Anyone who’s a fan of basketball knows that tonight, Lebron James, is announcing his decision of where he’s signing.

Either he’s going to stay in Cleveland, or sign with Chicago, Miami, or New York.

Once he makes his decision, it’s final. He can’t change his mind.

However, we make decisions all of the time. In fact, life is a series of choices.

Unfortunately (na, fortunately!), we’re not robots. We’re human beings.

Economists love to refer to us as Econs. They believe that we’re rational beings and that we’ll always choose what’s best for us. Ha!

We’re all predictably irrational.

And thankfully, in our day to day life, especially when it comes to our diet and exercise, we’re not making irreversible choices.

There in lies the problem. Just because you made a decision to lose weight, or eat better, or realize your body’s full potential – doesn’t mean you’re never going to revert back to your old ways from time to time.

That’s silly! What? Just because you decided that you’ll never overeat again, you’re never going to overeat again in your entire life? Or never have too much dessert?

That’s crazy talk.

Behavior change is extremely hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone in this world would be exactly who they want to be.

Instead, we rationalize and justify our choices so we can (comfortably) live with ourselves.

The question, though, is what do you do once you make a bad choice? Do you make another bad choice afterward because it “doesn’t count anymore”?

“Ah, I’ll start tomorrow,” we say to ourselves. Momentum is EXTREMELY powerful. It can be our worst or best friend.

Most people fall off track for days, weeks and even months at a time – all because of one bad choice that set them off.

Instead, let’s embrace the bad choices. Hey, the milk already spilled!

And let’s obsess, that’s right – obsess – over the question, “How quickly can I recover?”

Oh and when Lebron decides he’ll be playing in NY, he won’t have to worry about recovering quickly. Because it’s going to be the start of a dynasty! [I'm sorry my fellow Florida and Illinois clients. No Ohio clients. ]

I talk and write a lot about monsters. I even write about the ‘Laundry Monster’ on the MBT website.

In the the case of doing laundry, well, I hate doing it. And no matter how many times I promise myself I won’t let it build up, I always do. I wind up using every sheet for my bed possible, and every pair of random socks and underwear I can find.

It becomes a ‘Laundry Monster’ because I become terrified of doing it. There is just so much! To make matters worse, the laundry room is in the basement of my building. So, I can potentially lug all of my clothes downstairs and washing machines might not even be available! Ugh!

But each and every time I do it – I always think something along the lines of, “this isn’t so bad!” In fact, the satisfaction of having all my laundry folded up including my socks in little balls, and knowing my clothes are clean is priceless.

I just let it build up ’til it becomes this (what seems like a) daunting task.

However, if I take the clothes from the hamper and put them into a washing machine and add detergent and then put those clothes into a dryer – one step a time – it’s very doable and dare I say – almost enjoyable!

The laundry monster is a perfect analogy for our ‘Health and Fitness Monster’ too. Like any monster when we attack it – it always feels incredible. The trick is to not let the monster build up!

Which means obeying the two day rule of exercise. You can skip one day – but you can’t skip 2 days in a row. (The exercise monster builds up quickly!)

Which means obeying the grocery store rule. You can’t expect to eat healthfully, if you don’t have healthy foods available. Get to the store and attack that ‘grocery store’ monster.

We all have other monsters, too. Whether it’s work related, house related, relationship related, etc. Not attacking them adds a level of stress and anxiety to our lives. We think about it so we put a band-aid on it. We start to take action but we figure out a temporary solution (ah, I can wear this t-shirt from 5th grade! Laundry can wait!).

My Monday challenge for you is to attack full force any “Monsters” that you may have lingering. They can be as simple as a closet that needs to be cleaned to a big project for work to a tough conversation you need to have with a loved one or maybe you just need to get to the store!

Whatever you know that needs to get done – that you keep putting off – why not do it this week?

If not now, when?

Just start with one step today! Attack it for 10 minutes. Make those 10 minutes your monster!

You’ll be glad you did and you’ll realize it’s not nearly as bad as you thought it was going to be.

The less ‘Monsters’ you have, the less anxious you’ll be. The less anxious you are, the less likely you’ll be to eat emotionally, mindlessly or habitually!

Attack those monsters!

Let’s go! I got your back!

Do you have that 1 thing? Yes, no, maybe, so?

Let me explain:

For those workaholics in the group, do you feel odd when you don’t have to go to work? Even more so, when you wake up and don’t shower first thing and get ready?

Or, maybe you’re addicted to exercise? When you don’t exercise you don’t feel as energized as you usually do. You just sorta go through the motions all day.

Or, maybe you need more sleep? I find that when I wake up late, my whole day is off. (But that ultimately comes back to my bed time.)

I think many of us have a select few activities that our day revolves around and if they don’t get done, we fall apart. Not like Humpty Dumpty but mentally we just drag.

