In marketing and with business, in general, we shoot to push boundaries, striving for growth and to beat our high score from days past. I am writing this article to simply highlight how getting in the best shape of my life has translated to business lessons and has actually helped grow our little company (814% in the last 24 months) into something we are not only proud of but something that is helping tens of thousands of people.
Helping them by helping our clients sell more amazing products and solutions.
It is no secret that business experts have touted self-help and self-improvement. But oftentimes this is focused on getting your “mind right” and having the right mindset, failing to focus on the other aspect which is physical health.
Just a handful of years ago I was struggling, struggling mentally and physically.
I looked down at the scale one morning and saw a number I had never seen in my entire life. Faced with now being the heaviest I had been, ever. Officially 50lbs heavier than what I was when I got married in 2005. Talk about an eye-opener and disheartening feeling. I had to do something about it and I did. Fast forward to today and I am now 47lbs lighter and in the best physical shape of my life.
But this post isn’t about how I was physically able to do it, it is about the lessons I learned in the process that translated to helping me grow our company.
What can you possibly learn about business and marketing from losing weight and getting in shape?
Well, glad you asked.
1. Persistence
Each year around Christmas, millions of people make their new years resolutions. “This is going to be my year,” they say. My year to start that new business, my year to get in shape or my year to finally do XYZ. But what happens? Come the 3rd week in January they gyms that were once packed with people every day are now starting to get emptier and emptier. People slowly turn back to a place of comfort, their old habits and those “high hopes” dwindle into a place of normalcy again.
You can’t expect miracles overnight. I didn’t magically lose 47 lbs, the abs didn’t just show up one day. It took day-in and day-out persistence. Taking small actions each day that pushed me closer to my goal each and every day. Which eventually compounded into the result I was looking for. The same for business. You can’t magically expect to have a million-dollar business, the customers don’t magically show up and the work just doesn’t get done unless you do it.
You have to take the actions daily, no matter how small, that will push you to your end goal. Be persistent. Not just doing something once and sitting back to watch to see what happens.
Jogging 1 mile one day and then wondering why you didn’t lose 10lbs. Same goes if you place a couple of ads and then wonder why the customers don’t start flooding in.
2. Discipline
Progress and not perfection is what comes to mind when I think about discipline. Knowing that you may slip up, that you are going to make mistakes. I don’t just eat carrots every day, I will eat stuff that isn’t necessarily the right thing from time to time. We are human and we make mistakes. As in business, we will make mistakes, we will slip up but it is what you do after that will make or break you.
Are you disciplined enough to get things back on track or will you continue down the same rabbit hole doing the things that you know aren’t in the best interest of your goals? You have to hold yourself accountable.
Nobody is going to hand it to you. If you slip up, make a mistake or find something that isn’t working in business, learn from it and figure out how to fix it to get back on track.
As mentioned you can’t expect to set up a couple ads and expect the customers to come. You have to test and tweak every element to make the pieces fit. Be disciplined at being better. I test my diet to see how my body reacts to certain elements just like I test different offers to see how my audience reacts and the result I will get.
Measure everything and test it to make it better. Have the discipline to make things better and keep things on track.
3. Pain
You can’t learn to bake the greatest cake in the world without breaking a few eggs. You can’t expect the weight to start falling off without having a few sore muscles. So why would you think you can go through the business world without a little pain, frustration, and difficult situations?
The business world can be painful. You will most certainly have setbacks and it is most definitely not smooth sailing despite what everyone tells you on social media. Plan for the worst and expect only the best. Embrace the pain and use that as a building block to your overall growth. Learn from it and use it as fuel to take that next step toward the goals you have set for yourself.
4. Perception
This journey has really opened my eyes to my surroundings. It has made me pay closer attention to the smaller details and how it impacts my life. I pay closer attention to food labels and what I am putting into my body. I pay closer attention to those who have the results I am looking for and how they did it. Most importantly I pay closer attention to my actions and my reactions in certain situations.
Every situation is a learning opportunity. Find yourself in a difficult situation and not getting the results you are striving for? Take a long hard look at the elements that put you into that situation and what you can learn from it. All the social factors, all the pieces of the puzzle. Is there something positive you can get out of it or are you dwelling on the negative. The business world has no room for “poor me” attitude. Watch what is going around you, how it impacts you and what you can take away from it to further you along your path to where you want to go.
5. Procrastination and strength
There are days that I think… “I can just skip going to the gym today.” or “I can wait to record that video tomorrow.” or “That client can wait just one more day until that is done.”
As with persistence, you can’t expect to put things off until tomorrow and the results to come. Every time I think that I can just skip the gym I regret it. Every time I put off doing that video I regret it. Not because of instant gratification but because I know that is one day I can’t get back and is now one less day I have to push myself toward my goals.
Other things may come up that then result in you skipping two days at the gym or not getting to record that video.
It’s the strength to keep going, to put forth that little extra effort. It’s the strength to do that extra rep when you are about to drop over from exhaustion and it’s the strength to do what others are not willing to do in order to reach your goals.
They say that it won’t be easy but it will be worth it and you know what? They are right!
There you have it. A little glimpse into a few of the lessons I learned by getting in the best shape of my life and growing an amazing company. We still have a long way to go to reach out goals and I know that I will keep pushing to be better daily. I hope you do the same.