If I could speak to my younger self here’s what I would say…

#1 Don’t Compare Yourself To Others…

Most of my life i’ve compared myself to people who are better than me, smarter people, stronger people, richer people, more successful people….the list goes on! This competitive drive has brought me much success, however it’s also created lots of insecurity and a niggling fear of never being satisfied or good enough.

I now realise that it’s good to have ambition and be competitive but not at the expensive of making yourself unhappy or ill. It’s YOU VS YOU, nobody else. If you compare yourself to others all of the time you will lose yourself and forever be unhappy. We are all totally different and we all have something unique to offer to the world. Focus on YOUR mission and build the life that YOU want.

#2 Learning Is The Key To Growth…

Back in High school I was a total WOMBAT (that’s another way of saying plonka!). I used to mess about all the time, get thrown out of class and was regularly chucked into isolation where I would have to write a bunch of monotonous lines…

“I will not throw blu tack across the classroom!” – I’d write these lines out for 2 hrs straight! OMG! It would drive me crazy!

I never really engaged at school, I was in the bottom sets for every subject and I only came away with 5 G.C.S.Es! However, over the last 10 years i’ve become obsessed with learning – reading hundreds of books, listening to thousands of audiobooks/podcasts and working with a bunch of different coaches/mentors to help me become a better version of myself.

To this day I commit to reading every single day for at least 20 minutes. This habit alone has totally transformed my life. Due to consistent learning i’ve been fortunate enough to greatly enrich my personal life, and build a successful personal training business called LEP Fitness.

#3 Be Disciplined But Have Fun…

There have been times in my life when i’ve done nothing but partied and messed around. To be honest I pretty much did this for 4 years at University!

On the flip side there have been times when i’ve worked too hard and suffered. For example when LEP Fitness started to take off…I was doing 60 session per week! I was utterly miserable, burnt out and fatigued.

Now I only do 30 personal training sessions per week, I also take every Thursday off so I can spend time doing admin, writing blogs and checking in with online personal training clients. This less intensive schedule allows me to spend more time with the people I love, have fun and pursue other hobbies.

Getting the balance right between having fun and working hard is challenging but it can be done. It’s about factoring in time when you knuckle down and work hard, whilst at the same time taking lots of breaks and having downtime with friends and family.

#4 Surround Yourself With Like Minded people…

I’ve said this before in my blog posts…your environment has the power the pick you up or drag you down. I’ve been in both camps and I’d much prefer to be with like minded individuals.

No matter how positive you are, if you surround yourself with negative people they will drag you down and prevent you from living the life you deserve. Avoid people that talk ill of others, and surround yourself with those who will support you, have your back and who want the best for you.

Over the past 5 years i’ve been extremely fortunate to cultivate many special relationships with family, friends, clients, and private mentors who have helped me become a better person.

As the saying goes…“You are the average of the 5 people you spend your most time with” – Makesure you choose them wisely.

#5 Look After YOURSELF before trying to HELP others…

Sounds kind of selfish right?

Well I beg to differ…

When you look after your mind, body and spirit you are in a much stronger position to help those around you. If you are content with your own life then that will positively rub off on those around you too.

When I started LEP Fitness 5 years ago, I put clients in front of everybody – even my friends and family! Consequently I ended up neglecting important relationships and burning out.

I remember waking up one morning and feeling as though I was shackled to the bed, I felt like a prisoner sentenced to a life of misery. This low moment made me realise something had to change and so I went about putting myself first and rebuilding my life…

What happened???

I became much happier and the people around me benefitted too!

It’s absolutely imperative that you factor in time EVERY DAY to work on your mind and body. Even if that’s just 10 minutes of reading and 15-30 minutes of exercising each day. These two habits alone will drastically improve your life.

Putting yourself first is not selfish, in fact quite the opposite… it’s actually a very SMART decision.

Nick 🙂