Monday 02.11.13

To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” Bruce Lee

Last Monday Ann Rich discovered when doing lunges that she favors one side more than the other and as a result that side is much stronger (I am sure many of you had the same revelation). She told me that she was going to start to doing more things consciously with her weaker side in an effort to create balance. She texted me the photo below a couple days afterwards saying “Taking the steps 2 at a time as per usual but with my weak leg first .”

You have the ability to create opportunities out of almost any situation. Ann has decided to use something she does countless times a day to her advantage.

She could just have easily have said “Oh well, I’m going to have to wait until they program lunges again for me to work on that”  but she didn’t – she made the decision to work on it, then she took action.

 There are a lot of things you can work on at home with no equipment – Squats, Push-ups, Lunges, Handstands, and  Mobility to name a few. You can buy a Pull-up bar that hooks on your door frame for $30. Sara and Susie learned Pull-ups that way, I learned Strict Muscle-Ups that way (hanging rings from the bar), and I’m sure there are a bunch of you out there that have done the same. Every time you walk past it, do a couple of reps.

Don’t fall into the trap of  blaming the circumstances around you for not achieving what you set out to do.

If something is important to you and you really want it, then you will make the time to get it done no matter what the circumstances. If it’s not that important to you at least be honest with yourself and admit it. Don’t go around complaining about x, y, and z when there are things that you can do on a daily basis to make real change.

You can have results or excuses, not both

For Ann, taking the stairs weak leg first will get her moving in the right direction towards structural balance but the message here can be applied to everything in life.

 So what are you going to do? Mobility in front of the TV to help your squat?, Get up a little earlier to make your lunch for the day?,Rowing technique in the bathroom?

Little things add up and something as simple as switching which leg you lift first when going up the stairs can lead to great things. The key is to get started and not let words like “but” “can’t” and “don’t” dictate your thoughts, which will dictate your actions, which will dictate your results.

Take ownership of your goals and get after them.

What opportunity are you going to create for yourself today?