Last year, I read “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. It should be required reading for everyone because of the simple yet powerful message it conveys. In the book, Jocko said it best: “You must own everything in your world. No one else is to blame” (Willink, Babin, 2015). I believe this is 100% true in regards to our health and fitness goals especially.
It’s very easy to say “I want to lose weight” or “I need to get in shape.” To be honest, most people say this because they think it’s what they should do knowing full well that they’re not ready or willing to to what it takes to get there. It’s easy to throw it into a conversation with the typical “I hear you” response. Typically after this statement comes the excuses. It’s tough love time, your excuses are nonsense and you know it. If you’re not happy with your current health and fitness condition, it’s up to you to do something about it. Until you’re prepared to take ownership and responsibility for yourself, nothing will ever change.
Look, I understand that there are circumstances out of our control. However, we do have control over how we respond. What’s critical right after this is what we do next. No matter what your challenging life circumstances are, don’t let them define and paralyze you. Instead of focusing on the excuse and why it’s not your fault, take ownership and suggest a solution. Reframe your thinking and you’ll be surprised how empowered you feel. Take the first step. Hire a Trainer, do one of my 5-minute workouts, go for a walk, just freaking do something. You can even get creative like I do and workout with your dog!
To your lifelong health and success,
-Demarco Crum, CPT
