TIM RICE'S DORM ROOM

Stealing the above quote from Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People",I feel this quote alone carries a great deal of weight when it comes to attaining my fitness goals, especially when prepping for an upcoming competition.

I have worked with well over a hundred individuals in my past as a certified fitness trainer. I opened a personal training facility back in 2001 and dealt with people ranging in age from 11 up to age 77! They came from all walks of life: men, women, business professionals, athletes, and I attained a lot of satisfaction from watching them succeed. I eventually shut the studio down in 2004 to get back into the more recession-proof corporate world, but still to this day work with people in attaining their fitness goals.

When I initially meet with an individual I always preach the strength of visualization and goal setting. No matter what they would like to achieve, I tell each and every one to look ahead and always (here we go) "Begin with the end in mind". Some people look at me and nod and smile and then there are some people that look at me and I know they "get it".

This is a quote that I can really say has gotten me to where I am today. I quite often use the analogy of driving when explaining this quote to someone...

Remember when you began driving. Remember how you initially looked down at the yellow lines in the middle of the road, trying to make sure you kept the car straight and away from swerving over into ongoing traffic? (Well at least I did initially). Man was that nerve racking and distracting in the grand scheme of things. It made it harder than it really was. I felt like I would never be comfortable driving a car and became preoccupied with this. Even if I were to try it now, at age 30, it would be tough to drive and would make the task overwhelming and seem like I would never get from point A to point B.

Eventually as you became a better driver you learned that you need to look straight ahead and look ahead in the distance, as opposed to the lines that were directly down and in front of you. You learned to not preoccupy yourself with staying within the lines and on your side. Things became exponentially easier and in no time you were a pro, driving with one hand, with your knees (only when I'm eating, but not in a residential area LOL), while drinking an ABB Extreme Body 50 shake :-).

People begin looking at the "lines" and worrying about their diet, training,etc. They get overwhelmed when you tell them it will be 8-12 weeks to get where they want to go. They get caught up in counting how many days they have left until the diet is over. They begin obsessing about food and dread their training. Soon they give up because they are not looking ahead and are preoccupied with all the "details". They aren't realizing that in ONLY 8-12 short weeks they can get a drastically improved physique. These people typically fail and go back to their old habits.

Then there are the individuals that learn to look ahead and not worry about the daily training and dieting regimen. They take it one day at a time and realize that with each passing day they are one step closer to achieving the body they desire. They don't get preoccupied with all the details and worrying about how many days remain. They soon begin to invite the challenge of a new day to work even harder at it and soon forget about how many days remain. These people will not fail and will achieve what they have set out to achieve.

I tell people they need to stop and close their eyes. Visualize how they will look and feel. How will people compliment them? How will the clothing fit? Really FEEL it and then open your eyes and go get it with a passion like no other.

When I prepare for a contest I always use this approach. Without it there is absolutely no way I would have been as successful as I have been. This has also worked on many of my clients in the past and I have seen people transform right before my eyes by utilizing the power of the mind and visualization.