We wouldn’t have any limiting beliefs or self defeating thoughts…

All of our failures, screw ups and mistakes would be gone from our brain.

Sounds amazing right?

Of course, having our memories erased is not doable.

Soooo…

Instead, I’m going on a vacation. I can REALLY use one. BUT I want you to join me on the vacation!

Well, I’m not really going on vacation. I’m taking a vacation from myself.

There are still many things I do that I want to change. Many habits, actions, etc.

ABE baby! (Always Be Evolving!)

**

For example, what’s the first thing you do when you have an intense craving for chocolate?

Do you give in? Or do you reach for fruit? What if for just a week or just for the next 2 days you only reached for fruit?

Do you wake up as early as you want to? What if for just the next 3 days you woke up a tad earlier?

Do you cook yourself a healthy breakfast? What if for just the next 3 days you made yourself a healthy breakfast?

Do you submit your Daily Feedback right after your last meal? What if for the next 3 days, as soon as you’re done with dinner you flossed, brushed your teeth, used mouth wash then did the dishes and then logged on and filled out your feedback? (Let’s close that kitchen!)

What if you submitted your feedback even before dinner so you have to eat what you said you were going to eat!? (The more we can mentally rehearse what we’re going to eat, the better.)

Do you keep all of your promises? What if for just a week, you kept every promise you made to others AND yourself?

What if for just a week, you didn’t give in to any impulses and only ate whole, natural and real food?

Can I go on and on? YES!

But I think we get the point. I’m not asking you to do these things forever.

BUT, I’m asking you to try it for a week. 5 days! Actually, let’s make it for just the next TWO days.

And I want you to see how you feel after 2 days. We’re taking a vacation from ourselves!

So if you do something that you want to change, instead of talking about it or writing about it, let’s just be about it and THEN write about it! Starting this very moment!

Remember: act as if you were born today. Anything IS possible for the next two days. Why? We don’t know any better.

See you in paradise!

**

Are you ready to take a vacation from your body? Why not join the proven program that has helped 100’s and 100’s of people get AND keep the body they want. Plus, I offer a 100% money back guarantee because I believe that strongly in what I offer.

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Maybe I led you to believe it was easy when it wasn’t.

Maybe I made you think my body was already like that, and I didn’t build it in the kitchen and gym meal by meal, workout by workout, day by day.

Maybe I made you think that every day I live is easy – without any temptations.

That my body was built because I’m unemotional.

Maybe it’s my fault that you didn’t see that failure gave me strength.

That my pain, was my motivation.

Maybe I led you to believe that my body was a God given gift, and not something I worked for, every single day of my life.

Maybe I destroyed the game of getting healthy and fit.

Or maybe…you’re just making excuses.

This video (safe for work) inspired this post 100%.

I wonder if it inspires you as much as it does for me?

##

You know MyBodyTutor is a 100% money back guaranteed, right?

Why? Because I know our program works. And if doesn’t work for you, simply ask for your money back. It’s as simple as that. You have nothing to lose!

But so do you. So do ALL of us!

Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.”

Ohh, this hits me. It hits me real hard!

I’ll tell ya, it’s easier to sit on the couch and watch life on TV as opposed to actually living life. It’s much easier to remain the way we are, and hope and wish.

Why? Well, if we hope and wish, we don’t have to face any rejection or failure or discomfort.

We can just hope and wish!

Sure, that’s fun.

But it gets old fairly quickly.

The problem is, after a while, even the most non self-reflective person, will see through their own bull secretion. And that hurts.

BECAUSE when there is a disconnect between our desires and our actions, unhappiness ensues.

Deep down we all have a story. We all have desires. We all have wants.

We all have dreams.

And that’s my question to you:  What is your dream [fname]?

Sit with it for a few minutes. Sit with it for a few hours, if need be.

I’ll ask you again though.

What is your dream?

And, if we’re brutally honest with ourselves, we’re either working towards our dreams, or maybe, we’re burying our dreams…

Actually, here’s the question I REALLY want you to ask yourself:  What do I get to avoid in my life by carrying this extra weight?

