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Routines seem to have gone out of fashion in the last ten or so years – they sound boring, restrictive and confining in the connotations of the word. However, speaking to some of the most successful business women and business men in the world, they often attribute their success to a routine. However, just implementing any routine will not lead you down the road of your dreams. Routines have to be designed in a way that reflect your priorities, your dreams, your capabilities and your necessities. Sporadic efforts of maximum intensity every 6 weeks or so are nothing in comparison to gradual, everyday effort over that same time period.

For example, if you want to run a marathon, training for a 40km every 4 weeks isn’t going to have you prepared nearly as well as a shorter, daily training. The same goes if you want to encourage your children to love reading – reading 20 books every few weeks doesn’t hold the same impact as reading two per day over ten days.

Routines give you a sense of (and real) control over your days and help you to continue to work towards your bigger goals in a methodical and logical way. Of course, not everything can be planned, however having a routine is the foundation of ensuring that you are still moving forward even when you feel under the weather, exhausted or just ‘not in the mood’. The key of routine helps your brain to accept this new (or old) activity as part of your identity to a point where it is no longer a question of whether you can be bothered or have time. It just becomes part of your day, like brushing your teeth. Over time, you see huge improvements without having to expend copious amounts of mental and physical energy. It’s a win-win!

Ensuring that you plan your routines in an optimum way is crucial – taking into account your energy levels at certain times of day, financial considerations, and other people that influence your routines (such as a partner, flatmate, children, etc.). For an optimised routine that is planned specifically to your needs, preferences and tendencies, click on the Contact Us link or email llumi.australia@gmail.com

The moments of motivation and inspiration are so exciting – you get a clear vision of what you want, you make a plan and you literally feel on fire with a sense of certainty that you will see this through. Days pass. Some are better than others, but you can count on the fact that usually your initial fire will wane from time to time. You may even experience days in a row where you actually sabotage your progress due to a dip in health, mood, circumstance, etc. So, what is the key that the most successful people stand by and attribute their success to? Consistency. This means that no matter the mood, temptation, change in circumstance, you remain a person of your word. You promised yourself (and potentially your accountability partner) that you would follow through. Now is the time to prove that you have got what it takes.

When you are tired and the couch is calling, you must keep your appointment with the gym/trainer/track – be the person who shows up. Keep your word. You KNOW that you will reap the benefits once you do it.

When you see that AMAZING deal that would prevent you from reaching your weekly savings goal – be the person who sticks to your financial plan and see if you have any ways of making that money elsewhere or putting the item on layby until AFTER you have the funds.

When you are on a holiday and the opportunity for unhealthy foods and drinks everyday beckons – be the person who chooses their health over these temporary indulgences.

This may sound boring or even like overkill – going off track sometimes is normal (and healthy), but when you are trying to REALLY reach a goal, sometimes these little moments are enormous barriers to your progress. On the other hand, they can also be strengthening opportunities for your willpower. Every time you DO show up and LISTEN to that voice that tells you “You are the person who sticks to this”, you are sending powerful messages to yourself and building those all-important mental habits and identities that are the foundation of success in that area.

The other pay off is that usually your goal is in line with what is best for you and the satisfaction of sticking to your goal will actually outweigh the satisfaction of ‘taking some time off’ from the path that you set for yourself. Often those small deviations are the things that bring on guilt, remorse and frustration. You will notice the wording isn’t, “You HAVE to go to the gym”, “You CANT spend that money” – using words like this to ourselves creates a sense of restriction in our minds, making us want to rebel even more. By placing positive connotations on the task and linking it to our better identity that we are striving towards, “You are the person who shows up and improves their health”, “You are the person who saves the money and buys that house”, “You are the person who is polite to people and has meaningful friendships”, creates an opportunity in your mind, rather than a boundary. It is a much healthier message.

So, today, even if you don’t feel like doing that action that will take you to your goal or you are tempted by something out of the ordinary – remind yourself of the person that you are aiming to be and BE that person today. SHOW UP – be consistent. You will feel incredible.

Why Should Physical Fitness Be a Priority, Regardless of Your Goal?

At LLUMI, no matter what our client’s primary goal is, we emphasise the importance of a healthy body. Whilst a few often offer a bit of resistance in this (won’t it detract my time and energy from my main goal?), very quickly we see our clients truly appreciate the importance we place on this. Here is why:

1. You are in complete control of your fitness – many other goals require the participation of others, the persuasion of others, the input from others (job promotions, financial goals, relationships, etc.). Fitness – it’s just you. So, without the pressure or variations that others bring, you are in your own domain and will very quickly start to see habits that help you to succeed and those that get in the way of your goals.
2. Fitness brings fast and guaranteed results. Everyone feels better once they start eating and exercising properly. The increase of energy, the clarity of mind and the feeling of physical strength is a key component in ‘feeling’ the transformation in your life. You feel like a new person, and you behave accordingly in the other areas that you are working on.
3. You get used to reaching goals. In fitness, we set ‘stage’ goals to keep you going and accomplishing them each week. Every workout, you achieve a new level of fitness and, so, you get in a pattern of setting and reaching your goals. Your brain then links this attitude to other areas of your life – so that you expect to reach your goals and you expect success. This positive mindset is crucial when planning and reaching goals in any aspect of life.

So, if you are signing with us, expect to be put through your paces in more ways than one. We have the best training team if extra help is needed, and many resources to keep you on top of your goals, physically and mentally.

