Hey all! This past weekend was huge for Eo3! You have most likely already seen it, but my DIY Prowler made it as a guest post on the Art of Manliness. Getting published there has been a goal of mine ever since I started blogging and I am stoked they picked me up! Time to move forward; new goals ahead of me, more weeds to get through and more to learn.
I have been crazy busy lately and that is what has stirred this post. I don’t normally plan out my days hourly, but I am having to get back to that…Yea, I did during a few short time periods in college. Normally, I just say “What needs to get done?â€, and I do it until it is finished. Whatever time is left is what I would get for sleep or free time. But is that anyway to live? I am sure most, if not all, of you can relate to what I am talking about.
How do we all manage these crazy busy lives and still fit in time for fitness?
First, pet peeves…
I swear this all relates 🙂
I would like to share what has become my BIGGEST pet peeve:
You know how some people like to give advice…More specifically, they state their experience, or advice, as a matter of fact (i.e. this happened to me so it WILL happen to you). Why is it my biggest pet peeve?
Everyone has been WRONG!!!
- Advice/Statement on what high school would be like: WRONG
- Advice/Statement on what college would be like: WRONG
- Advice/Statement on what married life would be like: WRONG
- Advice/Statement on how much time I would or wouldn’t have for fitness, how at a particular age I would end up getting a gut, how much work life would suck: ALL WRONG
Everyone loves to state their experience as if it is fact, and it makes me angry for one reason further….They make the assumption that we are the same…
Bad idea.
I think that a lot of people secretly hate their lives and they hope that you will join the club of hating your situation. However, I picked the position I want to be in…it wasn’t an accident, so I am HAPPY.
Gandhi?
Quit living out stereotypes or bringing your standards down because other people who surround you have gotten fat, lazy or just simply have no ambition or desire. You’re better than that! Being fit, losing weight or getting in shape does not happen on accident…ever. IT MUST BECOME A PRIORITY!
Action expresses priorities.
― Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi said it in three words, it will take me a few more than that. If you were to take a snapshot of your life right now (seriously do it) where and how does fitness fit in?
Your Life is a Plate
Imagine your life and all of your responsibilities are on a plate. The most important things go towards the center and the least important things go towards the edges. This is when life is normal. Now let’s spin that plate as fast as we can to simulate how crazy life can get at times…What is flying off of your plate? All of the things you have marginalized are the first to go, and for most of us fitness is one of those things. Then you realize…Oh wait life is ALWAYS crazy…Can you ALWAYS marginalize fitness?? The answer should be NO!!
What are you actions?
As I said earlier, take a snapshot of your life, what actions are you making? These daily actions show your priorities and if you are anywhere close to achieving your goals. Do you act daily on nutrition, working out or at least somewhat kind of plan for this stuff?
Bruce Lee: What to do?
It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.
― Bruce Lee
It is time to take out the trash. We are trying to build a life that you want not just a life that you have. This will take work on your part and that means you will have to do a lot of things on purpose.
So what can go?
I try to look at it this way; Say you can only fit 5 things into a day. That seems to be pretty true for me and here are my five common things;
- Spending time with family
- Fitness
- Blogging
- …Full-time job
- Daily life rigors/responsibilities/commitments
That’s it I hit my five things! If I make my list by priority and I stop it at five then I can’t add anything else and it insures that I am operating at close to 100% on all of those things. What could have been on the list (what trash needs to be taken out?):
…Watching TV, hanging with friends, going out to eat, etc…
I am not saying don’t do these things. For me, I just rearrange a day and take something out and add something else in. For instance I don’t blog everyday so I can add something else there on a different day. I love to watch TV, hang out with friends and to go out to eat…I just don’t always have time for it.
Live the life you want!
All I am saying is start to live the life you want and not the one you feel like you are “stuck withâ€. If you ever feel that way it is time for a change. If you want to be fit you will have to make fitness a priority.
The main reason I am saying this is because I will be around people who tell me they don’t have time for working out “like I do†because of X reason. Then later in the week they will tell me about how they watched hours of TV every night this week and proceed to give me the recap…You don’t have the time my ass! You don’t have the priority!!
Go make fitness a priority!!
-Jerred