GOOD personal trainers are like gold. However hard you work on your own, your trainer will see better than you what you’re capable of and how to get there. Who’s have thought that at 65 I could clean, press and lunge 12 kilos? Not me, but my trainer got me there in gradual easy steps.
Well, since Vince Del Monte pretty much copies everything I do, I figured it’s time I return the favor ;)
Just kidding. Vince and I are pretty much business partners and we consult with each other pretty much daily, so it’s natural that we get a fair amount of ideas from one another.
The other week, Vince put together a “things I learned in 2009” post on his blog. I loved it, and thought it’d be cool to do the same. Thanks for the idea, Vinny.
Below you will find my list of “49 insights” from 2009. Take a read through it and then respond in the comments section with your comments and/or 1 thing you learned this year! Rock on!
1. Curb Your Enthusiasm never stops being (inappropriately) funny. You gotta love the twisted mind of Larry David.
2. You can have whatever you want in life. It’s not metaphysical bull shit, it’s simply about believing in yourself and going after what you want full force.
3. Self-imposed limitations will cripple your potential. It doesn’t matter what other people think is possible for you-the ONLY thing that matters is what you believe you can achieve.
4. Excuses are nothing more than sugar coated self-imposed limitations.
5. Expect failure. Failure is an inevitable stop on the road to success. And even in the midst of success, you’ll still fail-get used to it. Fact is, I still fail-all the time. The difference is that winners simply keep trying until they succeed, while the majority just give up and fade away.
6. Expect success. Contradictory to the above statement? Nope. I KNOW I will succeed in everything I do and I expect to do so. I also know that I may have to fail several times first.
7. “Take action” is my new motto. If you’re not actively “doing” something to change your circumstances, then I’m not interested in hearing your complaints about those circumstances.
8. Being a complainer is still perhaps the most annoying, unattractive character trait.
9. Email is the biggest time-drainer in the world.
10. Short duration, high-frequency training is the most effective way to build muscle.
11. The only thing that matters with regards to overtraining is avoiding central nervous system burn out.
12. Motivation is the best way to assess central nervous system burnout. If you’re motivated to train, forget about soreness and get your butt back in the gym.
13. Turning something “negative” into something loved is a special skill (i.e. Cheat Your Way Thin ;)
14. Friday Night Lights is the most underrated show on television. Period. If you’re not watching it, do yourself a huge favor and go buy every season on DVD. Today.
15. It’s very hard for me to have a bad day when the sun is out. Thus, I moved to Florida.
16. Relationships are the only thing that matter in life. I could have every material possession in the world, but would be completely miserable without the interaction I share with so many “real” people on an every day basis.
17. 48 oz steaks have nothing on me.
18. Eating a healthy, big breakfast may be the most fundamental rule of weight control.
19. 99% of supplements are still bogus.
20. Vince Del Monte has the crappiest laptop in the world for someone who travels non-stop and runs an internet based business.
21. Do not call Craig Ballantyne. Text or email only. And if you mistakenly do call, do NOT leave a message.
22. Identifying problems and providing enjoyable solutions is a winning concept to build any business around.
23. Nothing could be more influential in one’s life than having a phenomenal mother.
24. Stay true to who you are and don’t allow past experiences to “harden” or change you-even if it means allowing yourself to be vulnerable (again). You are an amazing person and someone equally as amazing will love you and treasure you for every single one of those traits (thank you Lisa).
25. Taste buds change. I used to hate salad and seafood; now I can’t get enough of either. Try revisiting foods you once wrote off-you may be surprised.
26. On a similar note, sushi is actually really good. Never in a million years would I have thought I would have liked that.
27. Surrounding yourself with and building strong relationships with other passionate, driven people are perhaps the best things you can do for your life.
28. No matter how far you move away, home is still home.
Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and go with it.
29. Find a very small, core group of people to network with and get input from regularly, and keep it small. Too many opinions = confusion. Find the “core” people you trust most, and turn to them often (thanks Vinny and Craig).
30. There are much more important things in life than work. If your job controls your life, change that however you can, or simply find another job.
31. If you have a desire to work for yourself, GO for it full throttle.
32. 10 minutes well invested each day will give you hours of your life back each week dur to increased productivity (and a host of other benefits). Binaural brain-beat technology (www.UltimateMindEnhancement.com) works; I can’t say enough good things about it. If you do not own these CDs, buy them. Right now. They will change your life and I’ve been saying it for the last 8 months.
33. The “little things” continue to be the most important things of a relationship.
34. Dogs, like children, can be terribly annoying, but quickly become an irreplaceable part of your heart and family.
35. It’s better to spend the money for quality than to try to save a few hundred bucks when buying a flat screen TV for your living room.
36. Mentorship is a must for success.
37. You must be willing to invest in yourself. The more money I spend to better certain areas of my life, the better those areas become. WARNING: This is only true if you are someone who “takes action”. Spending money doesn’t equal results – taking action on your investments does.
