There's a couple of blogs I tend to read often and I always save the good ones for later. You know this is one of those posts that I go back to occasionally to learn from one of my good friends Tony Horton, whom I'm blessed to spend two weeks in Europe with training our US troops. Which I hope to come home with more nuggets of wisdom from the man himself.
"When you exercise and eat right, you feel better. When you feel better, you're able to do more. When you do more, you usually end up doing it with other people.
This lifestyle shift gives us the energy to be better people. People who participate, share, communicate, and build a community. As opposed to isolators, who have nothing to share because they don't do anything.
Everyone on the Beachbody Message Boards has one thing in common . . . the desire to improve their life. Anyone willing to explore the full Beachbody experience is given the opportunity to participate in something truly unique. Choosing to help yourself can change and save the lives of others. I have seen it thousands of times already. These boards allow us to plant seeds of change that affect much more than our own weight loss and improved fitness. The moment we decide to commit to Power 90 and start to tell our story, we create a shift in energy so powerful that it has the potential to change the world.
Some of you may think I'm nuts (well most of you), but stay with me on this. If you had never found Power 90®, or perhaps just never followed through with it, then you'd be right back where you've always been, in the sad land of what-ifs and wannabes. When we are in a state of panic, fear, sadness, or depression (as a result of our choices in life), the folks around us aren't too thrilled either.
The opposite of that is to be kind, wise, loving, self-reliant, hardworking, and disciplined. The only difference between these diametrically opposed states is CHOICE. Before Power 90, many of you found yourselves lost, overwhelmed, sick, and tired. Shortly after you started the program (even before you saw any real physical change), something remarkable started to happen. You felt better.
When you feel good, you act very differently than when you feel bad. The people around you don't have to be told what kind of mood you're in. Your actions will have enough energy to affect everyone you come in contact with. You become what you eat and what you do! If you eat junk and do nothing about your life, your friends and family will either sink with you or abandon ship. Not a very powerful or productive way to live. If you choose to devote your time and energy to this program with wisdom and courage, you become a beacon of energy so powerful it could change the lives of thousands of people.
I believe you have a choice to go through this program in three different ways, each one dramatically more powerful than the next: 1) To Feel Good; 2) To Be Good; and 3) To Do Good.
- 1. To Feel Good about our health and our appearance affects our state of mind. The reason why so many people reach for cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, food, and sex is because, for a short while, they'll feel good and alter their state of mind. The problem with this behavior is that you end up trying to solve long-term problems with short-term pleasures. This can also be the long-term flaw for people who approach Power 90 with just the singular desire to look and feel better. It's the same flawed approach to any workout program. I know plenty of people who have stayed in shape for the sole purpose of looking and feeling good. If feeling and looking good are the ONLY reasons why you're doing this program, be aware that you might have some success in the short term, but might not be able to sustain it long term.
- 2. To Be Good is a different approach because it focuses on ways to maintain this NEW healthy lifestyle. People who want to Be Good search for mantras, affirmations, and other techniques to keep the ball rolling. The vain and esthetic aspects of exercise don't play as much of a role either. The one downfall to the Be Good philosophy is that you end up focusing just as much on not being bad! I know tons of people who have piles of dogma relating to their health maintenance, but fall in and out of shape more often than night turns to day. It's like the God-fearing man who quotes the Bible but can't stop sinning. I'll be good . . . I'll be good . . . I'll be good . . . ooops, I'm bad. The Be Good state of mind works very well for some, but to achieve the greatest selfless level of all you must Do Good.
- 3. To Do Good is about taking the focus off of yourself and beginning to put the focus on people who need your help. The gift of giving is the greatest gift to receive. The people I know who practice this on a daily basis are the most well-rounded, content, empathetic, wise, and happy people I have ever met. It is also important to recognize when friends and family are not ready to change. The worst kind of advice to give is the kind that was never asked for. They say that about 3% of the people on Earth live in bliss. What the hell are the other 97% of us doing? We are spending too much time on ME, ME, ME!
I honestly believe that the key to success with Power 90 comes to people who figure out that when you share your experience, your wisdom, your love, and your truth, you begin to know what it's like to live in that 3%. The Message Boards, chatrooms, and coaches' threads can be a precious commodity where we are given the opportunity to share everything about our journey with people going through the same thing.
Find what you love. Do it. And share it with others. Welcome to bliss!
Peace,
Tony H."