This is a follow up post from a member of the Fit Dad Nation,  Jody Eastland.

It’s a pretty typical Sunday when I am typing this article.

My daughter is upstairs playing, my wife is taking a nap before she volunteers this afternoon, and I am sitting on my ass watching baseball while my dogs taking their naps from their morning schedule of their daily “chasing the birds” sessions in the backyard.

The problem is, it is a typical Sunday. We talked about going to church; we didn’t. I thought about tackling organizing the garage, but I am on the computer watching baseball on tv. This is the problem, I sit here thinking about what the work week brings and the anxiety starts to build.

But today, I am going to make it different and I am going to tell you why.

A couple of months Steve was good enough to let me submit this article about work/life balance. I thought I had this revelation about how I could structure my goals and really figure out how to balance my life. Well I was partially right and I partially fucked up at the same time.

I think it was great that I found the areas of my life that I wanted to focus on in detail. I have made some strides in some areas, I’ve lost twelve pounds and gotten some consistency in exercise although I have not totally committed to the exercise program I bought.

So partial failure there.

I have made some progress on my spiritual growth individually but have failed to grow in this area with my wife. Like I said earlier, going to church was a goal but we haven’t done it consistently. I made it a goal to grow in my skill set for work and I have sporadically attacked that although I am starting to get more consistent.

Same with connecting with friends and family and mentally giving myself some freedom from the telephone and TV. As you can see, I have some partial victories and some of what I call partial failures. This is probably a normal thing for most people out there; they set goals, they have improvements they want to make, but never truly reach the goals they set.

Unfortunately, that is me. That continues to be me. The thing that I say is my saving grace to this and why I am writing this today is because I have this continuous burning feeling in my stomach that keeps me in tune about all of this.

That feeling is “wanting”. I want to hit the next level of success in these areas. I want the best life, not the typical life. But how do I get there? And why am I not getting there?

It’s funny because just a few minutes ago I saw Steve’s post in the Fit Dad BaseCamp about the only person who can change things is the person staring at you in the mirror. Very basic statement and yet a very powerful one because it is 100% true.

That asshole staring back at me in the mirror is the same person who is keeping me from moving forward. Whether it be fear, anxiety, procrastination, laziness, or whatever, it doesn’t matter.

The person in the mirror is winning.  

I must change that. That’s what I am going to do today. The person looking in the mirror is going to beat the asshole on the other side. Starting today. I’ve been thinking all morning about this.

But how?

Earlier I told you about all the goals I had and the partial wins and losses, however you wanted to look at it and I kept thinking what is my problem? What is stopping me?

Well it’s all the above items listed a couple of sentences ago. But realistically, it’s execution. I haven’t made myself accountable for my goals. Not truly.

It was great I came up with the goals but failed on a real plan to make it happen. Okay, but how do I fix it? Not an easy answer. But these are my thoughts just on thinking about how I am as a person.

What makes me tick? What makes me relax? When am I on my game the most? When am I most productive? And when I’m the most happy, productive, and “on my game” is when the following things happen:

  1. I get up early
  2. I have a plan
  3. I listen to music
  4. I don’t over think things- “my worst trait”
  5. I accomplish a lot in a short amount of time by not wasting motions or doing unnecessary steps

Great things we have learned from all our communications on all the Fit Dad sites. But if I had to pick one of these things that stood out the most it was #5. Great when it happens, but it is very sporadic. Meaning I lack consistency.

So, with all this nonsense I have unloaded above here is my audible. It’s football season so I had to throw in the term. To start, #4 and #5 need to change.

There are so many things I want to do and achieve but I must stop shooting myself in the foot and being my own worst enemy. I must be my best ally. If I get an idea or set a goal, I am going to start execution of the goal within 48 hours while the idea is hot.

And on #5, I am going execute my goals with a well thought out plan and do it consistently. Sounds weird I know, but if you knew me you would realize this is big.

Another thing I am going to do is get out of my comfort zone. I am a natural creature of habit to a detriment. I am going to change up some routines. I think this will help be a catalyst to start making more strides to reach the goals I have set. I feel that I am at a point in my life where it’s time to reset and make a better effort to reach that next level.

I want to do it for my wife and daughter, but most of all for me. That burning feeling in my stomach is not going away. I feel that is God telling me that I have more to do and get off my ass and make it happen.

So, if you have that feeling in your stomach or in the back of your mind of things that you have always wanted to do or achieve, don’t ignore it. Make the necessary changes and go after what you want.

Don’t let that asshole in the mirror win.

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