1) Whiskey Is The Bomb!

What you drink Whiskey? Yes! and I love it. It always surprises people when I tell them I drink whiskey, eat pizza and other so called ‘bad foods’ (there’s no such thing as a bad food by the way). Truth is i’m a normal guy who happens to love the stuff everybody else does too. The key is portion control and kicking ass in the gym.

2) Writing Down Goals Makes Good  Sh*t (Stuff!) Happen

Last year I wrote down everything I wanted to achieve, 10 different goals. Guess how many I achieved? 8! I’ll take that! By being constantly aware of what I wanted and by writing down my goals – made me not only aware but more importantly… ‘accountable’. Numerous studies support the fact that once you commit to something in writing your more than 10x likely to follow it through.  So get writing down those goals. One of my goals this year is to do the splits! (hopefully I don’t split my pants or a muscle!)

3) We’re All Going (NEED!) A Summer Holiday

Two of the best decision i’ve made this year… taking 2 x 7 day holidays. The first was Lake Como (Italy) and the second a week off at Christmas. Why was it such a good decision? because it took me out of my day-to-day situation, allowed me to re-charge my batteries, thinking of things from a different perspective. During my down time i read new books, came up with new ideas and decided I wanted to buy a house (which I’m now in!). It’s so easy to stick to the tunnel vision of everyday life, which can make you miss the bigger, more important picture. Taking down time allows for new thoughts, a break, and the opportunity to re-asses life and the direction your heading.

4) Women Kick Ass Just As Much As Men!

I’ve been over the moon with the results from Lady LEP members this year. Take Lorena for example who completed a 12k in August and is now training for a half marathon! 18 months ago she couldn’t even complete 1 lap of Endcliffe Park (400m). Lorena has taken small steps consistently and annihilated her goals (love it!).

Or Julie, who’s gone from lifting 1-2kg weights to comfortably repping out 8kg + across multiple exercises – Read Julie’s Full Story.

5) Small Baby Steps

“Small steps far outweigh any grand gesture”. I head this from famous Fitness Entrepreneur Nick Mitchell. I can’t stress how important this is. There’s only so much positive change you can make in a day, week and month. Chip away each day and results will happen.

6) A New Favourite Quote

Absolutely love this…”Appreciate what you have. Work hard for what you don’t.”

It’s perfect, appreciating everything we have is often overlooked. Spend 5-10 minutes each day thinking about how lucky you are, if you get stuck here’s a kick start:

• Being able to walk, talk, read, write, think, move, laugh, smile
• Having a loving family who supports you
• Having money to buy food and the ability to cook
• Having a roof over your head
• Being alive
• Access to water to drink, shower, bathe
• Access to the internet, so you can learn and explore any topic of your choice

It’s also (in my opinion) equally important to set goals and have a purpose for what you want to get out of each day. Get both right and your onto a winner.

7) Picking The Right Environment 

They say you are a combination of the 5 people you spend your most time with. Who do you hang out with? do they want the same things in life as you? One of my biggest take home points of 2015 is making sure the people you let into your life are the right one’s. That goes for clients, and friends. There’s nothing that will sap your energy quicker than a negative person! Chose or endeavour to pick a better environment if you want a more prosperous life.

8) A Lot Can Happen In 1 Year

Wowza! if i could go back 1 year and guesstimate (is guesstimate even a word? i think so…) I would have failed quite miserably. If you’d have told me 365 days ago that I would have jumped onto the property ladder, visited Lake Como, grown my business, and met some of the amazing people i’ve been fortunate to meet I would have said…. “your barking mad!”

At times life can feel like ‘Ground Hog’ day, the reality is that soooo much can change in just 1 year. It’s easy to live in the future (always wanting more, trying to anticipate the unanticipatable future! even though its impossible). Like-wise it’s just as common to look into the past.

What about the here and now? enjoy this moment right this second, reading this blog, sat down, relaxed, be mindful of your life right now. Appreciate your loved ones who are still alive, because morbidly enough there will be a day when they are no longer around. Set goals but appreciate how lucky you are right in this moment.

9) There’s More Than 1 Way To Skin A Cat

People over complicate fat loss and there are too many diet fads out there. Another crucial thing i’ve learned this year is that there are many ways to help people lose fat. There are tools which can be used at specific times; cardio (HIIT & LISS), strength training, high rep training, low carb, high carb, carb back loading, supplements, etc, etc – all which can be used to great effect. For more insights check out the post I wrote… 101 Amazing Fat Loss Secrets (You need to know & Don’t want to Miss!)

10) IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY . . . OKAY?  

We all have off days. It’s normal. Crikey , I talk about mine all the time, about my struggles, my problems – Suffering with Body Dysmophia. People connect with you more if you’re authentic and real than if you’re trying to hide the real you. Personally I want people to be attracted to the real me, not some fake persona. So, I’ll openly admit I’m still growing in many areas of my life, I still struggle with stuff but each time I overcome something I share what I did and how I managed to get over it. It’s leadership when you think about your clients and prospects in this way. It’s okay not to be okay… okay?