#126 You Can't Cut No Corners

Metabolic Rate

Assuming that you aren’t gifted with a fire metabolism, how do you earn one?  Discipline, consistency, lunge & learn, etc.  I hear complaints about not being able to lose weight all the time.  One of my first questions every time is “Are you lunging?”  And what’s the typical response?  “Well, I'm trying to lunge a couple of days a week, I'm running and I'm doing that.”  Well, guess what?  That’s not a part of the process.  You’re cutting a corner.

Why?

Why is this happening?  Because it's fucking hard.  Think about the first 12 days of a lunge streak.  You literally have to peel yourself out of the car because you’re so sore.  You have to fight through being extremely sore, being tired, being unmotivated, questioning the process, and being uncomfortable.  There are no corners to cut.  When you fight through, you reap the holy grail rewards of the process.  Nothing tastes as good as that.

Arnold & Cheat Meals

I remember chopping it up with Arnold and asking him about cheating on his diet.  What did he say back to me?  “Nothing tastes as good as seven Mr. Olympias.  Nothing tastes as good as winning a bodybuilding championship and having the best physique on earth.  Nothing tastes as good as that."  

Shift your mind to taste the fucking success.  There are no corners to cut here.  I understand it, and that’s why I’m willing to do whatever’s necessary every single day.  Do I fall short of what I projected sometimes?  Of course.  I don't crush expectations every day, but that's what I set out to do.  

Show Up

I’m winning because I continue to show up to the ballpark every day.  It’s the body of work.  It's not going to happen tomorrow, it's not going to happen the next day.  It's not even going to happen when you want it to happen.  It happens when it's supposed to happen.  Patience.  Understanding the work.  Understanding the process.  Learning to like, or even enjoy the process. 

No Corners to Be Cut

Building a body, building a business, building a mind, it’s doesn’t matter.  The main factor at play is time involved.  The sooner you get the clock started, the sooner you get uncomfortable, and the sooner you dedicate, the sooner you’ll experience the taste of success. 

Look at Michael Jordan throughout his career.  If you watched The Last Dance you saw how he created all kinds of crazy scenarios in his head to stay strongly motivated.  Do what you need to do in order to understand, then push forward.  No one is going to put you on.  You have to show the value you bring to the table.  You have to push.  You have to be dedicated. 

The Trap

Where’s the shortcut?  People fall victim to this trap all the time.  They are always looking for the easier or quicker way.  Are there some ways that work better than others?  Of course.  Progress is progress.  

Take the chains off and get to work.  Day in and day out.  Stop thinking of when it’s “supposed” to happen.  Once you can get that thought out of your head, everything opens up.