38. Intensity trumps everything. You MUST at some point in your workout feel as though you are struggling to continue. Otherwise, your workout is worthless. There, I said it.
39. If you don’t have goals, you’ll never achieve anything. Success just doesn’t “happen”; you need to plan toward something specific.
40. The Philadelphia Eagles will never win a Superbowl with Andy Reid as their coach. I actually learned this about 5 years ago.
41. If Denzel Washington is in a movie, the movie will be good.
42. Certain books have the power to change your life, even for people who hate to read (i.e. me). Stop being lazy and start reading (more).
43. Art is pretty cool-even the abstract stuff. Some of it just flat out sucks, though.
44. People who are not taking steps to better themselves often project negativity onto those who are. The underlying cause of negativity is almost always jealousy.
45. The more you give, the more you get. I have straight up GIVEN away more information than ever before this year, and my business has grown exponentially because of it.
46. The mental component of body transformation is more important than the diet and exercise aspects by about ten fold.
47. Going out to dinner 5+ times per week is not only absurdly expensive, but also a fat loss nightmare.
48. The easiest way to stick to your diet while traveling is to go low-carb.
49. YOU are an incredible source of motivation and inspiration for me. The comments on this blog, the emails I receive, and the opportunities I’ve had to meet quite a few of you in person have been an incredible reminder of the value of what I do, and more importantly, an undying source of inspiration for me to continue to push to be my best.
So there it is, 49 insights from 2009! What did you learn this year? Respond w/ at least one “insight” in the comments section below!
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel
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55 comments - add yours
Thank you Joel,
For inspiring me to take action and reengage myself in achieving the body that I have always wanted.
I am also ordering those CDs. Hope they work ;)
If something stops producing results, CHANGE IT! No matter the cost, the big prize overrides the initial price you pay. Live right on the edge; and ignore people’s baseless, hapless and worthless opinions. They always have something to say, whether you fail or succeed.
Even though Vinny did beat your ass in this one, e.g. he blogged af list first and his was longer ( ;D ), I gotta give you this – that post is great !! I love that kind of “factual” lists of things that are true nomatter who you are, what life you have etc..
Personally I’ve also learned A LOT of things this year:
1. Take action
2. Have a notepad next to your bed – great for writing down stuff you start thinking about as soon as you try to fall asleep
3. Make a list before you go to bed of things that need be done the next day
4. If you’re good at something and have a hobby, then why not try to make it more than a hobby? I’m 18 now and will be 19 in May, I know that I want to be a nutritional and fitness coach (or something close to that) when I get through university, but I will now start my own business before my birthday.. I want to consult people who would like to lose weight or begin lifting weights/working out in any way.. I know I don’t have any official education or diploma but I know so much on the topics and read about it all of the time, so I’m confident I will still be able to help (at least) certain people.. Both you and Vince have been big inspirations in this sudden change in my life..
My list could continue to grow, but I will stop now :)
Stay strong, feel great
Morten from Denmark
My insight for 2009 is that as a husband, if I put aside my “rights” and focus on loving my wife and giving to her, I get more in return than I could ever give.
And that God does indeed love us more than we could ever possibly earn.
I learned that a night out on the town with Joel will not only include lots of food but also creepy tow truck drivers, no atm machines, and the sweet form of revenge in taking every smartie they had in the candy jar…
also the term “taking action” is the ultimate response to anything
#9 Not all email is time-wasting, but twittering and blogging certainly are as well as being so for all the world to see!!
Its all about motivation, if you want it bad enough you’ll find a way to get it.
Thanks for the insights Joel.
I’ve learned a lot this year, as my journey really only began in July. From stumbling across Mike Geary which led me to Isabella De Los Rios, who led me to Jon Benson. He then led me to Graig Ballantyne, Vince and your good self.
I’ve learned that working out can be fun, even though sometimes I feel like puking, can hardly breath and can’t see due to the sweat in my eyes. Thanks to all for showing me it’s not just the unfit and overweight who can feel this way. Some how that makes it easier.;-)
I’ve learned that the CYWT he edition program is amazing. I’ve reached my end of year target already, so I’ve set some new ones. No need to be so conservative when you use techniques that work ! I’ve also learned that I miss apples more than chocolate/ice cream or any of the other stuff.
It’s obvious, but sometimes the obvious needs to be said. Nobody is going to magically make me fit and healthy. Sitting down and wishing for it isn’t going to make it happen, no matter how hard I wish. Getting up and doing something about it has started to give me results. I’m not there yet, but I am on the way. And maybe this Christmas when I’m on holiday, I won’t feel embarrassed in the pool with my kids. My only “before” photos are all with baggy t-shirts on ! ;-)
But the main thing I’ve realised is that when you are on to a good thing, something that is really working for you, it makes it easier to pass this on to others. All of you guys who willing share your info on blogs and affordable programs have helped me make progress. It is the least I can do to inform my friends and family of where I got this “magic pill” from.;-)
Looking forward to 2010 with confidence and enthusiasm.
