Are you trying to keep busy? Are you trying to stay above water? Are you trying to stay working successfully? I have found the key to staying on top of success is to be humble and treat everything like it’s your first or your last

For instance when you made the decision to do something new and/or exciting you had zeal to be great at whatever it was. Maybe it was your first day as an intern, first day of the new job, or maybe even the day a loved one was born. I bet you couldn’t wait to set the world on fire! Believe me when I say this; if you have a passion and drive it will shine through to whomever you come in contact with and you will find success.

Now treating everything like it’s your last doesn’t mean you put no effort into because you don’t care, as a matter of fact it’s the opposite. If you had one day left on this earth I guarantee you could think of at least one hundred things you would do or even redo. And while doing those things you would savor every moment.

Like someone once said, “It isn’t always the destination so much as it is the journey.” Treat your first like your last and your last like your first and keep your thirst for success the same intensity as when you began the journey!

Having been working for Ultimate-Body (UB) for a year now, I have helped hundreds of people from different ages and physical abilities realize and oftentimes exceed their fitness goals in just a few months. Based on my experience, I have discovered some similar characteristics of all highly successful body transformers, those that have seen significant results that appear only after a few weeks into the program and all throughout their stay at UB. In my opinion, reaching and maintaining a high level of performance is the key to a successful UB experience. In other words, consistently producing one’s best efforts has shown to be the key in seeing incredible results in such a comparatively short time span at UB.

The following list describes attributes of outstandingly successful body transformers:

Attendance Aside from holidays, business trips, emergencies and other obligations, they never miss a class, and if they do they feel obligated to tell us, in the form of e-mails or phone calls, their plans to stay on track with their food intake and workouts. In addition, they usually show up to class even after getting only a few hours of sleep, because they know how much effort they must put in to get back on track if they miss only one workout day. Moreover, they are usually never late to class.

Workout Intensity They always reach their prescribed cardiovascular target heart rates and resistance-training intensity levels. Can you say the same for yourself? If you can, that is a huge step!

Listening Since they trust that the instructors know what they are doing (and they do), successful students listen closely and follow instructions without question, keeping objective viewpoints.

Attitude They always have positive attitudes and try to help and encourage other people in class.

Eagerness to Learn These people usually want to learn new ways to exercise. They constantly ask the trainers how to challenge their bodies in different ways. They know that since the instructors are very skilled at what they do, successful body transformers want to take full advantage of the opportunities to learn something innovative.

Food Intake They never come up with weak excuses on why they did not eat the right foods in the right amounts on the proper days. They tell the truth—plain and simple. In addition, they learn in just the first few weeks what we instructors mean when we tell them to eat as healthy as possible—no exceptions. When they realize that what they consumed was not healthy, they take the initiative to do extra cardiovascular exercise on their own time to delete the extra calories. Stated differently, they see that it is ultimately their responsibility, not the instructors’, to fix the problem.

Moral Support This program requires a great deal of commitment. To this end, there needs to be a strong support network rallying around you, encouraging you to do your best. This is a unique attribute of the program in that there is already a support network in place—your class. Other forms of support exist, like frisco-online.com, friends, family and co-workers. We all need to "lean" on someone when we need help, and having people in your corner to cheer you on is what you will need for this program.

The relatively few people who have gone through the program who have seen only mediocre results hardly ever consistently performed at their best levels. Things fell short in the areas listed above. I doubt that they even realized it no matter how many times we instructors explained it to them. As a result, they oftentimes blamed some aspect of the program rather than took responsibility for their own efforts. We instructors like to always say, "You get out of the program what you put into it," and it is so true!

I read a quote today that possibly summarizes one of the main frustrations we face as trainers. Not just as trainers though, but as trainers who want to change lives and truly make a difference. We are equipped and ready to assist you in transforming your life, but you have to make the choice. Here is the quote by Mark Victor Hansen “Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.”

These words embody the spirit of UB so much that I had to check the quote to make sure it wasn’t actually from Ron Lyons! One of our goals at UB is to empower you with the ability to have self discipline beyond measure. Just taking that first step will get you one step closer to your goal. One step may not seem like much if you have a long way to go. However, that line of thinking really helped me when I started running. When I started getting tired and wanted to quit I would tell myself “Just put one foot in front of the other. Each step gets me a little closer to home.” Having never been a runner in my life, I went from running to the stop sign at the end of my street to running a half marathon in 8 months time. All I did was put one foot in front of the other.

Make that decision to start. Start a program, start upping your weights or intensity level, start making your food choices 100% clean and healthy, start taking control of your life and reach your goals. We are here to help you every step of the way. Just take that first step.

I’ll close with one more quote “Many fine things can be done in a day as long as you don’t always make that day tomorrow.”

Starting January 5th, the newest Ultimate Body contest will begin. Due to the success of the free Body Transformation giveaway contest in the Frisco Enterprise, we have decided introduce another contest.

By stopping by our booth at the Frisco Home and Garden show at the Frisco Convention Center on January 5th, 6th or 7th, you can pick up a window sticker that looks like the round UB logo at the top of this newsletter. When you get it, go to our website and register your license plate online. When we see you driving around with the sticker on your car, you will win anything from free t-shirts to free Body Transformations. Check the Quick Links to find out more about the Frisco Home and Garden Show.