Have you ever felt consumed by a project, hobby, or obsession?
It felt like you were watching yourself work tirelessly for hours on end at it.
Almost like you were a puppet and some invisible hand was moving you.
That’s the result of inspiration.
The latin origin of the word is inspiratus which means ‘to breathe into’ – it originally had religious context – to feel inspired was to be moved by god.
You will never get in shape if you are never inspired.
Losing weight, getting in shape, and making amazing things happen in your life requires you to take inspired action.
Here’s proof:
– You’ll never change, if you never feel inspired in the first place.
– And if you don’t take action when you feel inspired, that inspiration is lost forever.
Your mission is simple
Step 1 – Find inspiration to get in shape
Step 2 – Capitalize on that inspiration so it isn’t wasted.
Here are the benefits and drawbacks of inspiration, and a disturbing way to find plenty of it.
Motivation and Discipline
Guys tell me all the time that they need motivation and discipline to get started.
They never end up making progress if they continue to wait for those things to arrive.
Motivation ebbs and flows on your pursuit towards your goals. It’s not what gets you started.
Discipline just fills in the gaps when motivation is low.
Inspiration is what gets you started – it’s the internal nudge you get before you begin taking action.
Getting inspired doesn’t last long though…
Before you know it, the feeling is gone.
And you might be left wondering – well I know that I want to make more money, lose body fat, or build some muscle… but I don’t really know where to start.
Dogshit.
If you were inspired
You’d take imperfect action and start making all kinds of stumbling attempts and mistakes that get you moving in the right direction.
You’d FIGURE IT OUT if you really had to (if you were adequately inspired).
- You know what eating healthy means.
- You know what being smart with money means.
- You know that if you needed to overcome a specific problem, it would be a google away.
But Matteo… My Life Is BUSY!
It might be a busy or stressful season in your life.
Good
Stress can be fuel for inspiration.
Seeing something exciting or positive isn’t the only way to get inspired.
Your ‘anti-vision’ can be inspiring.
Whatever you’re running away from.
Negative inspiration.
If you gained so much weight that none of your XL shirts fit any more…
that is inspiring you to change.
Take Advantage
But you chose to do nothing about it.
That’s not the worst thing, either.
You don’t need to jump on EVERYTHING you feel pulled to accomplish.
But just know that inspiration fades quickly.
It’s the spark of change.
Without planning and action, it’s lost forever.
If you’re feeling inspired – you should take action on it now.
Build Autonomy
By taking action on something you feel truly inspired to do, you’re taking control of your life.
It’s how you build autonomy.
You earn money because you want the freedom to go on vacation when you want, or to have access to the foods you want, or to provide for the people you love.
You exercise to take control of how your body looks and feels.
You are hardwired to want control of your own behavior and goals.
That’s backed up by self-determination theory.
The meaningful goals you set for yourself will take you the furthest.
Even further than having external pressure to perform.
Tactical Stress
I won’t sugar coat this.
When you set goals and form a plan around something that inspires you – you will be challenged. It will be hard. But that’s for your benefit.
That’s where flow happens.
Flow is a psychological state where you are highly productive, deeply psychologically rewarded, and hard work feels like play.
Workouts and eating turn from a chore, into a challenge.
You enter flow when you’re adequately challenged, motivated, and skilled at the task you have to accomplish.
Just like earlier on when running my business – I didn’t have enough money coming in to pay my bills for more than 6 weeks.
I was so nervous one day, I almost threw up while walking through the park on my way to the gym.
I turned around, went directly to back home and didn’t leave my room until I sold $5000 worth of coaching.
It took me around 6 hours.
That’s inspiration at work.
That’s flow.
[1] Disturbing Inspiration
Dream big with me here…
Ask yourself:
– If money were no object, how would you spend your ‘perfect’ day?
Where would you live?
What would you be working on?
Are you in great shape and health?
What’s your mental state like?
Be detailed – start from the morning, go until bed time, and be specific.
If you can’t outline this, you’ll feel lost and lack clarity.
Then…
– What is the worst version of your life that you would hate to experience? What can you not stand? Who would you hate to be like?
What kind of a job would that be?
How would you feel each day?
Is the person someone you know?
Or someone you saw in the grocery store or on TV?
What about them and their life choices gets under your skin?
Again – get good and specific here.
This is your anti-vision.
It’s disturbing, but it’s effective.
[2] Taking Action
Bring it into reality.
Inspiration is only the spark of change.
Without planning and action, it’s lost forever.
I want you to create 3 statements.
Your BHAG (pronounced bee-hag).
Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals
This is a big picture idea for where you want to end up.
In one sentence.
Write 2-3 of these.
- ‘Make the world a better place for animals’
- ‘Be a rockstar father with a kickass body’
- ‘Build financial freedom through a business that helps people get healthy’
Just some ideas for you.
Dream big.
High, Hard Goals
These are specific steps along the way to your bigger thing.
They’re still a big deal..
But they serve as milestones to keep you motivated.
- ‘Establish a non-profit organization’
- ‘Bench press 225 lb at 10% body fat’
- ‘Build a business that does $1M in revenue’
Not easy.
But definitely on the path to our BHAGs.
Get Clear
This is where we get into the nitty gritty.
What specifically can you do today to move you closer to where you want to be.
It’s literally a to-do list.
- Track my calorie intake
- Hit the gym and stick to my plan
- Write a blog post about inspiration
- Spend 30 minutes quality time with my girlfriend
You need levers to pull that move the needle.
Tangible progress drivers.
Nothing is more motivating than results – read How Intelligent Guys Will Get In Shape in 2024 for more on that.
Without inspiration, you’ll feel lost.
Without action, you’ll feel overwhelmed.
If you can spend 480 minutes a day building someone else’s dreams…
You can spend 30 minutes a day building your own.
Choose wisely.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Matteo
PS: I want to help you stop procrastinating.
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