I admit it.  I can be very lazy.  I was the laziest person I know.  My brain was lazy.  My courage was weak, and physically I was not moving.  I believe that all of us at one time are lazy or have been lazy.

I have heard crazy things like lazy is a mental health issue or it is hereditary.  Yet, laziness is just a habit.   In order to not be lazy, we need to change the habit.  In order to change the habit, we need to condition ourselves to do so.  The best way to do this is change our state.  We need to move differently.  Thus, we need to change our physiology.  Changing your body can get you from a lethargic state to a high energy state in a heartbeat.

In addition to changing your state, here are other habits and methods I use to overcome laziness:

1. Link massive pain to not taking action as opposed to taking action.  An example of this is when we decide not to eat healthy.  Think of the consequences of not eating healthy.  How will your body feel?
2. Have consequences of not following through as well as a reward system.  For me, there is a tax for not achieving my weekly goals.  I pay $10 to my mastermind group when I don’t take action and achieve my outcome for the week.  If you are not in a mastermind group, you can make a bet with a friend that you will go to the gym for a certain number of days.  If not, you need to pay your friend $20.  Also a reward system can be motivating because what gets rewarded, gets repeated.  If I go to work out four times in a week, I will take Saturday and make it a fun day.  Otherwise, I will need to go to the gym on Saturday.
3. Do you have compelling reasons?  Do you have a why or a purpose?  If so, you need to keep reminding yourself why you want to achieve a certain goal.  You need to check in constantly on why you are doing it.  Make sure that the why and purpose is meaningful and emotional that you will be moved deeply by it.  Do not make your why shallow because you will not be motivated long term by it.
4. Lastly who is important in your life?  Who do you love?  We will never follow through on a goal or outcome if we are doing it for ourselves alone.  Why would one want to be healthy and fit?  It could be they want to be around for their children and grandchildren and see both generations have a family of their own.  Maybe you need to take that additional appointment on the weekend or need to make that additional call.  It could mean taking that dream vacation with your significant other or sending your children to the best private school.

Thus if we are being lazy, we are squarely focusing on ourselves.  Always remember if we are feeling unmotivated, change your state.  Also remind yourself of your why, have consequences and a reward system, and focus on who you love and care for.

In this blog, I wanted to talk about negativity.  There is negativity surrounding us everywhere, especially in the news and media.  It has only gotten worse in the instant media that we have today.  Better yet, it is the over consumption of watching news.

There is nothing more toxic and dangerous to the mind and soul by constantly feeding yourself with the news, especially negative news that is filled with tragedies, crime, politics, the economy, and climate change.  A study of researchers Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan along with Thrive founder Arianna Huffington found that three minutes of negative news (vs. more uplifting content) can ruin your mood for the rest of the day.

The news is a business.  It is not to inform you.  It is to shock you.  Now I understand that conversations and discussions in our culture does require to stay informed, and I understand that.  However, if you have a growth mindset and listening to this, then you know that a prolonged discussion about politics or negative news is not the most compelling way to spend time.  I also know that we need to stay informed in order to network and have productive interactions in order to gain rapport.

Here are some ways that I have practiced to stay informed, but not overindulge listening, reading, and watching the news:

1. Pick a time of day to catch up with the headlines.  Use a local news source, so you can at least know what is going on in your immediate world: weather, local news, sports, and local outlets do cover national and world news.
2. If you feel the local news is not enough, choose a national headline that you are comfortable with.  Stay away from opinions and columnist because they can be extremely harsh and cruel to others who do not share their same beliefs.
3. Avoid reviewing news in the morning.  The morning is time for yourself to prepare for a fulfilling and productive day.  Super life coach Dean Graziosi states that if he looks at his phone in the morning, he knows that it is a 50 percent chance that he will have a bad day.  Spend the morning in gratitude and do positive rituals.
4. Spend no more than 30 minutes of watching and reviewing the news per day.  You can allow 45 minutes if you follow both local and national news.
5. Most important, watch, read, or listen to something uplifting, inspirational, and gratifying content after you spend your time with the news.  This will elevate your state and make you productive and happier on you are doing next.

In my last blog, I covered the career and mindset of tennis legend Andy Murray.

Since the Australian Open is still happening, I thought it would also be great to understand what we can learn from perhaps the greatest tennis player of all time, Serena Williams.