Questions are powerful. The right questions can change the way you think, see and react to things for the rest of your life. Questions can change your perspective. Seeing things in a different light IS what a breakthrough is.

So, I’ll ask you one more time…what do YOU get to avoid in your life by carrying the extra weight?

Talk to me.

##

You know what hell would be? Seeing what we could have accomplished if only we had put forth the effort. BUT consistent effort is very hard to maintain. That is why having a system of daily accountability, support and a way to monitor and track your progress is critical.

Ready to get your dream body? I’d love to help you! Learn more by cl-cl-cl-clicking right here.

###

Who won?! First off, the word was tangled. Every now and then I like to offer prizes in my emails because it’s fun. It’s fun for you and me. This was by far the biggest response I’ve ever gotten. Emails were coming in rapidly for hours after I sent the email. I even got a few emails this morning!

Anyway, the winner is…. drum roll please…. Melisa W. from North Carolina. You know who you are. She replied back almost instantly. Melisa won a brand new…shiny $50 gift card to iTunes. Thanks for playing!

Naturally when everyone else slows down, so do we.

Most people don’t do much of anything this week (even if they’re “working”) except relax or vacation, eat left over holiday food and relive all the top stories of 2011 on TV or the Internet.

Already people are saying, “Well figure it out next week” or, “Let’s work on this in the New Year” or, “I’ll have so and so call you next week.”

I get it.

We all have to rest. All work and no rest makes for a very tired.

We all have things we want to change. BUT, at this point of the year, it’s so easy to give in to our short term, irrational mind.

Why?

We have THE most perfect excuse, ever.

“I will start on January 1st!”

It’s incredible, right?

No, I’m not saying we need to start taking action on ALL of our goals for the New Year right now. After all, I want to relive the top stories of 2011!

But telling myself, “I’ll start on January 1st.” is pure bull-secretion, unless…

I say that because when we wait until January 1st, the date itself becomes the agent of change. Instead of us!

Change happens when WE decide it’s going to happen. It happens in an instant. In a flash. It doesn’t care what day of the year it is.

And then…and then…it ONLY happens we fight like heck to make sure we have all of the tools and support necessary to back up that decision. Because if we don’t, our short term, irrational mind is going to be relentless in trying to fight our long term, rational mind at the first hint of discomfort.

Because after all, change is uncomfortable.

(Are you ready for a run-on sentence? I know I am!)

So, if we find ourselves watching (or reading) the top stories of 2010, and on the verge of ignoring our long term, rational mind, and not taking the action we really want to take – like going to the gym, or returning that gift, or cleaning that closet out – because we’ll just do it on “January 1st” — because we (want to) think we’ll become this “different” person — because of the date, let’s call bull-secretion.

And at least acknowledge that if we don’t change our actions, we can’t expect our outcomes to change either.

We’re better than that.

**
Unfortunately, it really is just too easy to make excuses and rationalize our excuses without any support, and accountability. AND if you combine that with a proven system to monitor and track your progress – it’s guaranteed that you’ll reach your goals.

In fact, that IS why MyBodyTutor is 100% money-back guaranteed. Are we crazy? No, I just believe in the MBT program that much. Read more about our insane guarantee by clicking here.

I hear ya. BUT, I’m not so sure it’s our motivation as much as it is our environment.

Because in the face of GINORMOUS temptation, it’s easy to start questioning why we’re doing this. In the face of GINORMOUS temptation our motivation fades.

Hold up.

What is a temptation anyway?

My definition is very simple: A temptation is something – anything – that makes us think irrationally.

Our motivation fades because our rational and long term mind is asleep while our irrational and short term mind is W I D E awake.

But even so, even after all of my rational/irrational talk, what’s the point of this? Why bother?

I figure now (TEMPTATION) is as good a time (TEMPTATION) as ever to remind (TEMPTATION) you why because (TEMPTATION) there is temptation everywhere (TEMPTATION).

