Category: Health and exercise

Mahatma Gandhi, one of my heroes was a man who helped liberate nearly 350 million people from the yoke of slavery and the colonial occupation by throwing the British out of India.

Unlike the carnage and bloodshed of World War 2, he did this without a shot being fired. What’s even more remarkable is that he did this in roughly 20 years after landing in India.

The biggest secret of his success were his incredible habits that helped him achieve this.

Some of these may well be impossible for us to implement but even if we can do one, it will transform our life.

1. Solemn vows to avoid vice – Before leaving for England he took the vows on his mother to abstain from alcohol, meat and women. This ensured that in the tough environment in Britain, nothing distracted him from his purpose of becoming a barrister.

The vows for us may be different but all of us have vices that prevent our success – procrastination, too much internet, TV, alcohol, smoking. What can we take a solemn vow to avoid that will help us today?

2. Reading – Gandhi read everything. He read the Gita, the Quran, the Bible, books by famous authors, newspapers and magazines. He expanded his mental horizon beyond the obvious by doing so. Can you begin by spending 10 minutes reading something new every day?

3. Writing – Gandhi saw it as his moral purpose to share his views with the Indian people. Hence, he wrote almost 50,000 pages across his lifetime, hundreds of books, countless letters every day and edited many newspapers for many years.

This was blogging before there was the internet. Can you write a diary or start a blog or write a weekly article in a magazine to share your thoughts and views?

4. Fasting – Gandhi used the ancient technique of fasting for many purposes. He used this to protest against the British government who often gave in to his moral superiority. He used it for penance when he thought he had made a mistake. It’s also a fantastic way to lose weight, develop more self-control and become healthier when done for one to three days.

5. Service – Gandhi spent his life serving the poorest of the poor. He carried human soil on his head, cleaned his ashram with his own hands, spun the wheel to make cotton cloth for himself. He served others all his life in a spirit of giving.

He had many flaws but had many great qualities too. What quality can we embrace from him? Perhaps, one of the above?

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This article was originally published on Leaderonomics.com.

I love setting goals for myself. Since the new year has begun, I’ve found myself with a handful of resolutions and goals that I’d like to achieve throughout the year. But, I know that the only way I’ll successfully complete these goals is if I make it a priority in my life.

It sounds easy enough right? But there have been countless resolutions that I haven’t followed through with. Working out, for instance, has always been the biggest struggle for me.

Here are some of my favorite excuses for not working out:

1. I’m too busy
2. Meh, I don’t feel like it
3. It’s not like the gym won’t be there tomorrow
4. I’m too full from lunch
5. I’ll start on Monday – that way it’s, like, a fresh week
6. I’ll do that fitness challenge at the beginning of next month, that sounds like a much better idea, because who even starts a challenge in the middle of the month?
7. Oh crap, I was supposed to work out this week huh?

You know, the list could go on and on. Goals aren’t easy to accomplish and that’s why we struggle with them. We have to adjust our schedules and make changes that we don’t necessarily want to. We want the results, but we’re not excited about the effort that it requires.

Here are some tips to make it easier on yourself and help you with making your goal a priority:

Realize that “I’m Busy” is just an excuse

So, you’re really truly busy. Nobody is arguing with you about that. But, when it comes to priorities, you will always make the time for the things that are truly important to you no matter how busy you are. I think it’s important to remind yourself of this fact. It may feel like you’re too busy to exercise, but I can guarantee that if you decided to make it a priority, you could find the time. You can always wake up earlier and adjust your schedule for things that are very important to you, but you have to decide that it is worth doing.

Change your attitude

Goals are challenging and a lot of times, we want the results without putting in the work. Putting in effort sounds exhausting and dreadful. But the truth is that while getting the results of the goal is the point, the journey is what makes it worthwhile. Nothing feels better than receiving a reward when you’ve earned it. It doesn’t feel the same when you receive a reward and you didn’t deserve it. Be excited about working towards your goals. Don’t dread putting in the work. Hustle with pride and determination.

Set a deadline so you know it’s real

Make it feel real. Set a deadline and plug it into your calendar. Hold yourself accountable and make it happen. You’re capable of amazing things when you put your mind to it. Every day, do something to get you closer to your end goal. It doesn’t always have to be big, but know that everyday effort will progress you in amazing ways.

Pause and reflect

Think about why you haven’t made this a priority in the past. Have things shifted in your life to make it a priority now? What brings you to this point where you’ve decided to make a change? Are you willing to make the time for it?

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This article was written by Coley Lane Bouschet who is the Founder & Editor of Life Goals Mag.