One of my favourite books of all time is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I read this book in my early 20’s and it’s had a profound effect on my life since. The basic tenet of the book is that now common saying, “whatever the human mind can believe, the human brain can achieve”. There’s a lot going on within those words as I’m sure you can see when rereading it a few times. Most importantly from my perspective the words are saying to me to let my imagination be free in every sense. So whatever I decide to do or accomplish it is within my reach.

The immediate example from my own life is imagining my fitness business to what it would be in a few years time. There was no timeline or exact numbers in this dream I had for the business but a clear picture of what success would look like for me. And that was large groups of clients enjoying exercising in Fort Canning Park in Singapore. From that dream spawned a multimillion dollar business.

What we think about is very important as it pertains to our reality. The words we use when we talk to ourselves, especially the quality of these words, is also very important. Significant influences over these words is the type of input we subject ourselves to on a daily basis. Jim Rohn a well known entrepreneur said, “Don’t say, ‘If I could, I would.’ Say, ‘If I can, I will.’” Rohn understood the importance of the quality of the words we use not only in our internal dialogue but also in the language we use when with others. He also said, “we are the average of the 5 people we spend most time with” which will again heavily influence our thinking.

If we think that we can’t, well, we can’t but if we think we can, well, we can. How many times have you watched sport on TV and the analyst has said, “he/she talked him/herself out of that” or “the body language suggests he/she is now beaten”. Or you see the player or athlete with a pained expression and uttering expletives or other negative language under his/her breath.

There are thousands of books written annually about the power of the mind and harnessing it to serve you rather than not serve you.

Just like the information contained being significantly more than just the title of the Napoleon Hill book, the title of this post is trying to relate the importance of your thoughts around the exercise you do and your training progress.

Firstly if you know you can achieve your fitness goals because all you need is a plan and a schedule then this knowledge is power! All of us can do this, it’s a very easy success formula, if I apply the right type of stimulous nothing can really stop me achieving my goals.

Time and again with clients, I prepare detailed plans for their success and in the first 1-2 weeks there’s generally pushback of some sort or another – “I will go into starvation mode if I don’t eat frequently enough”, “I have always eaten pasta with no issues”, “I think I will get big muscles if I lift weights” and the list goes on.

Preconceived ideas, biases and fixed beliefs hold them back even when an expert that just about guarantees their success tells them otherwise.

Fortunately for my clients I am insistent and remind them that one of us is the expert here and I have a track record of success.

In other posts I have referred to my use of breathwork as a means to think (and meditate) more clearly. Upon waking this is the first activity of most of my days and during this 30-45 minutes I am both steering the journey and also at points allowing it to steer me. I like to initially settle on my day ahead and the positive, healthy outcomes I will see in the schedule ahead and then after this allow my mind to wander a bit and see where I go – some of my best solutions to challenges and as well, ideas for business have come during this time.

Living alone gives me the freedom to undertake this activity and I know some readers will be thinking, “I wish! I have kids, animals, a partner and to find time for this would be impossible.”

Do you see how your mindset is defeating you if you actually thought this? Wake up 30 minutes earlier! I don’t have my first appointment until 730am and I wake at 6am and I live alone. Make the time. Don’t make excuses and don’t let your internal dialogue defeat you.

I built Singapore’s largest independent fitness business because I knew I could. It started simply with a thought and then a plan that had logical, achievable steps.

Just like Napoleon Hill taught us you can think and grow rich, I am saying you can think and grow fit!