So here’s a question:

Do you notice yourself not on point 100% when you don’t do a certain thing or two?

And another one:

What if you structured your entire day around those 1 or 2 things?

Getting the body you want is about 3 things. Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently.

Unfortunately, it’s the consistency part that’s so hard.

Besides the usual culprits like rationalizing, procrastinating and justifying, consistency is also so hard because it can get boring.

Variety is the spice of life, right? Not in our case.

Because consistency can get boring we bounce from one fad diet to the next, always in search of the next revolutionary program.

However, we all know deep down, the key to success is to do the right things over and over and over and over again.

No matter what diet, or what program or what “magic pill” (they don’t exist!) you take, you’re going to have to do the actual work. And the actual work means eating right, eating less, and moving more..consistently.

There is no escaping this!

I repeat: You can’t escape the work. Just like I can’t ski down a mountain safely without turning, you can’t escape the work…if you want results.

A few clients from time to time ask me if I get bored of what I do. “Do you really care what I eat? Do you really care about my daily feedback?”

It’s an honest question.

The answer is absolutely! Because I know each daily feedback will lead you one step closer to where you want to be. Each daily feedback is a critical part of the journey.

Every meal counts. Every workout counts.

And what really drives me, and what I really love, is the thrill I get when you email me and say “Damn! This is working!” “My pants feel loose!” “I hate you. I have to buy new clothes!” That’s what makes me get out of bed in the morning. That’s what keeps me up at night.

Because I know you can’t escape the discomfort nor the day to day consistency which isn’t sexy whatsoever. But it’s extremely effective.

And because it’s so easy to avoid the inevitable – being consistent – I know daily and personal support is what makes all of the difference.

No one said it’s easy. Nor sexy.

But ask anyone who’s pursued anything worth pursuing (usually, things that are hard to obtain) and they’re certainly convinced it’s worth it.

In short: Embrace the consistency. And when it feels a little boring, that’s your time to lean in even more and make more change happen.

Because like our moods, we have ups and downs. And when we’re up, it feels easy.

But when it’s easy, we quickly forget about the inevitable downs that 9.9 times out of 10 knock us off our tracks for good.

Until we start something else and repeat the cycle over and over again.

Not on my watch.

I’m not going to lie. It’s been a really rough week for me. My cousin passed away on Friday of a massive heart attack.

And then last night my mom told me our beloved George was going to be put to sleep this morning. She was hysterical crying. I was crying. We’re all a mess. We’ve always had dogs but none have been quite like George.

He was 200+ pounds, however, he was the biggest teddy bear in the world. He was the most friendly and docile dog, too. I could literally stick my hand in his mouth while he was eating and he wouldn’t do anything.

To be brutally honest (we all need some brutal honesty right?) life sometimes is a motherf***er. It’s hard!

No one said it’s easy.

I was trading emails back and forth with a very wise client and I asked her if there’s any way to prepare for the death of a loved one after she was telling me about her experiences with the deaths of her loved ones. And although I took a death and dying class in college, the thought of death still absolutely terrifies me.

She said, “None that I know of. Death is inevitable, as are losses and sorrow.”

As I read that, I immediately thought, “Tough times are inevitable, too.”

So many of us latch on to the tough times so we don’t have to continue pushing ahead.

Here is the truth: Change is hard. Change is scary. Change is very uncomfortable. After all, it’s change!

Our short term, irrational mind is always fighting to maintain some sort of homeostasis. It hates change! It hates when you do things differently. It’ll find anything it can latch on to so you don’t have to keep forging ahead.

The uncomfortable feelings we face are known as cognitive dissonance. When we have conflicting thoughts and desires: “I want to relax and watch TV and eat whatever I want yet I want to be healthy and fit and feel energized.” That tension creates an uncomfortable feeling.

So, as we usually do, we find something (we have to!) to latch on to so we don’t feel bad about not taking the action we know we should (and in our heart of hearts) take.

This way we don’t feel as bad. We naturally delude ourselves. This is how we function and survive.

Most people find one thing after another to latch on to. Whether it’s the weather, or a great TV show it’s ALWAYS something.

Here’s another truth: “There will always be something pulling us away from what our heart of hearts wants us to do.”

I’m not saying you can’t be upset. I’m a wreck right now. And I’m not divulging this for any reason but the fact that we’re always going to be on the look out for that thing to latch on to.

It’s natural.

The question isn’t if shit will happen to us. Because it will.

The question is are you going to give in when it does?

I hope you had a great weekend! I know my lovely Canadian clients did!

It’s Monday. It’s March 1st. We all have great intentions for the day. For the week. And for the month. Yet, many of us miss appointment after appointment with others, and mostly, ourselves.

Here’s how to prevent that from happening again:

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in their book, The Power of Full Engagement, describe a study in which a group of women agreed to do a breast self-exam for a period of 30 days.