Serena Williams’ records are absolutely incredible and is one for the ages.  She has won a total of 23 Grand Slams and going for a 24th Grand Slam at the Australian Open.  The record is currently held by Australia’s own Margaret Court.

Serena has been completely unrivaled throughout her career by just completely dominating the tour.  Perhaps, her older sister Venus comes the closest to a rival.

When we break down Serena’s game, it appears that she is just a naturally gifted athlete and tennis player who is stronger than the rest of the women on the tour.  Yet, nothing can be further from the truth.  Yes, she has all the tools with hardly any weaknesses.  Yet, Serena trains vigorously and harder than anyone else on tour.

Thus, the first attribute we can take away from Serena is to:

1. Train harder than anyone else.  A direct quote from Serena states, “there’s obviously days that I don’t feel like training.  But, there is no day that goes by that I feel like losing”.  Serena was asked about being lucky and stated, “luck has nothing to do with it because I spent many hours, on the court working for my one moment in time”.
2. There’s always something you have to give up for success.  Everything comes at a cost.  Are you willing to pay for it?  To me, success is very simple.  It is following a recipe.  Yet, I know that I need to spend my time developing myself and adding value to others.  That means know that I cannot watch Netflix for 10 hours/day.
3. Always love yourself and do not be concerned with others.  Serena is very conscious ensuring she is continuing to work on self love.  She also does not follow what is being talked or written about her.  It is very crucial for us to love and accept ourselves fully to master achievement and live a fulfilling life.
4. We are allowed to make mistakes once in a while.  Even though Serena is perhaps the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time), even she is human.  Sometimes her competitive fire gets the best of her.  Serena believes to accept and learn from them, so we can become better on and off the court.
5. Lastly when the mast is on the line, remain calm under pressure.  Why does Serena, Michael Jordan, and Tom Brady deliver in the clutch better than anyone else?  It is that they remain cool, calm, and relaxed.  All of them feel that all the work and preparation have gotten them ready for this moment.  They know it is their time to shine.

The tennis world was saddened by the announcement that this would be Andy’s last year on the tour. In this blog, I talk about the great career that Andy had on the tour and what he accomplished and how he persevered. Andy is a role model for excellence in which we can all learn from and apply Andy’s principles in our lives.

I am always reminded of a quote from Anthony Robbins where he says, “When it seems impossible, when it seems like nothing is going to work, you’re only a few millimeters away from making it happen.” I truly believe that Andy Murray has applied this quote throughout his professional tennis career.

So, what can we learn from Andy Murray? How can we apply perseverance in our everyday lives?

LESSON 1: Remember that everyone faces their own challenges

For a start, having the right mindset goes a long way. Anything worthwhile is not easy, otherwise everyone would already be doing it. It is through these challenges that we are given opportunities to grow and learn. Often success of athletes like Andy Murray seems to look easy, but the reality is we don’t always see the behind the scenes work that it takes to get to the level of an elite athlete and the sacrifices that need to be made.

In the case of us regular people that are not elite athletes, sometimes these setbacks may present themselves as being passed over for that job promotion or getting unexpected news from the doctor. It can be experiencing bumps in the road in our relationships or not getting accepted into that program that we applied to. These challenges can and will happen at every stage of our lives and a big part of what makes people successful is their ability to face these challenges and setbacks head on.

LESSON 2: Keep going and outwork the self-doubts

You’ll notice that every time Andy Murray faced a professional setback his response was to get back up again and keep going. After his first trip to the Wimbledon final and that heartbreaking loss, he didn’t let it discourage him. He got back to the practice courts, looked at what he could improve upon, and continued pushing forward to get better. Even in the earlier phases of his career when he began to have doubts about whether he’d fulfill his potential of winning major titles, he quieted those worries by putting in the necessary work to get closer to his goal.

This is an excellent lesson in the power of momentum. When you are faced with any type of problem and get discouraged, if you simply think about what steps you can take to improve your situation you will make great strides in changing your circumstances. For example, if you lose your job and are out of the workforce for a period while searching for a new position, you may get discouraged and start to believe the worst- that you’ll never be hired anywhere. Instead of hyper-focusing on that extreme scenario (which is not productive) instead, focus your efforts on the small actions that you can take to find a job- networking, updating your resume, up skilling and taking additional courses. You will eventually dig your way out of that hole and find your footing.

