What are you waiting for?

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Safe and Happy New Year!!

And talking about the New Year:

They have probably already been talked about with family and friends, already been written down, and soon will be splattered across all the social media outlets for all to see. No, I’m not talking about your famous Christmas cookie recipe or your big holiday party plans. I’m talking about your New Year’s resolutions!

That’s right, that list of things you are going to change when January 1st, 2012 gets here, or maybe Jan. 2nd, when the hangover has subsided. Each year millions of people make grand plans for a new direction in their life. Ambitious goals such as quitting smoking, saving money, drinking less alcohol, and my personal favorite (and BY FAR most common)….GET IN SHAPE!

Go ahead and prepare yourself for the Facebook status updates declaring their commitment to become fitter and healthier in 2012. “Time to get in the gym baby, it’s 2012, woo-hoo!” or “Getting my pump on, it’s a new year and that College Reunion isn’t far away!”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am always happy to hear someone who is ready to make a change and finally make an investment in the one thing you only get ONE of, YOURSELF (sorry, no lease agreements on that body of yours), so any kind of decision in that direction is great!

My question is, if it truly was that important to you, if you genuinely were ready to dedicate yourself and make the sacrifices necessary to achieve your goals, WHY ARE YOU WAITING? You see, the fact that you are willing to place other things ahead of your supposed “priority” contradicts your entire resolution. Instead of saying you are going to get in shape and live a healthier life in 2012; you should say, you’re going to find some time between your busy work, horrible eating habits, and hectic social schedules, to exercise a couple of times per week.

I hear about it all the time. A new year rolls around and all of a sudden the gyms are full and everyone is on a mission to fulfill their new, lofty fitness aspirations. When they realize in this world of instant gratification that they have a chosen a resolution that requires a lifetime of commitment, they lose the determination they thought they had and slowly disappear from the gym.

The fact is a very small percentage of people actually keep the resolutions they make, especially when it comes to “getting in shape.”

The reason for this is, a resolution is a waste of time. Anything that is important to you is NEVER worth putting off until it is convenient, popular, or trendy to do so.

If someone told you that you were going to lose your job if you didn’t start performing better, would you wait until 2012 to start being a better employee? Probably not. Why? Because having a job is important to you.

You may say I’m comparing apples and oranges, but I contend your body and health are far more important than a job could ever be. So, as noble and worthy as your supposed resolutions may be, are they important to you? If so, WHY ARE YOU WAITING?

Now that I have destroyed your hopes and dreams and shattered hope for that new life you were going to start in 2012, what can you do? I want you all to understand I write this from a place of experience. I am definitely not “casting stones” because I have been guilty of this myself. I can’t begin to count how many resolutions I have made that ended up as a miserable failure, so trust me, I’m not preaching to you.

I’m coming to you from a place of care and understanding to inspire and motivate you to be the best you can be TODAY and not wait another minute to do so! Too many times I see people procrastinate and not do what they need to do, only to delay the inevitable.

People, it’s NOT going away. At some point, you are going to have to address IT. Whether it’s 2011 or 2012, your IT is not disappearing, so why not begin to the journey today?

I want you to be honest with yourself, how badly do you want it? Are you willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES? Or are you simply making promises you can’t keep? The answer is up to you, what’s it going to be?

As always, thank you for taking time to read my newsletters. My hope is that I can motivate you to be the best YOU that YOU can be today! Dare to be great and never be told you can’t do something.