Do What You Say You're Going To Do

If you really want to make a better life for yourself then I believe there are 3 keys to achieving that. These are principles that I live my life by and they never let me down. I'll call them "The 3 Do's".

1. Do what you say you're going to do.

2. Do your best.

3. Do unto others as you would have done to you. Or in modern lingo, "don't be a douche". 

Not sure how much of this I'll get through in this entry, but I'll at least get through the first one.

Do what you say you're going to do. This isn't original. Google that exact phrase and it gets over 58 million hits. Sounds simple and common sensical, but take a deep look inside and ask yourself if you really do what you say you're going to do. If you say you're going to lose 20 pounds, do you? If you say you're going to get that promotion, do you do what it takes? How about taking that vacation, reading that book, taking that cooking class, spending more time with your kids? Every time you say you are going to do something, no matter how big or how small, you have made a commitment to yourself and others. But how many times do we not come through on what we said we were going to do? I know stuff happens and other, more important things can get in the way. If you tell your kids you're going to take them to Disney and then you lose your job, well, Disney has to wait, doesn't it? But a lot of times we say we're going to do something and then we just don't, maybe we just thought it wasn't that important. Like when somebody tells me they're going to come to all 3 of their workouts next week and they show up for 1 or 2. What's the big deal, right? Here's the deal. Every time we don't do what we said we were going to do it costs us self-respect, integrity, and the respect of others. From a purely psychological standpoint, not coming through on commitments can result in a defeatist, "can't do" attitude that pervades your entire life. And face it, if we don't come through on the small stuff we commit to then how are we ever going to have the guts to come through on the big stuff?

The reason I'm writing about this is because as a coach, my goal is to help people set goals and achieve them. My goal is to help people achieve a lifestyle where they are healthy and fit, confident and happy, and eager to take on new challenges. To be role models to their friends and family and to have a positive impact on the people they interact with and the environment they live in. To commit to making positive changes in their lives and the lives of others. In my experience, the people who do what they say they are going to do are far better off than those who don't. 

In my own personal experience I have also found that in 100% of the instances where I did what I said I would do, the affect was always profoundly more positive than if I had let myself and others down by not coming through. And every time I set another goal or make another commitment, it becomes that much easier for me to stay the course because I am more confident in my abilities and I am more driven to succeed. I'll give you a perfect example that literally changed my life and laid the foundation for who I am today. 

I've mentioned this in the past and many of those who have known me for a long time know that the worst time of my life was when my marriage exploded like that Mikey kid's head after he chased a handful of Pop Rocks with a Coke. I was out on my own in a shitty apartment feeling really sorry for myself, drinking too much and eating like crap. There were a few months where, emotionally and physically, I was a mess. I had recently bought a new carbon fiber Orbea Orca because I needed a light, fast bike to race up Mt Washington with my buddy Bill. Bill had talked me into doing it, he told me how setting an aggressive goal like that would keep me focused and positive. Looking back on it today it's a no brainer. It was brilliant. A couple months went by and Bill was training and I really wasn't. I was lucky if I was getting in 40 miles a week and he was getting in about 250! He'd call me to ask how my training was going, telling me I better get ready because it was really going to suck, even if I was in shape for it. This went on until we were 10 weeks out. This was a personal deadline I had set for myself. I either had to get my shit together 10 weeks out or I had to tell Bill I was out. I would have had to tell him I wasn't going to do what I said I would do. I decided that the last thing I was going to do was to let myself or Bill down. I started eating right, I stopped drinking, I trained like an animal. Actually, I overtrained and ended up losing 10 days to a nasty chest infection, but I meant well.. By the time the race came around I was as ready as I could have possibly been. Bill crushed it in 1:11 and I ended up at 1:24 which was 4 minutes slower than my goal. But I was there and I did what I said I was going to do. I often think of what might have happened if I had gone the other direction and had bailed on Bill and the Mt Washington race. It was definitely a crossroads for me and I went the right way. I can't think of a single instance since then that I haven't come through on my commitments and my life just keeps getting better. I set racing goals, I set professional goals, I set personal goals and I stick to every one of them. If I tell you I am going to do something you can take it to the bank. It sets me up for success in everything I do.

Doing what I said I was going to do.

At Dynamic we have created an atmosphere that is conducive to setting goals, training for them, and achieving them. There is a camaraderie, we are like family. We know what each other's goals are. We count on each other to show up, train hard, and support each other. If you tell us what you are going to do we completely expect you to do it, and if we think you need a push once in a while you're going to get it.

Everybody has a goal. Every goal starts with you saying what you're going to do. Now get out there and do it. I'm counting on you.