LESSON 3: Find a mentor

When Andy Murray hired Ivan Lendl to coach him, it changed the trajectory of Murray’s tennis career. Ivan Lendl understood what it was like to fall short in grand slam finals before breaking through to win one. He was the perfect role model for Murray because he had been where Murray was before and held his own roadmap of how to win championships. As a result of hiring Lendl and gaining those unique insights, Murray was able to win an Olympic gold medal as well as his first two major titles within the span of a year.

Just like Andy Murray, we can hire or find role models for ourselves. If you have a goal, one of the best ways you can achieve that goal is to find a role model who has already done what you want to do. An acquaintance of mine can personally attest to this strategy with his own story. He was interested in breaking into real estate in his home country of Canada and while working in construction he had the courage to approach a well-established real estate mogul to teach him the ropes. Because of this mentorship, this acquaintance has built up his own real estate business and is a multi-millionaire with a beautiful lake house in British Columbia and other properties in the Vancouver area.

But even if you can’t connect with someone directly in your field, you can find mentors in other places as well. Biographies, books, internet content all contains stories of people doing the exact things and accomplishing many of the same goals that you have. Be inspired by their stories and gain the confidence that you can do it to. This applies to all areas; relationships, health, and even spirituality.

LESSON 4: The past doesn’t equal the future

Andy Murray more than anyone understands that the past doesn’t equal the future. He was a tennis prodigy, but this didn’t automatically mean success on the men’s tour. As he got further along in his career he repeatedly lost in grand slam finals- but this past failure did not keep him from achieving future grand slam wins. Murray did not allow past failures to dictate his optimism of the future.

Murray met Federer in the final of the 2012 Olympics to decide the Gold Medal. This rematch against the opponent he lost to in his first Wimbledon finals appearance was billed to be a revenge mission- but Murray didn’t see it that way. He played his own game and the results came. Murray didn’t dwell on past results. He went in with a clean slate, new tactics, and new strategies.

The important lesson to remember here is that learning from the past is different than dwelling on it. It is extremely important to learn and grow from our failures, and just as important to know we can write a new future. In the same way that we cannot sit on our laurels and expect the past will deliver future wins. We must be diligent about ensuring we progress.

Watch the video below of Andy Murray:

I wanted to talk about something that we must all develop in order to have sustainable success in all areas of our lives.

That trait is perseverance.  Perseverance is defined in dictionary.com as an activity that is maintained in spite of the difficulties or delay in achieving success.    In other words, we need to keep working.  We need to trust the process, and we need to make adjustments until we achieve our desired outcome.

Right now, I am studying the mindset of tennis champion Andy Murray.  One thing that has made Andy a Wimbledon Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, and #1 player in the world for 2016 is perseverance.

For Andy, it did not happen overnight.  Andy had to go through many heartbreaking losses in big tournament finals and watch his peers Nadal and Djokovic achieve his desired results faster.  However, Andy trusted the process and kept going to work.  As a result, he is a hero among Great Britain and many kids all over the world.  He is a great role model to youngsters because he kept going despite all the bumps along the road.

So how do we persevere like Andy Murray and other great successes that are around us?

Here are some attributes that persevering people do:

1. Know your goals. Consistently review your goals and make sure they are worth pursuing.
2. Reward and celebrate along the way.  What gets rewarded, gets repeated.  We need to celebrate each step.  That will keep us going even when we do not have the desired outcome yet.
3. Stop worrying.  Make sure we stay in the moment.  Mark Twain once said, “I’ve suffered a great many catastrophes in my life.  Most of them never happened”.
4. Avoid distractions and stay on your path.  Ease up on the technology.  Stop indulging in social media and other useless activities.  Block out some specific time that you will check social media, texts, and other tasks that get you away for a moment.
5. Anticipate down the road.  By preparing yourself for the next step, you avoid complacency.
6. Keep asking the right questions.  Better questions get you better answers to achieve your goal.  It also shifts your focus as well.
7. Just keep going.  Having faith in the process will always pay off.  As my mentor and coach Stefan James says, “Trust the Process”.
8. Always remember past wins and accomplishments.  When you feel it is not attainable, remember those times and moments you were able to achieve your outcome.  Also, remember you are here now at this place and this time.  You are a human being on earth.  You have already won.