(See what I just did there?)

But first let’s start with the question, “Why?”

Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to get more fit? Why do you want to accomplish your professional goals? Why do you want to accomplish your personal goals? What is your goal in life?

When I ask people these questions, I get a lot of different answers.

Whatever your goal is, think about the answer to the next question: Why?

And then keep asking yourself why.

What’s so fascinating to me is that if we keep asking ourselves, “Why?” enough times, we’ll arrive at the same answer that most people do.

We’re all doing what we do because we believe it’ll ultimately make us happier.

I think the end goal of anything we do is: happiness. However, I think happiness is a very ambiguous term. Instead, I’m very interested in how I can become happier (and how I can help other people become happier).

Not that I’m unhappy. I’ve always been a happy person…

But why not be as happy as I possibly can be? Life is short.

We might as well be as happy as we possibly can be.

These questions and thoughts are what led me to write all of these posts.

So, here’s a question I’ve been noodling on, and it helps me a lot:

“Will this make me happier?”

But you have to be honest with yourself when you ask that to yourself.

Let’s explore a little:

I’m not saying I’m unhappy when I’m shoveling a burger and fries into my face. I’m not saying I’m unhappy when I’m eating ice cream. No. Not at all. That makes me happy.

At least, while I’m eating it.

I’m saying I’m happIER when I eat healthfully.

I’m not saying I’m unhappy when I’m lounging around watching TV. That’s fun!

I’m saying I’m happIER when I’m moving around and enjoying my fitness! That’s MORE fun!

I’m not saying I’m unhappy when I have a great meal and overeat because the food is just so tasty.

I’m saying I’m happIER when I leave the table feeling satisfied and not stuffed.

When are you happier if you’re really and truly honest with yourself?

And of course, our rational and long term mind knows the answers. The challenge is that in the face of temptation everywhere – we lose sight of what makes us happier because we’re thinking irrationally.

By asking yourself this question (“Will this make me happier?”) it helps you to think rationally, and that’s the key.

**
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

MBT provides more than motivation daily — we provide relentless support, daily AND highly personal accountability, and most importantly, a system to monitor and track your progress. This is what makes ALL of the difference!

Learn how we make it happen by clicking here.

From time to time, I like to do fun things where somebody can win something, and this is the first time no one has won.

A few people sent in the correct answer but without any explanation.

Sad story.

Here is the riddle, one more time:

The Facts:

1. There are five houses in a row in different colors.
2. In each house lives a person with a different nationality.
3. The five owners drink a different drink, smoke a different brand of cigar and keep a different pet, one of which is a Walleye Pike.

The Question:

Who owns the fish?

Some Hints:

1. The Brit lives in the red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The green house is on the left of the white house.
5. The green house owner drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Malls keeps birds.
7. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhills.
8. The man living in the house right in the center drinks milk.
9. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
10. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the one who smokes Dunhills.
12. The owner who smokes Bluemasters drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Princes.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbor who drinks water.

This IS solvable with all the information provided.

**

Here is the answer —–> Click here for an image of the answer.

**

Although some of you may have been too busy to try to figure it out, I know many of you, based on some of the emails I got (“I’d try Adam but I don’t want to embarrass myself!”) were too scared to even attempt this puzzle in case you were…W.R.O.N.G.

Enter…

FEAR.

Either fear of failure.

Fear of success.

Or fear of change.

THE PROBLEM WITH FEAR:

The problem with fear is that it doesn’t allow us to think about what’s possible…

Instead, fear keeps us exactly where we are. And the reason why so many of us choose to think about what can go wrong is because it absolves us from having to take any action.

Isn’t thinking about what’s possible way more exciting than thinking about what can go wrong?!

**

This reminds me of a few prospective clients that email me every month or so. And every time they email me they ask me another question or three about my program. And that’s totally fine! I am truly here to help.

But you know what? These people have been asking me questions for years now! Some more than others, of course. But without fail, every month or so I get the same people asking me questions.

