Good morning! Happy Monday!
I took a red-eye flight home this morning from San Diego, after spending an amazing three days at the Fitness Business Summit. Our goals was to better define our vision and goals for Designed to Fit Nutrition, so I’m reallyĀ glad that we decided to attend. Ā So. Much. Knowledge. Now I feel like weĀ really have some directionĀ with regard to projects, marketing, and systems as well as an overall game plan for moving forward and growing DTFN.
The speakers at #FBS17Ā provided a ton of valuable informationĀ that resonated with meĀ on so many levels– as a business owner, wife, mom, and, well, honestly, a human being that just wants to be a better/balanced/focused/present person. Much ofĀ what was said related to fitness and business (obviously), but so much of it can be applied to other aspects of life. I thought you guys might also benefit from these pearls of wisdom, so I wanted to share them on CNC. I definitely left the conference feeling inspired, motivated, and ready to dominate! š
Create a solid start to your day. At least a half dozen speakers talked about how starting their morning on the right foot made such a positive impact for the rest of their day. Each one had their own individual habits that worked for them (Craig Ballantyne, author of The Perfect Day Formula, had some especially amazing ideas), butĀ their ritualsĀ definitely made me think about how I want to start my day. Some favorites: Wake up at the same time every morning, make the bed, devote 20 minutes to personal development (i.e. reading, podcasts), don’t check your email/social media until your work day officially starts, and acknowledge what you’re grateful for.
Dedication > Motivation. This is such a simple distinction, but it really goes a long way with regard to business, fitness, weight loss… anything, really. Motivation gets you going on Day 1, but dedication gets you goingĀ on Day 100+. Motivation is the easy part. Dedication is the tough part, but it’s everything when it comes to your goals.
Scary can be good. Whoa, this hit home big time for me. A little story… the day that we received the quote for our custom software was SCARY. It was a lot of money to invest. Guys, it was more than I made annually when I worked at Boston College. Ha! But we knew that we couldn’t keep trucking along with Excel spreadsheets if we wanted to grow. Signing that software contract was definitely scary, but itĀ was easily the best thing we’ve done for DTFN to date. FYI: We’re actually in Phase 2 of the softwareĀ right now with a BIG Phase 3 on the agenda for the summer! #action
Your belief needs to be greater than your fear. If you’ve ever heard me talk about DTFN in person, you’d know that I go on and on and on because I truly think itās the greatest program ever. I 1,000% BELIEVE inĀ what we offer our clients. Weāre not just teaching people how toĀ count macros; weāre teaching them how to eatĀ and coaching them to discoverĀ lifestyle habits that work for them. Thereās no one-size fits allĀ in what we do. Believing wholeheartedly in something absolutely takes (some of) the fear out of the risks and scariness of building a business.
Excuses are incompatible with results. So true. You can truly do whatever you want as long as you don’t make excuses. Once you get rid of excuses, the results will come.Ā Love this quote: “The only thing standing in the way between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
Surround yourself with winners, mentors, andĀ only with those who lift you higher. Mal and I always say that we are lucky to have such awesome people in our life. They’reĀ such good people. They’re fun, smart, and ambitious. They’re open-minded, supportive, and their success and happiness in life constantly motivates us. A number of the speakers stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with greatĀ people and, at the same time, distancing yourself from negative “energy vampires”Ā because they will only bring you down.
Hire based on attitude. Weāve interviewed a lot of people for DTFN, but weāve only asked four to join our staff so far. (We have two others in training right now.) We honestly just want peopleĀ who are ass-kickers. People whoĀ go above and beyond, want to help others, and who are excited to work for DTFN. Energy and attitude canāt be taught,Ā so that’s what we look for when hiring people to join our team.
Fall in love with the work. You guys know how much I struggled at the beginning of the year. There were so many times that I felt like my work was weighing me down, so this idea of falling in love with my work really resonated with me. Instead of thinking about all of the stuff that I “have to” do, it made me realize just how lucky I am to have such an awesome job(s). If you fall in love the workĀ (and the journey), the outcome is a given.
Question of the Day
What piece of wisdom/person/quote/book has made a positive impact on your business/life?
