Sounds simple enough...

The last twelve months or so have been really tricky. All the things that we thought we wanted as a health and fitness company have either evolved into something else, or have been discarded completely. In the last year or so we have found what happens when you exercise patience. We have found that by slowing down and putting energy in the right direction the vision you are working towards becomes clearer; we begin to see what is viable and important, as well as what is sustainable for the long term. Although this may be coming from a business perspective, we will also see this many times in our lives.

Surely there are some who have experienced and understand how powerful it can be to want something. Because of this those who have experienced this have also become more accepting of what it actually takes to satisfy that want. Let’s take a look at a couple of different examples, one with regard to smart purchasing and another in sustainable action to improve one’s health and fitness. First, let’s examine an approach to better buying decisions.

Here’s the scenario. You want to purchase a new Ram truck, but your current income combined with your limited credit history won’t let that happen. At the risk of oversimplifying the purchase process, an approach that some may take is to set aside a percentage of earnings for one year to acquire enough for a healthy down payment. There is a belief that when you want something badly enough you will prioritize what needs to be done in order to make it happen. In this case saving money for your new truck could mean strict budgeting, cutting out unnecessary expenditures, and even picking up a part-time gig for some extra earnings; all of which should, and could be considered the necessary means to the end.

This same approach can be taken with the process to improve our health and fitness. The scenario might be you want to improve your health markers. The challenge you may face is to put down the Dominos and stop binging Netflix. If you want improvement in your health you have to prioritize small, incremental changes in your current day-to-day. And this is where the challenge begins in either scenario. What you want and what needs to happen to get you there are very similar…. patience, consistency, and intentional action. Just like saving money for a down payment means limiting unnecessary purchases, improving health markers means limiting the number of shitty calories you consume.

Look at it this way… while you are never too old to change things, if you begin doing things a particular way when you are younger the need for massive change years down the road can be minimized. When you are patient and develop good buying habits when younger you are more likely to have a little more flexibility in your finances when older. The same goes with your health… if you are in your twenties or thirties and are making better choices with regard to your health and fitness, in your seventies and eighties you may be more functional and capable.

It’s about the long game kids…. The decisions and actions taken today often times have less affect in the present time, it’s consistent poor decisions compounding over a long period that can become the most damaging. It’s never too late to make a change, but it’s a hell of a lot easier when these little changes begin earlier.

Sounds simple enough, right?