Whether it’s getting shredded for the beach, learning Japanese, or starting your own business, taking these actions will raise your chance of success, exponentially. I call it the Key to Success Mindset.  I’ll explain, all in the context of lifting weights, sex, and booze….and even expanding your business if you’re a trainer.

Yes, really.

Most lifters spend their time worrying about how many sets they’re doing.

And how much weight is on the bar. Or how many days they’re training.

Having a plan of action in your training and diet is important.

But, that isn’t the whole picture.

Those details and measurables are more like color of your car, rather than the engine, frame, and tires that drive you.

The most successful people set goals in a specific way. The intensity they attack with and their accountability to the goals determines their success.

It’s not enough to just have a goal. It has to be a huge goal, with a clear, deep understanding of “why” it’s so damn important. In all, there are seven keys to what I call the Key to Success Mindset.

With these seven keys, you’ll have the tools to achieve anything you set your mind too.

Emotion Decides, Logic Justifies

We’re all emotionally driven. When we make a decision, we do so with emotion, then use facts and knowledge to reinforce our decision.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Lant, we’re after any of the following emotional benefits:

1. Financial Stability

2. Health

3. Love

4. Security

5. Salvation

6. Self-Regard

7. Community and Peer recognition

8. Independence

9. Sexual Fulfillment

10. Beauty/attractiveness/lookin’ hawt

I just witnessed Denver lose it’s mind over the Super Bowl, so here’s an example: People drink until they stagger, and smoke like a chimney despite knowing its ill-effects and hundreds of anti-drug ads.

Why?

Research and common sense point to emotional acceptance. If your friends are inclined to smoke or get hammered drunk, you’re more likely to get smashed and be part of the community, despite knowing the facts.

We feel close to our friends, relax, and have a sense of belonging, despite knowing we’re slowly killing ourselves.

On a more positive note, hittin’ the gym can improve most of these emotions:

When I talk to people who want to join my coaching program, we have to find our what the original goal is.

This requires both a vision on what will change, but most importantly, WHY change is important.

Do you want to make $100,000/yr as a talking point, or because it allows you the freedom to travel and build unique experiences?

Set 10x Goals

In the book the 10x Rule by Grant Cardone, a key theme is setting your goals 10x higher than you could possibly imagine.

“A goal is not always meant to be reached, It often serves simply as something to aim at.”- Bruce Lee

Picture Success

When you’re successful, what will it look like?
To make your goals a reality, you must have a picture of what that will look like, otherwise you’re just window shopping.

Outline a clear vision of what the finished product will look like, and have a fearless devotion to making it happen.

This isn’t time to go small, set your goals astronomically high.

Try This: After clarifying your goal, and the emotions that drive it, paint a picture of success.

Similar to the ideal day activity, what will your successful transformation look like?

Write down the details, fold it up, and keep it in your pocket and review daily.

Say you and I will meet in three months:
What will your weight be?
Are you wearing new, better fitting clothes because you’ve transformed your body?
Are you walking with your head and chest up, with more confidence?

Has your confidence lead to respect and recognition amongst your peers and more success at work?

The possibilities are endless. Paint a picture of what you want to achieve, review it often, and make it a reality.

If it’s fat loss, what will your weight be?

What will your body look like?

How will your new confidence in your body improve your relationships, career, and or/ quality of life?

Understand: Everything has a Price

To achieve huge goals you need to make sacrifices.

Six pack abs. Starting a business.

Spending more time with your family.
These are all admirable goals, what have you wondered what the cost is?

As outlined in this article by Precision Nutrition, you’ll need to modify your behavior to successfully achieve a goal:

• Drink less booze
• Eat less pizza 🙁

Within each choice, there’s a tradeoff.

• You Exercise more often, but spend less time at work.

• You grind, sweat, and work to build your business, but you spend less time with your family.

• You go to bed early to get 8 hours of sleep for sweet, sweet gains, but miss a night out with your friends.

Try This: Gain clarity on what it takes to make your goals happen and make sure they align with your principles and values.

This provides a shot of reality.

Are you ready to make positive changes, even if it changes your lifestyle?

Create Your Plan

Once you’ve created your goal, understood the emotion and sacrifices behind it, and paint a picture of what your success will look like, you need to create a plan.

Having a vision is great, but without determining the steps to get there, your goals remain a pipe dream. Now, you need a blueprint.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I’ll spend the 1st four hours sparking the Axe”- Abe Lincoln

Try This: Determine what behaviors you need to adopt to make your goals a reality.

Outcome Goals: The Big Picture

Drop body fat from 20% to 15% and gain 10 pounds of muscle.

Behavior Goals:  How you can Make it Happen

• Lift Weights Four Times Per Week
• Track my macros daily
• Have one gram of protein per/lb bodyweight/day

Determine what you need to do to reach your goal, then focus on a new behavior for 2-3 weeks, adding more behaviors as you develop habits.  This is one of my key strategies to helping my clients  develop long-term change over quick fixes.

 Track Your Progress

Your method of measuring progress is up to you, but without a system to keep track of where you started and where you’re going, you’ll never see if your plan is working. Further, without a mode to track success, you’ll be unable to make changes in the right direction.

“What gets measured, gets managed.” – Peter Drucker

Try This: Track your progress. That means write down your weights, track your bodyweight, and look at your diet.

To simplify the process, I recommend picking up the Power of Less by Leo Babuata and check out Apps like Lift, Way of Life, or Balanced for goals, and MyFitnessPal for tracking our bacon, protein, and other macros.

Go All In. I Want to Help you Achieve Greatness

You must commit.

Seriously, commit.

Be a warrior ( face paint and all), and practice your Braveheart Battle-Cry.

Push to your goal so hard people say you’re crazy.

They ask, “how do you fit it all in?”

There will be doubters. Screw’ em.

There will be roadblocks. Break through.

People will say you can’t (or shouldn’t) do it. You might temporarily think they’re right.

Don’t give up. Don’t quit early.

Push on and persevere.

You’re a freight train on a mission with passion and commitment to reach your goal.

If you’re a trainer, part of that mission might be building an online business.

If you have the commitment, I can help with execution. Fill out the form below to find out how.