100% (yes, 100%!) who said when and where they were going to do it completed the 30 day exam. Only 53% of the others did.

In another study, drug addicts in withdrawal (can you find a more stressed out population? I also think many of us are food addicts so we can relate) agreed to write an essay before 5PM on a certain day.

80% of those who said when and where they’d write the essay completed it! In this case, NONE of the others did.

Bottom line: If you want to get something done, decide when and where you’re going to do it. Otherwise, don’t expect to do it.

Tip: On your Daily Feedback tell me what time you intend on exercising and where. In fact, for any nagging task that makes the outcome list write when and where.

Let’s go! (Right now, wherever you are!)

Who would you hire?

A trucking company is interviewing 3 potential new drivers. They ask one question: “How close to the edge of a cliff can you drive without driving off?”

Driver 1 responds, “within a few yards.”

Driver 2 responds, “within a few feet.”

Driver 3 responds, “I’m gonna stay as far away from that cliff as I can!”

Who got the job?

Driver 3 is hired.

We all have our own cliffs. We all know what actions lead to us getting close to the cliff. And we all know what actions lead to us going over the cliff.

Stay away from those cliffs.

I hope you had a terrific weekend!

One of my favorite activities besides hanging out with my 9 month old nephew is bike riding. And there’s certainly a lesson in it for all of us.

Most of us, look forward to the downhills because we can coast along without much effort. The entire ride (if it’s a challenging one) consists of barely surviving the uphills so you can enjoy the easier and fast parts – the downhills.

Let’s face it: The uphills are very difficult.

The problem with downhills is that although they are fast, it’s crazy. If you’re on a challenging route – the uphills are insane but the downhills are just nuts.

What if you looked forward to the uphills?

That’s where the work is. The fun is. The improvement is. On the uphills, you have a reasonable shot at gain over last time.

The problem with downhills is that I can’t go much faster than I did last time due to the laws of physics and safety!

Most people spend their days looking forward to those extremely rare moments when everything goes right:

When there are no temptations. When the gym isn’t too crowded. When it’s not too humid outside. When you got 8.1 hours of sleep the night before. When your shelves are fully stocked with healthy and nutritious foods. When your kids are behaving. When your boss is nice. When the weather is perfect. When you’re feeling just right.

But imagine how much of an advantage we’d have if we spent our time maximizing those moments when it doesn’t?

In other words, this week let’s embrace the uphills!

Not the downhills.

Happy Friday my extended family.

Confucious said, “It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop.”

Ohh, that’s a good one.

I know how easy stopping is. We’ve all done it. We’re all tempted to do it. All the time.

After all, the key is to start (second hardest part) and keep on going (hardest part).

But as long as you don’t stop, you’re moving forward, and forward motion equals progression.

When you’re tempted to stop, push even harder. Usually, we’re tempted to stop when we lose momentum. If you don’t want to be tempted to stop, don’t let up.

I think you should laugh at the resistance that wants you to let up. Letting up feels safer. It feels more secure. It’s easier.

Seriously laugh at it.

Laugh like this.

Have a great weekend!

I hope your Monday is off to a great start. I always focus on making Monday an exercise day and a healthy day of eating because it really sets the tone for the week. Even if it wasn’t so far, it’s never too late to start.

Many people expect to lose weight after just one week of eating comparatively healthy. But unfortunately, we forget about this and that, and all the indulgences we choose to have.

The point isn’t that we can’t ever indulge. Because we can.

The point is that if you’re truly frustrated that you didn’t lose weight after 4 days of eating healthfully, you’re never going to be able to stick to this.

Let me ask you some questions:

How long did it take you to graduate high school?

How about college?

How long did it take you to have a child? (No matter how many women you put together, it’s unfortunately, still 9 months!)

It’s not an overnight process. Nor a week-long process. Yet, how come for everything else we don’t question how long it’s going to take us to get gratification?

And this is YOU we’re talking about here.

Here’s another question: How long did it take you to get out of shape? I’m pretty sure it was longer than 4 days.

You get out, what you put in! There’s no question about it.

Just like you didn’t graduate high school in 4 days, you’re not going to get in shape in 4 days.

And when you live and die by the scale, once the scale hits the number you desperately want it to hit, you’re going to revert back to all your old behaviors.

If you want to change the way you look and feel, you have to change your actions!

Instead, focus on short term gains. Focus on how accomplished you feel. Focus on how much better it feels to love and respect yourself! Focus on how much better it (and it really does) feels to eat healthfully and exercise than the alternative.

We all want instant gratification. But if you focus on the day to day wins – it becomes a lot easier to string together a long line of wins which is another name for consistency!

Instead of obsessing over the number on the scale, obsess over the small daily wins.

They add up!

But also realize that every win is just as important as the one before it, and the one after it!