Laws of Success

At Northwest Personal Training, after working with various clients for a number of years, we’ve noticed a number of characteristics that separate those who succeed with their fitness program and those who do not. Those who succeed buy into the “Four Laws of Success”. You must be ready to accept these laws without exception.

First Law – The law of possession.

You need to understand that if you are going to achieve results, it is going to be up to you. The phrases “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me” or “If I think I can or think I can’t, I’m right,” ring very true. You have to take ultimate responsibility for success or failure. Sometimes clients believe their trainer is going to be the one who makes it happen for them. We set them straight right away. All we can do is educate and guide. Our clients must be willing to make and stick to the changes. You cannot completely rely on someone else like a personal trainer or workout partner to make it happen for you and likewise, you cannot blame the kids or your partner for any failures.

Second Law – The law of effort.

Anything worth achieving is worth working for. Exercise and healthy eating takes discipline, will power, character, persistency and a commitment to delayed gratification.

Third Law – The law of consistency.

A month-long effort is not going to get you where you want. In order to achieve any goal, you must stick to your game plan on an ongoing, long-term, consistent basis. Getting off track for a week is no big deal if you are consistent in your efforts. But if you are regularly tempted away from your program, you will not succeed.

Consistency and persistency are the keys to manifesting any goal. Remember that if you want to be 10 pounds thinner 10 years from now, it is not what you do over the next eight weeks that matters, it is what you do over the next 10 years. All the changes we will suggest must be followed for the rest of your life – so of course, we are going to make room for indulgences. The program has got to be realistic if you’re going to stick to it.

There are no short-term, quick fix solutions. Researchers have found only one characteristic common to those who succeed with exercise. All such people move towards their goal one step at a time. They are committed to constant, never-ending improvement. In practical terms, it means that regardless of anything else – busy work schedules, lack of energy, lack of time, feeling old, feeling lazy, hating exercise – they made no excuses! They kept exercising, taking their long-term goals and splitting them up into smaller goals. They took it one day at a time.

Fourth Law – The law of self-efficacy.

If you are already questioning whether or not you can actually make the required changes, you are going to have a difficult time with your program. You must believe you can do it! Think of self-esteem as a bank. Each time you keep a promise to yourself, the store of self-esteem gets bigger, making it easier to keep the next promise to yourself. It’s all about “Results Momentum” – achieving one result gives you the confidence to achieve the next goal. Each time a promise is broken, however, your self-esteem goes down, making it easier to break the next promise. Reinforce this belief in yourself by surrounding yourself with others who are doing or have accomplished what you’re attempting. After all, if they can do it, so can you!

We invite you to read some success stories of those who have used the Laws of Success to accomplish their goals!

“Believe you can and you can. Believe you will and you will. See yourself achieving, and you will achieve.” – G. Hunting