That classic meathead archetype: we all know him. 

Hell, at some point we’ve probably all been him, right?

It’s easy to become one-dimensional, to fall into that meathead archetype. 

I know, because I’ve been there.

At 22, I’d just graduated college where I’d spent the last four years living the life of a BMOC. Heading home after graduation, we’d just hopped on the highway when I told my girlfriend:

“I’ll never be that guy again”.

She didn’t believe how serious I was. 

But things had to change. 

Upon arriving at my new home, I stayed true to my word and made massive changes to my daily habits and behaviors. 

• I cut out drinking.
• I started my own fitness business without any clients.
• I got rid of most of my friends.
• I worked 10 hours a day and studied another 4-6.

Inspiring books, such as Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It and Chris Gillebeau’s The Art Of Non-Conformity fueled me and my new work ethic.

I was all in.

These efforts paid off as my business grew many times over; it gave me more experience than any MBA could buy…but it still wasn’t enough. 

Sitting there in my gym one night, all alone on a Saturday night, I asked myself, “Is this it? Is there all there is for me?”

I’d traded social activity, currency, and relationships for being a burned out entrepreneur at the age 27.

You’re Only As Strong As Your Weakest Link

…we’ve all heard the cliché. It’s true. 

As I’ve grown in life, I’ve come to realize that sometimes in order to achieve a breakthrough in one area of your life, you must dedicate your time and focus on another.

My younger self would have never understood this out of pure stubbornness.

Here’s what I mean: 

Let’s say you run your own business. You’re doing well at it, but it’s consuming as hell. As a result, you spend less and less time with your significant other.

At some point, there’s resentment and conflict in the relationship; you start bringing your work home with you and your home to work with you.

Energy stalls, productivity plummets, and your income either stays the same or decreases.

My question for you is this: 

Do you need a new marketing campaign to jolt your business, or do you need to spend your time and energy fixing your relationship issues? 

I’d argue the latter.

We are the sum of all our parts. It’s impossible to compartmentalize the different aspects of your life for long periods of time, and if you can, it’s not going to be healthy for you in the long term. 

So, fix your relationships, fix whatever is your weakest link right now, and the rest will fall into place. 

Cool story bro, but what’s the fix?

If you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you’re a fit person or working towards becoming one.

Despite all the complications we throw into the mix, getting fit is remarkably simple.

You establish habits and rituals that are in line with your goals, and as long as you follow through with them at least 80% of the time, you’re successful. 

Maybe it involves waking up early or hiring a badass trainer; whatever it is, you do it.

I want you to take this concept to all areas of your life. 

OWN Your World: The Daily System

Tony Robbins calls it The Hour of Power. Others call it The Miracle Morning. I’m going to call it Be A Fucking Man.

To keep this simple, let’s say there are four areas of life:

• Fitness: Your Physical Body, Healthy, Gym
• Relationships: Intimate, Family, Friends, Network
• Being: Spirituality, Religion, Connection To You
• Business: Income, Career, Professional Growth

Got that?

We’re going to spend time and energy in each area, every single day, because as we said above, everything’s connected.

We want to raise all boats, consistently, all the time.

The key to making this work is simplicity and consistency.

If you overcomplicate it, you’ll never get it done, and if you do it only occasionally, it’ll never stick.

The Breakdown

Fitness: Stay Active

Every day, dedicate time to your fitness, whether that’s lifting weights, taking a workout class, recovery, or another type of physical activity (yup, sex counts).

You hit the gym yesterday and today is your rest day? Great. Do some yoga, go for a long walk, or spend 20 minutes foam rolling. 

Fitness: Nutrition

The other side of fitness is nutrition, and for me, I simply make sure I take my daily supplements and that I eat right throughout the day. If I want to cheat every once in a while, say fries or a piece of cake, I eat it and I don’t feel guilty. 

Relationships

Here we’re going to practice that cool thing called gratitude and send messages (texts, calls, voice notes, Facebook, carrier pigeons) to two people that we love and appreciate. It can be anybody.

Everyone needs a push and some encouragement; we all have bad days.

Being: Meditation

Do you even meditate, bro?

I do, and like many top performers have written, I think it’s one of the most important rituals we I’ve ever implemented. I do 15-20 minutes, but newbies should stick to a five-spot until it becomes a set routine.

Note: I find meditating in the morning to be the most powerful, and of course, it’s a great way to ensure that it gets done before you get too busy. 

Being: A Spiritual Text

Study a spiritual text. When I say spiritual, I mean anything that is a “higher order” and gives you the power of perspective. It could be religion if that’s your swag, or a book on meditation, philosophy, mindset, or anything that expands the way you’re thinking.

Business

Study a business concept (sales, marketing, systems, career growth, public speaking, anything). Seriously, pick up a Seth Godin book, read a couple pages, and apply it to your life.

And don’t forget to put your own content out there. 

For me, I send a daily email to my newsletter, but for other people it could be a Facebook post, working on a project, starting an ad campaign, or anything that simply constitutes an action. 

I know what you’re thinking.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I get it and that’s why I’m asking you to keep it simple.

You can do everything outlined above (minus the fitness aspect) in 30 minutes. The question, then becomes:

If 30 minutes a day can have a massive impact on your life, would you do it?

This system is powerful.

I’ve done it for almost a year. It’s how I was able to break out of that meathead archetype. I do it on the weekends, on vacations, and while I’m traveling. It keeps me on point, but more importantly, it gives me a sense of grounded power.

That means that once I’ve accomplished these daily habits (and I aim to do it every morning before hitting the door), I’m in a place of being proactive and not reactive.

Said another way: I control my environment instead of my environment controlling me.

My challenge for you is to give it a shot. You can change or tweak the system to your own needs and desires, but give it a real honest shot.

You’ll be amazed at who you become.