You know why? Because asking questions FEELS good. It feels like they’re taking action when in reality they’re not. They’re not doing anything at all.

These prospective clients are in exactly the same spot they were in when they first emailed me.

Most prospective clients focus on the possibilities – as opposed to letting the fear hold them back.

So, all the while we’re taking action on a daily basis, and reaching goal after goal, these prospective clients are in exactly the same spot they were in asking question after question…

All because, fear in one way or another is holding them back.

**

Next time you find yourself saying no to something (maybe because of fear?) why not think of what’s possible instead? As we grow wiser, we become more cynical. We become more skeptical. We become more fearful…

And this can really limit us.

But thinking about the possibilities is WAY more fun because it inspires action.

**
Ready to take some action and make those possibilities come true? Join MyBodyTutor now!

BIG claim in the subject line. But, I believe I can deliver.

Here it is…

So a monk tells Joshu, “I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me.”

Joshu asked, “Have you eaten your rice porridge?”

The monk replied, “I have eaten.”

Joshu said, “Then you had better wash your bowl.”

At THAT moment the monk was enlightened.

I love this little story. Why? Because it reminds me to stop thinking so damn much, and just take the next action.

It’s so easy to get caught up in figuring out answers to questions like, “What’s the meaning of life?” and all sorts of other mind-numbing questions.

It’s also so easy to get frustrated and intimidated when we have a long journey ahead of us.

When something seems overwhelming (like trying to lose weight), we usually choose choice C: None of the above and do nothing.

Instead, let’s just focus on our very next meal. Our very next workout.

Focus on your very next action, your very next interaction, your very next task.

That’s it. That’s all you can do.

Although you can worry about eating poorly this coming weekend, there’s nothing you can do right now. Except, focus on your very next meal.

When in doubt…just wash the bowl.

Don’t ask questions. Don’t ponder.

##

What camp are you in?

This reminds me of a few prospective clients that email me every month or so. And every time they email me they ask me another question or three about my program. And that’s totally fine! I am truly here to help.

But you know what? These people have been asking me questions for years now! Some more than others, of course. But without fail, every month or so I get the same people asking me questions.

You know why? Because asking questions FEELS good. It feels like they’re taking action when in reality they’re not. They’re not doing anything at all.

These prospective clients are in exactly the same spot they were in when they first emailed me.

Most prospective clients focus on the possibilities (as opposed to fear) because I make it easy for them to do that since I offer a 100% money-back guarantee.

So they sign up, get major results and move on with their life. All the while, these prospective clients are in exactly the same spot they were in asking question after question.

What camp are you in? Learn more about our ridiculous guarantee: You know you wanna click me.

Just so you know…

It’s not IF we’ll indulge. It’s not IF we’ll eat more than we’d like to. It’s not IF we’ll have a lousy workout. It’s not IF we’ll miss a workout from time to time. It’s not IF we’re not as productive as planned. It’s not IF we’ll have a less than “perfect” day. It’s not IF we’ll get down knocked down…

It’s WHEN.

Because we all will.

And it happens!

It’s about one thing: How quick are you going to get back up?

Question: does this video (safe for work) inspire you as much as it inspires me?

What if every morning we watched a video like this to start off the day?

What if every morning we read a list of why we want to be healthy and fit?

**

To think you’ll never “mess up” is simply setting unrealistic expectations.

Why do we set unrealistic expectations?

Because it’s a defense mechanism…

If we can’t be “perfect” why bother, we think.

But we know perfection doesn’t exist. PROGRESS does though!

Aiming to never “mess up” is giving ourselves an easy out. An easy out from what you wonder?

Well, change is uncomfortable. There’s no way around that. (I sincerely believe (and know!) that having support and accountability makes it way more tolerable.)

So when the discomfort gets…uncomfortable…aiming for perfection gives us a way to escape the discomfort.

“Ah, I messed up! There goes perfection!”

“Screw it, I’m going to quit because I can’t do this…”

And just like that we escape the discomfort of even TRYING to change.

