SigmaU Blog

I’ll be honest with y’all! I’ve been struggling a lot lately.  There have been about half a dozen life changes and crises happening at the same time.  While most have been positive, the negative ones have beaten me down.

This may surprise you given that I’m a high-performance coach. It has been small compromises in my training program that have led me here. I know this to be true, because I have navigated crises in the past while maintaining my perspective, a positive outlook, and healthy routine.

So, what went wrong this time around?

I allowed myself to take on a victim mentality and I stopped doing the basics that drive high performance.

Now don’t get me wrong, if you saw the laundry list of challenges perhaps you would say that my victim mentality was warranted. It was not and is not and today is a new day.

Today, I choose to manage my energy, to look for the good and the lessons. Today, I choose to get back to the basics, the habits that...

We’re in the homestretch for 2022 and for some this is exciting as you’re right on track with your goals. For others, you may feel a sense of frustration or even dread that the year is coming to an end, and you may miss the mark.

Now is the time to buckle down and get hyper-focused on the goals that matter most to you.

We’ve just had Canadian thanksgiving; Halloween is around the corner and the holiday parties will be starting up in November. This can be a dangerous time for the proverbial wheels to come off as we indulge here, compromise there, and the next thing we know it’s the end of the year and we’ve undone all our positive habits.

I want to encourage you to flip your thinking a little on a couple of concepts that I learned while studying to become a High-Performance Coach. One is that Christmas day is just that, it’s a day.  It’s not a week, month or quarter to celebrate so keep that in check so you feel proud of how you handle...

There is no victory unless a battle is fought and while we may appreciate and long for easier days, the hard days form us. The hardest of times introduce us to the grit and resilience we’re made of. Without the adversity, we might otherwise never know our next level of strength.

I’ll admit that during the battle, it’s brutal. It’s exhausting and it can be easy to become cynical. I’ve found that this is something I have to be hyper aware of so I don’t slip into a negative space. I’m working on being skeptical instead of cynical.

See, there are several reasons why I could be cynical right now. I’ve had friends let me down, people disappear during tough times, people turn the other way when they’ve seen injustice in my life and people placating me with empty words like… “if there’s anything I can do” and then not do anything to help.

I’ve seen the worst in humanity recently and in my personal life I...

There’s an old expression, burn the boats, which refers to a leader charging ashore and telling his men to burn the boats. This meant of course that success was the only option; they would conquer the land and turning back was not happening.

How many times do we pursue a goal with this type of commitment? When was the last time you burned the boats to follow your dreams?

Here are some indicators that you’re fully invested in your goals to make them a reality…

No Back Up Plan

I hear too many people say things like, “I’m going to give this a try for a year and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back to my current job.” This is half committal and sets you up for failure. When you have a soft cushion to land on, the vigor in which you pursue something is lessened.

You and I must be “all in” on our goals. This keeps our focus on one clear path and we’re able to avoid distractions that could derail our success.

Financial/Time...

Earl Nightingale shares a story about a father explaining, The Goose and the Golden Eggs story. In this metaphor, the father explains to his son there is a goose producing golden eggs.  The moral of the story is, most people capitalize on the eggs (car, house, boat) the goose produces rather than carefully nurturing the goose itself!

You and I are the “Goose” of Course! It’s important to nurture our minds and bodies so we can continue to grow and improve.  Without the goose, the eggs are worthless. You can have all the possessions in the world, but if you’re not working on improving your health, what is it worth? You have to invest in your personal development growth as well to continuously evolve and grow into an even stronger, capable goose.

How do you go about that?

Motivational books and podcasts are a great way to feed your mind and soul with inspirational stories and strategies for living your best life.  High Performance Habits by...

When did challenge become such a negative thing in society?

I noticed this recently when I was texting with a friend.  Whenever I added the words hard, challenging or difficult my phone automatically registered a stressed out or sad emoji.

Since when did doing hard things become equated with being super stressed or sad.  It even registered a sad emoji when I entered the word “work”!

We all know that in order to grow and level up we must conquer things that stretch us outside of our comfort zones. As critical thinkers and high performers, we need to challenge the status quo when we see things like auto populated emojis.

The reality is, when I post a picture of a “hard” workout to my accountability partner it’s making me stronger.  When I report to my coach an assignment was difficult, I’m actually leveling up my thinking, questioning and ultimately expanding my mind.  Yes, sometimes it’s difficult to ask ourselves tough...

Accountability starts with you! That can be harsh to hear, but it’s true, and a lesson that I’ve learned over the past couple of years.

No one is coming to hold your hand, or mine, to make sure we get stuff done.  The person who cares the most is standing in the mirror.

We may have friends that support us, accountability partners we check in with and coaches who champion us along; at the end of the day, its up to us to get the work done.

I’ve found that friends and even accountability partners can let us off the hook too easily.  We make a big claim about our fitness, and we falter. Often, we’re met with niceties such as “don’t be so hard on yourself”, “you needed a day off”. While this feels good in the moment it’s not what we need and it won’t challenge or change us.

We make the change every time we decide to make a promise, set a goal, and then do it no matter what. Coincidently, every time we keep that...

Have you ever noticed, you feel most alive and fulfilled when you’re under pressure; working towards something outside of your comfort zone? Perhaps, it’s a Big Hairy Audacious Goal that’s stretching you way further than you thought was possible.

Maybe, it’s a lifelong dream to live somewhere else, start a side hustle, move careers, or take the plunge and invest fully in creating the healthiest body you’ve ever had.

Once you have you goal defined, you can move full STEAM ahead!

S – Spark

When your heart is on fire, you’re lit up and excited about your big goal, you have a spark. A burst of energy that will sustain you!  When your goal gets you excited, you have crystal clear focus and become unstoppable! Even though you’re navigating unchartered terrain, you know you’re on the right path and the energy follows!

T- Time

We create time for what matters most! I once had a mentor tell me time wasn’t my issue; prioritizing...

The good book says that “Iron Sharpens Iron”.  In this case, the message is touching on the importance of selecting associations and friendships wisely.  Hang around people who are sharpening their proverbial axe and they will naturally influence you to do the same.

Think of your iron as your mind and your habits. We have associations that sharpen our iron but we also have control over keeping ourselves sharp with self-discipline.

Some of the ways, in which, we keep sharp are…

• Reading inspirational books
• Listening to motivational podcasts
• Eating clean food and keeping hydrated
• Working out on a regular basis and getting great sleep
• Working on courses or projects that expand our mind and help us grow or skill up
• Associating with high achievers

Some of the ways we dull our mind or self discipline are…

• Excessive eating or drinking
• Consuming garbage food, scrolling social media or consuming the news
• Skipping workouts
• Working overtime and...

Things aren’t always as they appear. We know that our minds can play tricks on us. Just think about some of the shapes you’ve seen in the dark! Things that appear to be wild creatures turn out to be shrubs or bushes.  Things that seemed scary turn out to be nothing at all, but if we’re not careful, they can derail our success!

Recently, I vacationed in Costa Rica.  While I was there, I was determined to stick to my fitness routine.  The very first day, things started great. I did my run and then went over to the bench and started picking up my weights.  I was shocked to discover I couldn’t pick up a 20lb weight, something I had done merely 24 hours prior.

I was frustrated, bummed, and lost my motivation. Could it be because I’m closer to the equator? The magnetic pull?  The 32-degree weather? What the heck was going on?  I went down in weights and used a much lower dumbbell; 8lbs in fact. I couldn’t believe it. ...