Thanks once again
Chris
WOW!!! What an incredible early morning surprise-Christmas gift! THANK YOU, kind sir! This is a broad compendium of insight; and as an Eagles fan, I must lamentably concur with you about Coach Reid. Kotite’s tenure and Ray Rhodes’ final years are, however, a sobering reminder that things could always be worse for us fans. :)…And I want to extend my immense gratitude to you for #10,#11,#12 and #38. I LOVE training, but was often dissuaded from more than 2-3 days training by contemporary experts. Thankfully, a combination of personal frustration and your ideas have enabled me to make some decent headway fitness-wise. I learned the vital importance of not only feeling gratitude, but also conveying to those that have earned it. So on that note, I thank you, Joel.
One last thing, unlike Andy Reid, Larry David truly is a GENIUS!!! Happy holidays to you and your loved ones!
i have to say, hiring you as my web-basedtrainer has pushed me harder than ever before …despite it being a nightmare to stick to the plan during this month, i still give it my all simply cos i dont want to dissapoint you, but more importantly, myself
cheers and merry xmas
a very happy customer
I love no. 41, it’s SO true. Just watch Man on Fire…
If your not happy, do something about it!
Even if you eat only 1000 kcal a day and train 4 days a week fat loss and muscle gains are still a long way off, unless you eat the proper 1000kcal a day. I’ve been living on a couple hotdogs, coffee and three glasses of milk a day, and it’s not a good idea. sure, your body adapts, but I’m not losing like I used to lose when I had a decent diet. I need to smarten up on my eating.
Healthy Habit Lessons: 75% Veggies per meal is my aim; 50% my minimum. Anything below that challenges my system and I start to get out of balance, lose energy, lose immunity, and raise the waist size. Time for food preparation is key, whether breakfast at home, snacks/lunch to go, or dinner plans. Eliminating time-wasters (like staying at work finishing that “one more thing” that never ends) takes away Food Prep time, and, then the restaurant calls my name which usually causes a late night, further cravings (as they inevitably added salt or sugar to something creating the yo-yo yearnings), less sleep, then lack of motivation for exercise in the morning because too tired or bloated. It’s all a cycle of key activities connecting one either healthy or undermining activity to another. It’s our choice, and, thankfully, anywhere on the cycle WE CAN GET BACK ON TRACK!
– you can train as hard as you want for as long as you want, if your mindset does not change towards transforming your body, you might win some battles but you will allways lose the war.
– without question, by far, the most important thing you have to do is simply ACT NOW!!! (and for whoever might be interested, give Dax Moy’s program (http://www.magichundred.com/) a chance, it’s a nice kick in the butt)
Walter
As every year, I got proof that faith in God is the most reliable source of strength and peace. That existing, all the rest is given to you as a bonus.
And the best bonus is family and friends, without whom life would be hard to live.
aloha! thanks for this! very inspired….all the best to you and me! SHAKA- PIER VILLAGE, Long Branch, NJ
When trying to work on your fat loss plans, while it’s okay to listen to various experts in the nutrition and exercise field, don’t implement what they all say at once. It results in feeling overwhelmed and discouragement so pick 1 nutrition program and 1 (maybe 2) exercise programs and stick with it.
Stop counting your problems. Count your blessing, without them you REALLY would have problems.
SHUT UP AND TRAIN!! (MY FAVORITE EXPRESSION THESE DAYS)
If you’re a middle-aged divorcee, don’t buy a Ducati. If you do, don’t try too hard to ride it how it should be ridden. If you do and get away with it let me know how!
Great list Joel.
Re 17. i just found a place, 2 minutes from my house, that has a 72 oz steak! You know what we’re doing when you visit.
Re 20. LOL. My laptop has become famous amongst our friends… mainly because of the missing keys. And the guy who sold it to me said, “This is the only computer I’ll need my entire life… ”
Re 45. Is my favorite. I can testify. Joel is one of the most generous guys I know. Seriously, he gives SO SO much before he asks for anything. Before hanging up the phone with Joel he ALWAYS says, “Okay… we’ll talk soon… let me know if i can do anything for you.”
Joel… want to do something about getting me a new computer?! :)
Great blog Joel.
My number 1 insight is definitely believe in yourself & all that you are, by doing this I know 2010 will be the most amazing year for me!
Hey Joel. I am in my first year of establishing a home-based business. I have six awesome mentors who are speaking into my life and really care about my success. This is new territory for me, as I have been in a traditional job for many years working among toxic people who would rather see me fail than succeed. As I move forward, I am looking for that core group (mastermind group) of peers for networking. Thank you for being an inspiration in terms of body transformation. You are a mentor to many of us. Bob in Maryland
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...