**

Instead of focusing on the discomfort, try to focus on WHY you want to be healthy and fit. And instead of aiming for 100% on every meal – aim for consistency.

“In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.” – Tom Seaver

##
If you don’t have a system of support, accountability and a way to monitor and track your progress how can you expect to get the body you want? You can’t. You’re simply just hoping and wishing.

Learn how MyBodyTutor has helped 100’s and 100’s of people get the body they want with our proven program and system by clicking here.

I believe Abe’s personal mantra is definitely one that rings very true, and one worth exploring.

Before we all reach for the candy, or cookies, or ice cream or fast food, or wine, we should think about Abe.

When I eat bad, I feel bad. When I eat good, I feel good.

When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad.

Have you ever disproved this?

Have you ever eaten bad and felt good?

Have you ever eaten good and felt bad?

I don’t think so.

When I eat good…I feel good!

When I do good…I feel good!

How do you want to feel?

Your template: Think Abe

**

If MyBodyTutor worked for Irene (awesome before and after included), why can’t it work for you? Learn more about MBT right now, by clicking here.

Her words…

“I am sure you get asked this question all the time, and it’s annoying and irrelevant but how come some people can eat endless amounts of ’shit’ (pardon my french but it is what it is) and still feel terrific and look great?”

Back to me…

So, let’s talk about effort.

People really want to believe effort is a myth, at least if we consider what we consume in the media:

* politicians and beauty queens who get by on a smile and a wink

* lottery winners who turn a lifetime of lousy jobs into one big payday

* sports stars who are born with skills we could never hope to acquire

* Hollywood celebrities with the talent of being in the right place at the right time

* failed CEOs with $40 million buyouts

* models with amazing bodies that don’t do a thing to look that way

It really seems (at least if we read popular media) that who we know and whether we get ‘picked’ are the two keys to success, in other words — LUCK.

The thing about luck is this: we’re already lucky.

We’re insanely lucky that we weren’t born during the black plague or in a country with no freedom. We’re lucky that we’ve got access to highly-leveraged tools and terrific opportunities. If we set that luck aside, though, something interesting shows up.

Delete the outliers — (the people who are hit by a bus or win the lottery, the people who truly workout every day and eat really well but are still overweight or those who eat whatever they want and do nothing but ‘fork lifts’ and still look amazing) — the people who luck out in a big way, and we’re left with everyone else.

And for everyone else, effort is directly related to success.

Not all the time, but as much as you would expect. Smarter, kinder and harder working people do better than other people, most of the time in everything they tackle.

Effort takes many forms.

Showing up, certainly. Knowing stuff (being smart might be luck of the draw, but knowing stuff is the result of effort).

Being kind when it’s more fun not to. Paying it forward when there’s no hope of a tangible reward.

Doing the right thing.

We’ve heard these things a hundred times before, of course, but I guess for so many of us it’s easier to bet on luck.

Why aren’t useful programs selling at 100 times the rate they sell now? Why do we watch so much TV?

I think we’ve all been tricked by the facade of lucky people at the top.

We see the people who do absolutely nothing, who manage to skate by, or who get so much more than we think they deserve, and it’s easy to forget these 2 things:

1. These people are the exceptions (the outliers)

2. There’s nothing we can do about it anyway (as much as we might hate it)

And that my extended family – is the question we all face…

While luck may be more appealing than effort, we don’t get to choose luck.

Effort, on the other hand, is totally available, all the time.

This is a very hard sell. It’s why “get rich quick” and “lose 30 pounds in 3 days” schemes exist.

Effort is, unfortunately, NOT effortless.

There is no way around that. (That IS why I believe so strongly in what we do. Without support and accountability and a system to monitor and track our progress it’s very hard to keep up the effort. It really is.)

But you know what?

Effort is a choice.

So I ask you, what are you going to do, bet on luck or effort?

**
If MyBodyTutor worked for Stephanie, why can’t it work for you? (Insert your excuse here.) Learn more right now about our proven program that has worked for 100’s and 100’s of people of all ages, sizes and shapes!