If You Want Better, Be Better

If we want the world to be better, we must first be better.

That sounds simple. It also seems to be something we collectively struggle to understand.

We are each a micro component of society. We don't get to complain about the state of the world while pretending we have nothing to do with it.

If you're unhappy with what is happening around you but refuse to acknowledge yourself as a contributing party, you're lying to yourself.

We are society.

Complacency won't fix anything

Complacency. Blame. Victimhood. Lack of ownership. The widespread belief that someone else will do it or someone else should be responsible.

That mindset doesn't make the world better.

You are responsible. We are each responsible.

No politician, public policy, government department, medication, institution, employer, spouse, parent, coach, or anyone else is coming to save you.

Only you can do the work on you.

And I'm not saying this from a soapbox or pretending I have mastered this. I haven't. I have more work to do on myself than I will ever be able to complete in whatever time I have left on this earth.

But I firmly believe that every one of us has innate talents, skills, strengths, and callings, and I believe we have an obligation to develop them and USE them.

Not just for ourselves, but for the people around us.

The ripple effect of showing up better

When we demand excellence of ourselves we create a ripple effect.

When you become healthier, stronger, more disciplined, more courageous, more capable… you show up differently. You lead differently, parent differently, work differently. You treat people differently.

You inspire someone else to believe they can do more, too.

That's how change happens.

The world has always had problems. And those problems have never been solved by lazy, complacent, blaming people sitting around waiting for someone else to fix them.

They are solved by people who decided to do something, and didn't quit when it got hard or uncomfortable. More importantly, they didn't quit when they ran into walls, or didn't see immediate change.

We grieve more than we appreciate

As humans in today's society, we spend so much time grieving what is wrong that we forget to appreciate what is right.

We compete over our problems instead of encouraging one another through them.

We compare our suffering instead of offering perspective.

We look for reasons why we can't instead of asking what we can do.

Yes, some people have had an easier road.

But for every person you believe has had it easy, there are countless people who have walked through incredibly painful circumstances and still choose to show up every day and do the best they can with what they've been given.

Your circumstances don't have to become your excuse.

In fact, the harder the circumstances, the more opportunity you have to build true grit, resiliency, and to inspire others when you just keep going!

Be GRATEFUL for your hardships! Imagine your favorite movie without the challenges faced and OVERCOME! We can all be overcomers!

You are capable of more than you think

Whatever it is you aspire to, weight loss, strength, energy, health, financial security, happiness, purpose, confidence, you are capable of far more than you think. We see this in the gym every single day.

You will not, however, get there by waiting for someone else to do it for you.

You won't get there by blaming everything around you for your problems.

And you certainly won't get there by continually choosing the easiest option.

At some point, we have to take 100% responsibility for our lives, our health, our choices, and our circumstances.

We also have to be willing to hold one another accountable, not through judgment or cruelty, but through compassion and truth.

Sometimes the truth is hard to hear

Sometimes loving someone means telling them the truth, and sometimes the truth is:

You need to move more. You need to eat better. You need to stop drinking so much. You need to put down your phone. You need to stop making excuses. You need to get stronger. You need to ask for help. You need to stop waiting. You need to do the thing you've been avoiding.

And sometimes the truth is simply:

You are capable of more! Kwitcherbitchin, put on your big girl/boy pants, and get at it!!!

Your body is not separate from your purpose

I firmly believe health matters so much in all of this!!

You cannot be excellent at what you were made to do if you continually neglect the body you're supposed to do it in.

Your body is not separate from your purpose.

Your health affects your energy, your confidence, your ability to serve others, your ability to think clearly, your ability to work, your ability to lead, your ability to be present with the people you love, and ultimately, your ability to contribute to the world around you.

No one else can take care of your body for you.

Start where you are

So start there.

Put down the donut. Go for a walk. Drink your water. Track your calories. Pick up something heavy. Get enough sleep. Get stronger. Get healthier. Get more disciplined. Get more courageous. Be grateful. Look up from your phone. Talk to a stranger. Call someone you love. Volunteer. Help someone.

Identify one problem you see in your community and find one thing, however small, you can do about it.

Stop outsourcing the state of our world to everyone else and then sit back and complain about the results.

If you want better, be better

If you want better, be better.

And understand that IT WILL BE HARD!!

Our human tendency is toward comfort, convenience, and the path of least resistance.

Your body will want the easy route.

Your brain will want the easy route.

Your circumstances will give you reasons to take the easy route.

I challenge you to take the harder path.

Growth and change DO NOT HAPPEN when there is no resistance.

There is no smooth path from where we are now to where we want to go.

If you want better, be better.