisons set unrealistic goals. Seeking to match or exceed another’s successes may prove to be a futile and frustrating task. Again, everyone is different. Even if you trained exactly the same and just as hard your results may still vary. Make your own goals and do your absolute best. Refuse to let someone else be your standard.

Comparisons highlight what is lacking. By their very nature, comparisons emphasize our shortcomings without rewarding our similarities. Every single time I begin to compare myself to others I automatically focus on my deficiencies. Even if both of us have more in common than not, what always sticks out in my head is how I come up short.

By refusing to constantly compare myself to others I can be free to progress at my own pace, regardless of how far ahead everyone else is. My worth should be determined by who I am and what I believe in; not how much I lifted today or how fast I can run a 5K.

So, who are you? What do you believe in? Feel free to share your personal goals and be proud for accomplishing them. But at the same time try recognize where your worth comes from. Hint: It has nothing to do with what you can do.

“…he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy…”read.ly/Titus3.5.ESV

***this post kind of just popped out of a lot of stuff I’ve been dealing with lately. If you feel that it doesn’t personally apply to you, them I’m all the more happy for you. Constantly comparing yourself to others is really a drag. I just sometimes get down on myself for not living up to someone else’s standards. end rant.***

(photo by ODHD)

There are literally thousands of different fitness plans out there. Some guarantee crazy results with little to no effort while others are time tested and approved. What’s the difference between these two types of plans? What differentiates a road to success from a road to failure? It isn’t a secret what works and what doesn’t. If you step back and take a thoughtful look at which programs actually produce results you may notice that they all contain some of the same components.

The following are what I consider to be the 5 essential components for a successful fitness regimen. If you don’t have each of these components established in your regular fitness plan, chances are you will eventually fail.

Diet – Probably the most important and obvious part of a successful fitness plan is a proper diet. However, you’d be surprised by how many people think they can successfully lose weight without taking this into consideration. What you put into your body has a direct correlation to the results you want to see in your body.

To create a diet that is suitable to meet your fitness goals, it is first necessary to assess what your ultimate goal really is. Realistically, it is impossible to create a “one size fits all” diet plan for everyone. However here are a few general guidelines:

-If you are trying to drop some body fat, begin by consuming 500 less calories a day than you normally would. Eat more fresh fruits and veggies and lean sources of protein like fish or grilled chicken. Avoid high calorie beverages and sweets.

-If your goal is to gain muscle mass, your diet needs to include much more protein and fat. Avoiding sodas and sweets is still a good idea, as these empty calories provide nothing nutritional for your body.

Cardio – Regular cardiovascular exercise is essential. Cardio describes any type of exercise that increases the work of the heart and lungs. The health benefits of cardio are many, but in a regular fitness plan it is the key to burning fat. Jogging, cycling, swimming, jump rope are all excellent activities that are successful at elevating your heart rate and burning some serious calories. Aim for an elevated heartrate 60%-80% of your max for 20-30 minutes a day. This will improve your endurance abilities drastically and is an easy way to burn fat.

Strength Training – While cardio will help your heart, lungs, and endurance, strength training will build you some nice lean muscle that will continually aid in burning fat from your body. Building muscle will help you perform better in whatever exercises you attempt and will prevent future injury. Strength training will help you will look better, feel better and is a great complement to cardio when trying to burn calories.

If you are looking for good place to start, check GymJunkies.com and StrongLifts.com for loads of amazing resources for both beginners and experts.

Consistency – If there is no consistency in your diet and workout attempts then your efforts will be in vain. I’m not saying that you can never slip up, but the times when you don’t live up to your goals should be the exceptions, not the rule. Losing weight or building muscle is an exercise in endurance and determination. You aren’t going to get there in a week and it won’t come without consistently making sound decisions. I’m sorry to have to break it to you. This is just the way the game works.

Accountability – I believe that accountability is the most overlooked factor in most people’s fitness plans today. Unless you have the ability to move mountains by sheer force of will, you may find fitness to sometimes be struggle. Believe it or not, some people just don’t eat right and exercise naturally. It is something that most of us have to work on a lot. There are going to be times when even the most determined of us fail or want to quit altogether. This is why it is important to have accountability systems in place; to push us forward when we’d rather just give up.

I’ve probably mentioned this a hundred times by now, but keeping a daily food log is an excellent way at keeping track of what you eat and measuring your progress along the way. Knowing that you are going to have to record that entire pound of bacon you just ate, might be a deterrent from eating it in the first place.

If you work better in a team, seek out the assistance of a fitness partner who will help you along the way. Tell them your goals and ask them to check up on you often to see how you are doing. Never underestimate the power of an encouraging teammate to help people make changes in their lives.

(photo by fireflythegreat)

There are always going to be areas in our lives that could be classified as weaknesses. Whether this is the absence of a certain skill, a knowledge area that we know little about or a literal physical weakness, each of us surely have some realm in which we’d like to improve

For the longest time, this area of weakness in my life was my total lack of physical fitness. I was grossly overweight, had zero stamina at anything requiring more than a trip to the kitchen and was headed on a path of health problems. For me, turning this weakness into a strength took more than simply looking at things in a new light. It is hard to spin obesity as a strength no matter how creative you get. To convert a true weakness into a bonafide strength will take some work. A lot of it, in fact. But it will exponentially improve whatever aspect of life it relates too.

Identify what you’d consider your weak points. For me, this was all too obvious. I was overweight and totally out of shape. My physical fitness was my weakness. What is yours? It doesn’t necessarily have to relate to your health. It literally could be anything in any aspect of life. Maybe it’s a source of sensitivity in your life. Think about the last time someone said something to you that really stung. Chances are they hit upon something that you’d consider a weakness whether they meant to or not.

Work really hard to correct/remove this weakness. Depending on what you believe your particular weakness to be, this may be difficult. However, in regards to fitness and weight loss it was fairly easy, at least academically. I did everything in my power to take the single biggest area of failure in my life and turn it around. I made conscious efforts at eating better. I introduced regular exercise into my life. I kept track of everything to see if progress was being made. I basically put a ton of effort into actively flipping this area of my life from a weakness and source of shame into a strength and a source of confidence.

Two Birds. One Stone. By spending time and effort turning a weakness into a strength you should notice two very important occurrences. One: you no longer have to waste mental energy stressing over what used to be a weakness. You won’t have to compensate for this particular item ever again. Huge weight off your shoulders, right? Two: another benefit is that you now have a whole new area of strength to draw confidence from. If you successfully stayed with your efforts and saw them through, no matter how long it took, you now have an entirely new source of pride in your life. Think about this for a moment. This two-point swing can have a very powerful affect on your life. Imagine the thing you are most ashamed of being turned into a source of pride. That is a pretty strong image isn’t it?

Now that you have converted your biggest weakness into a strength, search your life for another area that is bringing you down. Repeat this cycle and your life will consistently improve with each step. Take note, however, that your life will never be perfect. This world is simply a broken place. But consistently working at improving your life, one area at a time, will allow for increased strength and confidence in whatever you do. It’s the process of continual improvement that really makes all the difference in our lives.

“The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection.” C.S. Lewis