This weekend I attended the THRIVE Make Money Matter conference, where six hundred entrepreneurs gathered to listen to twenty-six powerhouse speakers dish out their best business and personal development advice.
THRIVE’s message is simple, Make Money Matter! From founder Cole Hatter, to the speakers and attendees, everyone I met and heard had an incredible passion to positively impact the world, either directly through their business, or through philanthropic endeavors.
I’ve always recognized the parallels that run between entrepreneurship and improving your health and fitness. Both take hard work, time, dedication, and perseverance. After attending THRIVE I realize those parallels run even closer than I realized.
Below is Part 1 of thirteen takeaways from some of THRIVE’s speakers, and how they can impact your health and fitness goals.
John Assaraf: Are you interested, or are you committed?
Ask yourself, are you interested in losing weight or are you committed? When you’re interested, you won’t’ have time to go to the gym. When you’re committed you’ll buy the necessary equipment to workout from home.
When you’re interested you won’t have time to cook. When you’re committed you’ll outsource to a meal delivery service.
When you’re interested, external circumstances can derail your efforts and dictate your results. When you’re committed, you will look internally and find the solutions to make it work.
John Assaraf: Your big why determines your big try.
One of the most common and important pieces of coaching advice is determining a big why. Whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle, increase your energy, or confidence, it’s important to know “why” you want to do that?
If your goal is to simply lose 50 pounds, your “why” is too small. It won’t inspire you to overcome obstacles or objections. Losing 50 pounds is just a number on the scale. Is it really worth skipping happy hour with your friends?
Losing fifty pounds to improve your health as an example for your child is a big “why!” How will you feel, how will your life change when you lose the weight? Anchor in a big why!
John Assaraf: Motivation without skills doesn’t work.
Many people admirably put in the work and effort at the gym, but fail to see results. They’re motivated, but lack the necessary knowledge and skills to create an efficient, effective, and sustainable exercise plan.
Save yourself the time, effort, and frustration, and acquire the necessary skills to see results. This might be in the form of hiring a fitness coach, working out with an experienced friend, or buying a workout plan or book from an expert.
James Malinchak: You got to do it, even if you don’t want to do it.
Most people that integrate a health and fitness practice into their life experience an incredible shift in how they feel. Sure, everyone wants to look better, but feeling incredible every day is what makes fitness a “lifestyle.”
Until you catch the bug and enjoy exercising, there’s no reason you can’t do it simply because you’ve got to do it.
You already do plenty of things you don’t like to do. You go to the dentist, pay your taxes, and get up early for work. Adding a visit to the gym instead of an extra hour a day on the couch might not seem ideal, but that lifestyle change can’t start without it.
Allison Maslan: Make decisions from where you’re going, not where you are.
When you envision yourself healthy and fit what does your life look like? What are you doing with your time? Who are you spending it with? What do you order for lunch? Order that food today, surround yourself with those people today.
Rather than waiting until you fit into your bikini to go on vacation, book that vacation, so you’ll have to fit into that bikini!
Than Merrill: Know your KPI (Key Performance Indicators).
Don’t focus on the end goal of losing 50 pounds. Focus on the key activities you perform throughout the week that indicate you’re making strides towards that 50 pound weight loss goal.
Did you complete your desired number of workouts this week?
Did your food choices fit your nutritional philosophy?
Did you get adequate sleep each night?
Did you drink enough water throughout the week?
Keeping track of small incremental indicators and obtaining short term targets helps you fully realize big ticket, long term goals.
More Than Just a Conference
One of the more incredible moments was when P.J. Dixon spoke and the entire room rallied to finish raising money for a campaign for Pencils of Promise. Pencils of Promise is an organization that builds schools in poor countries, and one the founder of THRIVE Cole Hatter ties into the event.
You learn more about that in the video below.