3 Keys to Becoming Unstoppable
We all look up to superheroes with the fantasy of wishing we had what they have, such as a special ability. Would you believe me if I told you everyone has a superpower? This superpower can make you look like a superhero. Even though everyone has the same power, only a small percentage use it. What is this superpower? It is the ability to become Unstoppable. To set a goal, take action, and then achieve that goal. No matter where you come from or what obstacles are in your way, you have the capability to achieve your goals. Here are 3 keys in becoming unstoppable; Certainty, Consistency, and Intensity.
Certainty refers to the belief in the achievement of a goal. We can further break down certainty into your thoughts, goals, and plans.
What are your thoughts? What are you telling yourself? Are your thoughts saying “Man, I don’t think I can do this, but I guess I’ll try” or “I know I can do this. Nothing can stop me.” Everything begins with a thought. The light-bulb was once a thought or an idea in Thomas Edison’s mind, but I’m sure glad it didn’t just stay a thought.
Once you have a thought or an idea you wish to bring into reality, you need to turn it into a goal. This "goal" can also be referred to as your vision. Where you see yourself at the end of the race. Set a final outcome of where you see yourself or your idea, then work it back to the present time in medium to large size increments, such as every year, five years, 10 years, and so on. Once your goals are set, begin to write out an action plan that clearly draws out what it will take to achieve each one of those goals. Once you have your goals and action plan for those goals, your certainty will shoot through the roof. If you see your long term goal off in the distance, it can be discouraging and feel far away. However, if there is a clear pathway leading to that far away place, you become more certain it is possible.
What’s next? Intensity.
When I think of intensity, I think of energy and passion. Along your journey, there will be times when you ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” When you ask yourself that question, your why must be greater than the pain you are going through. Otherwise, you will give up. Your why is what fuels you down the pathway you created with certainty, and keeps you moving when any logical person would slow down or give up.
It is important to be in touch with your why, or your passion, so that you can continue down the path with consistency, certainty, and intensity. Your Intensity is created by your connection to your why. The greater your why, the greater your intensity. Because of this, it is important to take everything that could possibly be a motivator for you and throw it into the fire to fuel you. You can break your Why into 3 categories: Inspirations, Fears and Voids.
Inspiration is a direct reason why you do something. Maybe you see someone in great shape, and that person’s body “inspires” you to be more like that person. This is a direct connector to your why, which makes inspiration an easy booster for intensity. However, inspiration alone will not keep you on the right track to your goals. In life, we won't always feel great positive happy emotions like inspiration. Sometimes bad things will happen to us. You can choose to let these bad things weaken you, or make you stronger. It all comes down to your mindset. I classify these types of motivators as “Fears and Voids”.
Fears and Voids are very similar, but exist in different times. Fear is a worry of something that may be to come, while a Void is a past or present scar due to some traumatic or painful event endured. Fear can be a great motivator, like a Zebra fearful of a lion, it jumps into action and is motivated with intensity to save its own life. However, Fear is never real because it exists in our thoughts of the future, and the future is never real because we are always in the present. Today is always today, and never really tomorrow. Tomorrow can never exist in today because it is always existing in tomorrow. Now that I have thoroughly confused you, let me talk about Voids.
Think of a Void as a deep rooted trauma that affects how you act today. Your father didn’t give you enough attention, so now you crave the attention of males. Although fears and voids seem like terrible things they can lead to some amazing outcomes. This is why you see some of the most amazing people have come from the most painful upbringings. They used their fears and their voids to motivate them to create a difference in their life. Did someone say something to you about your weight that hurt you? That is a void. Instead of whining about it and choosing to be hurt by it, use that as motivation to change! Prove the negative people in your life wrong! Are you afraid to take off your shirt? Don’t sit on the couch and eat ice cream instead of going to the pool with your friends. Get up off your butt and use your embarrassment, your fears, and your past traumas to motivate you towards your goals!
But what is missing? Consistency.
Consistency is your ability to keep moving. Keep taking those small steps knowing you will eventually reach your goal, even when your goal feels a million miles away. Consistency can further be broken up into two subcategories: Action and Habits.
It is important to take action once you have a plan. Action takes the vision you have out of fantasy land and puts it into the real world. Action is what turns imaginations into inventions. Begin with action, and that is the first step to consistent progress towards your goal. The next step is to accomplish action so often that it becomes natural, turning into a habit. Once your actions on your plan turn into habits, you now have momentum on your side. Accomplish you goal is imminent.
Recent research has shown that willpower is a limited resource. However, once an action becomes a habit, it takes no willpower to execute. For example, when you get used to brushing your teeth, it doesn't take as much energy or focus as if you were just starting to build the habit. Going to the gym and eating healthy are great examples of habits. Build successful habits and use your leftover willpower to accomplish more.
So, how do you put that all together? Certainty, Intensity, Consistency.
Write down your goals in 6 month, 1 year, 5 year, 10 years, and lifetime goals. Then for your 6 month goal, create a clear action plan with every action step needed to complete that goal. Give general steps for the next 6 month goal, and wait to assign the next action steps until you get further along in your plan.
Find your why. Write down a list of the things that motivate you, the things that scare you, and the reasons you cannot fail at your goal. Connect all these back to your goal in order to have your intensity at the fullest level.
Look at your action plan. How can you build habits to make the day to day grind more bearable? Find this out and build the habits now.
Take action. Continue to take action. Finish your to do lists. Focus on consistent progress rather than trying to accomplish everything in one day.
If you apply these principles to your training, and/or virtually anything in your life, you will become Unstoppable.