The Road To Success: How Early Struggles Shape Your Fitness And Life’s Journey
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Why Your Early Struggles Are The Seeds To Your Success
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, let’s talk about the road to success, including how early struggles shape your fitness and life’s journey.
It’s time for me to share some personal stories on why your early struggles are the keys to your success.
The Road To Success: How Early Struggles Shape Your Fitness And Life’s Journey
Now, let’s talk about the required mindset on the road to success, and how early struggles shape your fitness and life’s journey.
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As a 42 year old dad, I’ve had many ups and downs throughout my life’s journey.
Even though I’ve been actively working on my personal development since 2003, to this day, I still experience temporary defeats in many areas of my life.
However, while working on myself, one of the big key learnings I’ve picked up along the way is this.
No matter how bad you think you have it, there are an abundance of other people going through similar, or worse, experiences than you.
Perspective Is Everything
More importantly, some of the world’s most successful people have used these early struggles and hardships to propel them towards success.
You have to really let that set it.
I now view adversity, and temporary defeats, as the necessary seeds to success.
I originally learned this after reading countless autobiographies of successful people.
The one thing that is consistent throughout all of their stories is how:
- They started slow
- They faced many failures
- They wanted to quit
- A lot of them hit rock bottom
Persistence Is Why Successful People Thrive After Initial Struggles
Here’s the major difference.
Successful people have a burning desire inside of them, that keeps pushing them forward, no matter what the circumstances.
In my book, Think And Live Lean, chapter 1.3 is called Igniting Your Burning Desire.
I refer to this as burning the boat.
Once you’ve committed to a goal, burn the damn boat, because there’s no going back.
This ongoing persistence towards reaching their goal allows successful people to overcome any, and all setbacks, before finally reaching the turning point of success.
If you keep failing to reach your goals, time and time again, you’re probably giving up to quickly.
Always believe your successful breakthrough, is just one step past your current obstacles.
How many gold miners quit, when they were just 3 feet away from striking gold.
Believe Things Will Always Work Out For You In The Long-Term
Remember, if you expect bad things to happen, they will.
It’s so important to program your mind to believe things will always work out for you, in the long-term.
Sure, in this moment, life may be tough.
However, shift your mindset to look at it as one of the Universe’s challenges for you, to test how persistent you can be.
When I look back at all the challenges that have happened for me over the past 20 years, one thing remains constant.
No matter how bad it may have seemed at the time, things have always worked out for me in the long-term.
My Story Of Overcoming Personal And Business Struggles
I shared this personal story in post on How I Changed My “Bad Luck” By Developing A Mindset For Success.
In 2012, I was completely lost in my personal and professional life.
As a 32 year old man, my was heart crushed from losing my best friend and wife to a divorce.
At the same time, I also lost all connection with my closest friends, who I hung out with since I was 5 years old.
To top it off, my career was a mess.
In 2011, I fired my boss, and left the corporate marketing world to start my entrepreneurial career in the fitness industry.
For the first 2 years as an entrepreneur, my business was a joke.
I built my personal training studio on the bottom floor of our brand new house.
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However, as mentioned, 1 year later, I got divorced, and had to sell the house and my personal training studio.
Since I lost all of my personal training income, I had to 100% focus on my online fitness business.
After working 70 hour weeks, for an entire year on my online business, I ended up making $10,000 in gross revenue.
This was the equivalent of making $3 an hour.
After selling my house for a loss, I remember the fear of thinking I didn’t even have enough income to get approved to rent an apartment for me and my golden lab, Peyton.
How My Burning Desire And Persistence Shaped My Life’s Journey After Failing
This downward spiral probably would have driven most people to alcohol or drugs.
Fortunately for me, I’ve never used those things as a crutch.
My burning desire to succeed as an entrepreneur was so strong, that I stayed persistent, and used those setbacks as motivation to work harder.
Don’t get me wrong.
There were plenty of times I almost gave up.
However, this is when my persistence finally paid off.
Just when I was about to give up, something just clicked.
Out of the blue, I received a few lucrative business offers, as well as a random e-mail from a female follower from California, named Jessica.
Yes, the same Jessica who is now my wife, mother of my 2 kids, and most valuable business partner.
Meeting Jessica also allowed me to follow my dream, and move from the east coast of Canada, to owning a home in Southern California.
When it comes to our online fitness business, Live Lean TV, LLC is now flourishing, with new opportunities every day.
Call it ironic or mysterious, it doesn’t matter.
What does matter is I remained persistent throughout it all, and didn’t give up when times were tough.
As hard as it was during those lonely times, I continuously believed in my abilities, even when the critics were telling me otherwise.
I Truly Believe The Following
No matter how much you’re currently struggling, if you’re good at what you do, you believe in yourself, and you persistently put in the effort, it’ll work out for you, over time.
How you react to the challenges and obstacles you’re currently facing, are completely within in your control.
Remember, you are never defeated, until you accept defeat as reality.
Let Me End With This
If I can do it, so can you.
If Thomas Edison can fail 10,000 times, I’m positive you can find the courage and guts to overcome a few defeats, and continue pursuing your goals.
It all starts with belief.
The starting point to change your life is to first BELIEVE you WILL do it, rather than wishing or hoping that it could happen.
Wishing and hoping do not create action.
Once you truly believe you will accomplish something, then and only then, are you open and ready to receive it.
This has worked for me, it’s worked for Jessica, and so many other failure to success stories.
It will work for you too.
Are You Ready To Change?
If you want to hear more personal stories from my life’s journey, I share it all in my book and audiobook, Think And Live Lean.
The actionable steps at the end of every chapter are designed to change your mindset to live a life of success, inside and outside of the gym.
If you’ve already read or listened to the book, do me a huge favor and share your feedback in an Amazon review.
I poured my heart and soul into this book, so it makes my day every time I see a new review.
As always, I’m open to your hear thoughts and recommendations.
You can also come say hi to me and connect on my personal Instagram or Twitter.
I appreciate each and every one of you.
Thanks for watching and keep Living Lean.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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