21 Comments
Great advice! Starting your day on the right foot is so important!
Some quotes that I like are “A year from now you’ll wish you started today” and “Nothing changes, if nothing changes”!
Thanks for sharing your tips! These are some good ones. I listen to so many podcasts and business books on Audible. One that has really been motivating me is 6 months to 6 figures by Peter Voodg – a video series on Creative Live. Even if you’re not focused on making 6 figures, his videos inspire you to tackle whatever project you’re working on. And he has solid advice on how to work efficiently, raise your circle of influence, reach out to friends/mentors for feedback. If you haven’t seen it, I think you’d like it! Seth Godin’s books are really good too, especially Tribes and Purple Cow. On the life front, I also really like You’re a Badass and The Fire Starter Sessions. š
So much great advice here! I feel like I want to attend this. Something I’ve been told over and over in nutrition school is to dream big and envision yourself where you want to be and it will happen! I 100% believe this is true!
What an inspiring post, Tina! Absolutely loved reading it – I actually learned a lot just by reading this post. I am only 23 but I want to start a business within a years time or so, so I need all the advice I can possibly get. I’ll bookmark this post and write the advice down. Thanks so much for sharing!
My advice after 27 years of working:
Make yourself proud. Do your best even when no one will notice.
Work isn’t everything. Don’t forget that no elderly person ever wished they had worked more.
Stay true to who you truly are. My husband and I are accomplished in our respective careers, have worked hard, and have millions in our retirement account (who cares), but we still pack our lunches and clean our own house. Money and success shouldn’t make you too big for your britches.
Surround yourself with people who think differently. It challenges your assumptions. No one likes bosses who think they know everything.
Wishing you success!
Thank you!!
Changing your perspective (feeling blessed and gratitude) were game changers for me. I love the thought of removing excuses, so true! Thanks for sharing!
I’m pessimistic/self-critical/glass-half-empty so I need positive reinforcement to get me in a more positive frame of mind.
This poem resonates with me:
love is a place
ā ee cummings
love is a place
& through this place of
love move
(with brightness of peace)
all places
yes is a world
& in this world of
yes live
(skillfully curled)
all worlds
I’ve read a lot about devoting some time every morning and that’s something I need to work on. I’m usually very rushed and so when I get to work I’m already stressed. Not a great way to start my day…! I love reading Marc and Angel’s blog- really great for self growth!
What great advice! I love the “dedication >motivation”, its so true. Thanks for sharing!
I love the tip about starting your days intentionally. The first hour or two of my day makes such a big impact on how the rest of the day goes.
As a blogger, it can seem pretty solitary sometimes. I find that attending in person events every once in awhile re-energizes me.
This quote from A Dog’s Purpose (the book) really stood out to me the first time I read it: “Failure isn’t an option if success is just a matter of more effort.” It’s pretty simple. If all that separates failure from success is trying or working a bit harder, then suck it up and do it, and you can’t fail.
I’m loving all this motivation talk! I like to focus on “do what makes you feel alive”. It helps me prioritize things in my life!
As a Disney fanatic, I can’t help but to say Walt Disney. He got kicked down so many times before he was any kind of success. But he persevered because he knew it would work someday.
The book, Miracle Morning is great for creating a morning routine!
One of my favorite quotes: The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Great post!
Awesome post!!! Thank you!
Such great tips! I feel like these apply to my busy life as a mom and a professional balancing many priorities and goals. Thank you!
I have started to listen to podcasts and really like the 5 AM miracle, focused around productivity but also health, balance, life. He always ask his guest how they start their day and so many answer with mediation, journaling, workouts and time for gratitude. Good luck with your business!!
This was such a great motivation piece!
Great info!
This is such a great post! Thank you for sharing everything that you experienced/learned/heard while at the conference. I will certainly be pocketing some of these tidbits. One of my favorite quotes, which I admit I have a hard time always following, is “comparison is the thief of joy”. I am sure many have heard it before but it tends to ring so true, for me at least. You recommended another book in the past that I have recently had the opportunity to read and would also highly recommend to people: 10% Happier. Thanks for all the great work you do!