I know life is not easy and if we want results we can’t get there by doing exercises in the gym. Life is a struggle and it is more mental than physical. If we don't learn to train our minds life can overwhelm us.
It is easy to find excuses but honestly there is no substitute for mental strength and the will and determination to succeed with no compromise.
Fear - You must get past the fear of failure, this can stop us from taking action, but when we realize that failure does not define us and each time we fail it is an opportunity to learn and grow fear loses its grip on us. I was afraid of heights, so I jumped out of a plane and realized although I am still afraid of heights, it doesn’t paralyze me from taking action.
Self-doubt - Self-doubt will make you feel less than you are and make you give up before testing yourself. Realize you won’t know your limits until you push yourself and your boundaries beyond what you are comfortable with. I am not comfortable with my English language and doubt my ability to communicate effectively, so I did a radio interview a couple times to stop doubting my ability and start taking action to change my opinion on how I see myself.
Waiting – This makes you feel you will take action, just not now. So you deceive yourself into waiting. Each day you wait the less likely action becomes. I have forced myself to start the project tonight that could wait for tomorrow to train my mind that tomorrow never comes. If it is worth doing, do it now.
Second guessing –When this happens, you find that your arguments for not taking action are stronger than your desire to take action. Before you know it, you will believe your own excuses. Take action, fail if needed, learn, change and try again. True progress comes from taking action not convincing yourself to believe all the other reasons why it won’t work.
Unhealthy thoughts and actions –We see problems bigger than they really are and we turn to things that give you satisfaction, but have no meaning or value. This includes drinking, drugs, eating sweets, casual sex, gossiping, and judging / putting others down. It may all feels good while you are doing it, but you made no improvement. In fact, you have taken a step backwards.
Learn to overcome the mental obstacles that hold you back and learn the fight for life is not only in the gym but in your mind as well. If you can learn to train your mind the obstacles that use to hold you back will be seen as opportunities and your life perspective will change.