Opinions are often varied when it comes to the question of sharing your goals and dreams with others, do you tell people? What if you fail? What if you change your mind? Won’t people tell you that you can’t do it? At LLUMI, we know all too well these worries and concerns. However, we also know the crucial need for accountability when it comes to achieving your goals.

Our advice? After engaging with countless individuals and helping them to achieve their goals in the fitness, personal and business world we definitely recommend sharing your goals with people. However, we do clarify this to sharing them with 1-2 KEY people, rather than everyone in earshot. Here is our reasoning:

1. Often when we dream ambitious goals and tell a lot of people, we encounter a lot of negative feedback, such as, “But your current job is so secure, you’re lucky to have it in the first place”, “You should just embrace your body as it is” and “Oh, don’t go and turn into one of THOSE people” – whilst the first two statements may be true (and we completely encourage our clients to appreciate and value their current state), the search for progress is fundamental in human satisfaction. So, to avoid the onslaught of negative feedback, we recommend sharing your goals and dreams to a couple of select people.
2. Choose your KEY people carefully. Often, they may not be the people who are closest to you, but someone who has either been on a similar path (mentor, or is likely to succeed on the same path that you are on (buddy). Those who know us best often have quite concrete expectations about our character and may resist change in our lives and personalities. Also, you do feel more relaxed about telling them that you didn’t achieve a goal. Entering an accountability partnership with someone that you know on a more superficial level has a host of benefits –
   1. You won’t want to disappoint them
   2. You will want to inspire them
   3. They are forming a new understanding of you and the changes you are making
   4. They are passionate about change in their own lives and will support you.
   5. New and solid relationships grow from these pairings.
3. Trying to achieve your goals without telling anyone leaves you to the mercy of any insecurities that you might have and the temptation to procrastinate and avoid behaviours that may be difficult, but are most powerful in leading you to your goal.

In order to truly Live Like U Mean It (What LLUMI stands for), sharing your path is much more effective than battling on alone. However, knowing that you are reporting to someone every week, fortnight or month keeps you focused and on track with your progress. Limiting your exposure to negative input also mitigates the tendency of self-doubt and temptation to give up. So, whether you hire an accountability partner (coach, trainer, mentor, etc.) or set up with a reliable and like-minded mini group, having an accountability partner is something should be high on your list of priorities.

Often we find ourselves going on very different tracks from where we envision our ‘dream’ future. What do you do when you hit that point, when everything feels just so far away? Here is a small guide that we find really helps our clients:

– PLAN: Where do you want to be….and by WHEN? Giving a date deadline is one of the most effective ways of getting you butt into gear and forcing yourself to act.

– IMPLEMENT A ROUTINE: Often parts of our BIG dreams are daily habits (in my case: fitness, yoga, eating, saving, etc.). These things need a build-up of small daily decisions that compound over time. By making these small decisions over and over each day, your will and ability are strengthened and, over time, you simply don’t even think about them being an option anymore as they are simply habits.

– REALISE HOW YOU ARE PROGRESSING: Being conscious of your path is crucial in self-development, as you can identify the areas in which you are making great progress, and the areas that you need to re-align and evaluate. Closing your eyes and hoping for the best will never get you to your dream life.

– KEEP AIMING HIGHER: Once you have achieved your goal, keep pushing yourself to do more. The most damaging thing for a person is to stop the habit of evolution. Growth is progress and allows you to enjoy this time on earth we have so much more.

– ENJOY THE PROCESS: We see a lot of people saying “I will be happy when…” Whilst achieving goals is a huge step and is worthy of being celebrated, if you are refusing to be happy until that change is made, it is unlikely to last very long. This is why it is important to enjoy the process. You will spend most of your life in the process of reaching goals, so prioritise your enjoyment and happiness in the progression, rather than only in the actual attainment moment.

A lot of us have high aspirations for the future (in fact, I’ll be bold in saying that most of us do). Whether you have a vision board, a single goal, or a complex narrative of how your perfect life is, it can seem like it is in the far away future. It is safe there, not requiring drastic change and holding a promise that, someday, life will be better.

When IS that someday?

In dealing with many of our clients, we are often surprised and impressed by the stunning goals and ideal lives that are put before us. We look at our client and think – they definitely could get there, but when will they start chasing it? Sometimes we don’t give ourselves permission to start living our dream lives early enough. We believe that we have to have it all at one time to start beginning. For example, one of my huge goals in life was to have a house by the beach, always do my hair and makeup (this is something I do to feel on top of things, not to impress others), be super fit and doing yoga daily, eating well and having a family. At this point I was at uni, single, eating absolute rubbish and barely exercising at all. I had my dream locked away in the distant future. However, parts of my dream were already attainable – I COULD already start eating well (BAM! Part of my dream was realised), I COULD do my hair and makeup each day (ANOTHER part realised), I COULD do exercise workouts or join a cheap gym that offered workouts and yoga (yep, another big part of my dream already), and I COULD actually start putting myself out there to date people (wow, go figure!!).

In reality, much of my dream was already attainable at little to no cost to my immediate self. For some reason, I thought I needed to have the house before I had the lifestyle, but that simply isn’t true. Sure, I have made my way and now have my house on the beach and my beautiful little family, but without realising that those little decisions to start living PARTS of my dream early I don’t think I would have ever arrived where I am.

Looking back, it really shows me that in order to make dreams happen, you need to take small opportunities and capitalise on them, bit by bit. See my next article for a breakdown of how you can do this.