Without trying to sound like Roy Castle and his trumpet,.....
'Dedication is all you need'.
(1 min 8 seconds into this clip btw).
Okey dokey. Short & sweet eh? What else is there to add? Oh wait...OK so maybe that doesn't 'do' it for you? Maybe you wonder what Record Breakers or trumpets have to do with you? The answer is, most likely nothing. Great. Good job Gym Ninja cleared that up eh?
Well, let's use an example of one of Gym Ninja's friends as a way of explaining how being dedicated to your goal/lifestyle/ambition is ALL you need to get you moving in the right direction. With enough dedication, then the strength of character, discipline and everything else that is needed to assist you in reaching those goals follows.....but first there needs to be DEDICATION.
Gym Ninja received a text yesterday...her friend Lynn had just won the NABBA Miss Scotland competition! Now Gym Ninja first met Lynn 6 years ago, when they both began working for a National Sales Company. This was Gym Ninja's first sales role and part of the company ethic (thank GOD) was that everyone got trained to sell and work in the same way (as in extremely HARD and disciplined). So, having travelled to a centralised venue, Gym Ninja rolled up at a training course in her first month, a bit nervous, only to be kept waiting for it to start....
"Apologies for the delay" Said the Course Trainer. "Only one of the new Scottish Reps who travelled down last night spent the night in A&E so is running a bit late. She...er....she glued her eye shut!"
WHAT? How on EARTH does anyone glue their eye shut? Well, everyone was soon to find out.
Within 10 minutes the door exploded open and there stood a statuesque girl with long blonde hair, fully made up...except for her left eye which not only had no make up on it, but also was completely devoid of eyelashes...Everyone, meet 'Lynn'. The reason she'd glued her eye shut was that ever glamorous, she'd been glueing on some faux fingernails the night before & one pinged up and hit her in the eye!! How could anyone dislike Lynn after that? So Gym Ninja and Lynn became firm friends.
The sales role that GN and Lynn had was a tough one. Fast and hard sales process, high pressure, long hours and subsequently poor eating habits. The majority of the sales force were chain smoking alcoholics (one needed to be to survive). Luckily Gym Ninja and Lynn never succumbed to the smoking but could certainly demolish a bottle of 4 of champagne when called for! But one major thing they did have in common (apart from glamour, a love of shoes, the same star sign) was an addiction to the gym and healthy eating! SO, whilst Lynn worked her area in Scotland and Gym Ninja worked in the North, they conversed frequently about all things fitness.
Lynn had also been a dancer and was returning to her old love of fitness shows. Her dance background meant that she could drop to the splits whenever requested (and often when not!) so she could put together a wicked routine. But the hours were long, and the constant driving meant that Lynn HAD to be disciplined and dedicated when preparing her daily nutrition and scheduling in her workout sessions, especially when competitions loomed large. One year, at the Annual Bun Fight (aka Sales Conference) Gym Ninja recalls seeing Lynn with her Scottish team mates across the room. All her colleagues were snacking on the breaktime refreshments of cakes and biscuits, whilst Lynn delved into a large bag of pre-cooked chicken breasts she'd brought with her. Whilst everyone got incredibly drunk that evening, Lynn remained Dedicated to her goal & managed to be the life & soul of the party without having to drink any alcohol!.
Gym Ninja and Lynn moved on and now work at different companies, but still converse. Lynn is supportive of Gym Ninja as she trained for her Personal Trainers Diploma, and Gym Ninja is supportive of Lynn and her fitness competition achievements. In fact Lynn is so highly regarded in the fitness scene that she has even landed a sponsorship by a Sports Supplement Company Muscle Fury and she is building her body with diet, supplementation (courtesy of Muscle Fury), and hard workouts!
So, back to Dedication. Lynn won NABBA Miss Scotland yesterday. Her months and months of hard work, focus, training, clean eating and discipline has paid off and she has been recognised as having the best physique! For all of those out there thinking 'hmm, yeh she did a good job' then stop for a moment and listen up......this is tough on it's own. Extremely tough! But Lynn works LONG hours. She will get up before sunrise and go for a run before heading out in the car for a day of appointments trying to hit her sales targets. She will take out with her the food and drink needed to eat at timed intervals throughout the day, to ensure she stays on track. She will then often still be working (either in the office, or on the road) come 8, 9 or 10pm at night. She'll then go do another gym session.
She will do this FOR MONTHS AT A TIME!
Lynn is dedicated. Lynn works harder than most people Gym Ninja has ever met, and yet she finds the time to train and to eat clean. She finds the time to work hard, sacrifice her weekends and then to WIN her competition.
THAT, is dedication.
So, take a look at your own life. Do you work 9-5 Monday to Friday but 'haven't the time to get to the gym?' Do you plan on eating healthily but 'cannot resist that biscuit with you coffee?' Do you have good intentions yet at the weekend it all goes to pot as you just wanted that takeaway or went on a drinking binge as 'you've been good all week?' Are you REALLY as dedicated as you say you are at achieving your health & fitness goals? Think about it......LYNN is dedicated. She is committed and she wanted it and she got it.
Now.....go and do the same...........!
Gym Ninja x
