Thursday, December 29, 2005

What Next?



2005 is coming to a close and it's time to look forward. The beginning of every new year is filled with so much promise. We start the annual process known as "getting our acts together" on January 1st. We tell friends & family that we're going to improve our lives in one way or another. There's an energy and enthusiasm that seems palpable. Everyone is talking about quitting smoking or starting projects or losing weight and getting fit. It's fun to be around people when they talk like this. The focus is so positive. There's never any talk about obstacles or failure. We clean our slates of the muck and mire, look to the future, and set goals with exuberance. A brand new attitude to kick off the new year.

Why the hell does it all fade away? Why isn't this mojo sustainable for most people? Where does all the energy and enthusiasm go? The short answer is; happy thoughts are easy, action is hard. Talking a good game is an American pastime. Talk is cheap. Talk doesn't cook rice. Great Americans turn their hopes and dreams into something real with persistent action. An un-relenting constant movement forward. The ups and downs, twists and turns don't detour them. This is behavior that must be learned. It doesn't just happen based on some nice thoughts about the future. If you've started something and could not finish it then you weren't ready in the first place. The foundation and plan were never in place on day one.

If you really want to succeed, if you really want to see something through to the end, then you need a new approach. You need deadlines, goals and help. This is why Power90 has worked so well for so many people. There is a start date and an end date. You stick with it because I guarantee that if you do what I tell you to do then great change will happen. You take your photos, your measurements and your weight and you begin to move your body. You get into the boards, chat rooms and WOWY and get connected with other people who need you as much as you need them. Success is achievable because this system is time tested.

If you take this simple system and apply it to all other aspects of life then they will dramatically improve as well. From finance to romance deadlines, goals and help are how you get there. Winging it with happy thoughts will surely fail. Deadlines and goals can and will change sometimes (that's okay) but if you continue to seek help from people you trust then the process and journey are enjoyable and rewarding. With the new year fast approaching it's time to see if you're willing to apply a method to your gladness. See if you can turn positive wishes into substantial life long change.

10 comments:

psalm9567 said...

Spot on, Tony, once again! I LOVE WOWY for exactly what you said: A Plan! I schedule my workouts a week at a time, commit to my buddies and then show up! Sure, I miss a few due to oversleeping, kids throwing up during the night, etc, but I get back on the horse, so to speak, and keep crushing it! My progress is slow in the weight loss department, but my eating is good, my intensity is getting higher, and my outlook is bright!

Like you said in your last mailbag to Miss MaryCecy, it's not about how I am looking, though that is an added perk! It's about my health, my ability to play with my kids, my longing to be around to see and play (yes, and compete!) with my grandkids!! What a blessing that would be!

Cheers and have a great New Year's celebration!! Are you WOWY'ing on the first??? It would put so much energy in everyone's workout! I'm w/o with Carl! Yay! See ya!

Sarah/Psalm9567

Anonymous said...

Tony, my man! You couldn't have pinpointed it any better! I had a dream last night that we had a NY Fitness Camp reunion and I was so ashamed that I hadn't really gotten very far since July. Then it dawned on me that New Year's Resolutions were right around the corner and I was faced with the actual reunion next July! OMG! So yes, I will talk the talk, but I also have to walk the lunge-walks in order to face myself (and you) come July (and the rest of my life)!

I'm still with ya! Just need an extra boost!

Love ya - Di (Dance10)

Anonymous said...

Health is my main priority in doing this. Looking good is something I have always wanted to have. The "looking good" feeling I get inside is what I am looking for. So yes, I am ready for the down days, the days I get sick, the days that it seems like there isn't enough minutes in the day. I am just going to start the day with a natural High: Working out and eating right from the get go.

Anyway, Wowy has been scheduled for over a month and I got my new SHOX!! I have the shopping for part of the week completed and I am ready to get the food ready to go. No excuses. It is all Up from here on. OR DOWN in weight and size from now on!!

See ya in WOWY, Chat or the MSG Boards!! Life is too precious to waste it!

XOXO Happy New Year

I am so full of energy and motivation, I am going to explode.

Thanks Tony for always been there for me and for many.

Anonymous said...

Great post! I started P90 on 14-Nov-05 and am glad to say that I have stayed on schedule without missing a single workout. When I'm not happy with the mirror I change my focus to successfully completing P90.

I'll be checking back to re-read this post when I need motivation.

Thanks so much for your enthusiasm, motivation and love of life Tony! Here's to you reaching all of your 2006 goals!

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year Tony!! Your workouts and your commitment to be my fitness inspiration really helped me focus on my health in 2005 when I could have been focusing on some other stuff that is best not to focus on.

I just did my monthly statistics. I can't say that my weight and measurments are success story material, but for me they are. I'm not fatter than I was a year ago. I carried my skis from hear to there with lots of energy this week. I had the patience to ski with my son instead of putting him in ski school. Maybe I didn't get in that one extra challenging run, but I got to spend quality time of the highest sort with the most important person in my life. On my break the one feeling that I had was euphoria. I was high on mountain air and moving. I didn't have any aches or pains.

This year I am setting specific goals and time frames for my workouts. As much as I dread it I am focusing on my thigh measurment for how I am doing. That's one of my most resistent area of my body.

Now were my mind is concerned...I have to journal my food. For me it's not what I put in my mouth that makes or breaks my weight loss success it is how much. I love so many foods (and most of them are healthy) I have a lot of choices. I would eat three breakfasts 2 lunches and 4 dinners for wanting not to miss out on some yummy choice hehehehe. When I write it down and quantify it I have to think. I must say this is a very hard thing to do consistently over time. There are great tools that I use, but it is very time consuming. I am going to commit to doing it this month.

Keep up the good work Tony! Hope to chat with you soon! Love ya!!

Anonymous said...

Tony--

Just before I read this blog, I finished setting some goals and a plan in my WOWY diary for 2006. I agree completely that it's so important to have goals, deadlines, and the wonderful support that we all get here on the Beachbody website.

Unfortunately, I now have a knee injury to go along with my chronic tennis elbow. I'm working on (or around) those problems, though. I went to a sports medicine doctor for my elbow, and I'm now getting physical therapy for it. (BTW, I loaned the physical therapist my P90 DVD and she was quite impressed with your workouts and expertise.) I'm resting my knee right now to give it a chance to heal, and today I started to take Glucosamine and Chondroitin for my joints. If my knee doesn't improve, I'll see a doctor for it.

This doesn't mean I stop all workouts, though. I can still work my abdominals and can experiment with activities that don't bother my knee or elbow.

My big focus right now, and the most needed one, is to clean up my diet. It hasn't been good for quite a while now, but that will change today. I will again start to journal my food and to focus on eating right--lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains!

This year I plan to get my elbow and knee healthy again so I can get back to your workouts that I love. I plan to be back in "Hawaii" shape by fitness camp time! :-)

Mary Mc

psyknife said...

I must say that you are quite the motivator. No one was able to get me up off my lazy butt until Power 90. Thank you, my friend. And now, thanks to people on the boards, I've stepped up to the X for the new year. I'm totally loving it, Tony! I'm on Day three and I'm a little sore and have a couple bruises (I need better floor padding), but I'm BRINGING IT and loving it!!! I will TOTALLY see you at the Chicago Fitness Camp, so look out! :-)
Thanks for helping me find a plan!

Anonymous said...

Goals, deadlines, action , presistance! Ain't no other way.

Amen brother Horton

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