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Together, we’ll dive deep and find the strength to never give up because Great Things Take Time.

Over many years I’ve been in the business of helping people reach their goals. Starting from “I want to help people,” it transitioned into personal training and a journey that led me where I am today. Again, I’m no expert, but there are patterns I’ve seen repeat themselves, both in those I’ve coached or spoke to, and myself. This is where Obstacles to Your Great Things comes in, this week it’s about getting specific.

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Here's what's in today's email

• The Obstacles To Your Great Things: Getting Specific

• Moments with Maurice

• What's Got Me Smilin'

The Obstacles To Your Great Things: Getting Specific

Most of us roughly know the things we need to get done to achieve our Great Things, but we often refuse to look at the things that are blocking us. Avoidance is a strange thing, and we do it for many different reasons, each unique to us. But hey, we’re only human and if we had it all figured out, what fun would life be?

If you want to use me as an example of what NOT to do. Take my mission statement for life I mentioned earlier, “I want to help people.” 

Great, Adrian, that’s noble and all, but what does it MEAN? Are you helping someone avoid texting their ex? Survive adulthood? Are you trying to save lives? Is your mission to sneakily let someone know when they have something in their teeth? Are you going to put on a Spiderman costume and swing through the subways saving people from taking the Uptown train when they need to go Downtown?

Do you see what I’m getting at? Without a focused statement or goal, forward progress is diluted by the inability to be clear and direct energy and effort. 

This is why I shared a blueprint to a successful weekend on Friday. We all need to our days off to provide us with something, whether it be a break, a side hustle, or further development of our goals. If we aren’t intentional about what we want to get from the weekend, we’ll come back on Monday feeling like we aren’t fully ready for the week ahead.

Being specific is hard. There is safety in the feeling of generality, if you cast your net wide enough, you’re bound to catch something. For many of us, this is why we keep things general, we’re too afraid that being specific will mean we’ll realize that we aren’t up to par. 

When I was in debt I had to be specific and honest with myself about how to get out of debt and stop trying to live a life I couldn’t afford. I needed to know where to say no versus going out thinking “I’ll be better tonight and spend less.” What does that mean?! It’s too general and sets me up for failure.

When I was unhappy about prioritizing the wrong things and burning out, causing me to miss my last opportunities with Nana, I had to honestly look at my life and what I wasn’t focusing on. I had so much regret about not making time for her, and I had to really take a deep look at myself and how I was living my life. “I’m going to prioritize the things and people that mean the most to me” is still too general, but saying “Every Friday at 7pm I’m calling my mom,” is a specific action I can take and hold myself accountable to do.

Do I have it down? Absolutely not! There are many times I fall back into old patterns, but the key is being able to acknowledge when I’m not being honest with myself and avoiding getting specific with actions and needs.

Your energy is finite, what you focus on is where your energy will go. If you don’t have a clear and specific direction, you can imagine that you’re trying to clean your sidewalk with a sprinkler vs. a pressure hose. You’re slowly getting the job done, but you’re wasting a lot of time and water in the process. 

It’s no wonder I felt stuck and unfulfilled in my life, the wheels were turning but I wasn’t going anywhere. Kinda like how Frankie doggy-paddles the air before we put him in the water. 

So how do you get specific and break the fear of narrowing down a purpose statement that will allow you to achieve your Great Things? 

What are your interests, your hobbies and the things you like spending your time doing? You don’t have to repeat them exactly, but it can help inform where you want to go with your life.

Consider the lifestyle you want and how it relates to your family. Is what you want to achieve out of life the thing that will support you? Or is it a past time? What level do you want to be performing it at? Consider time allocation as well. 

Split your opinions from the opinions, judgement and expectations of others. It’s what YOU want. Go back to the newsletter on opinions if you’re struggling with this one. 

Start making a plan. Don’t get caught up in perfection. 99% of the time you will find out there is something you didn’t like and you’ll need to pivot. Don’t use this as an excuse to put off declaring something. Start now. 

Great Things may take time, but that doesn’t mean they should take longer than they have to.

Moments with Maurice

If you only pause to reflect on your life for one moment today, do it now.

When I wasn’t sure what GTTT would mean, I had to get specific.

The concept of the GTTT Tree literally grew in front of my eyes when I forced myself to stop avoiding getting specific.

At the base, a woman sits in lotus pose honoring that you must go inward to listen to your own voice.

From there, a tree grows out behind her, with branches that comprise each component of GTTT (personal growth, career & ambitions, relationships, health & wellbeing, financial stability, creativity & mastery, mindset). Each of these seven branches breaks off into smaller branches, encompassing the nuances you must explore of each component until you reach the end of the branch where a beautiful cherry blossom flowers: your Great Things.

Like a cherry blossom tree, it can take time for the flowers to bloom. If something is diseased or broken, that may interfere with the blossoming on one part of the tree. Occasionally, you need to cut things back to start from the beginning. It’s an organic being, there isn’t an exact blueprint forward.

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

Coming Soon To A Device Near You

There are some new strength things headed your way. Stay tuned and get your muscles ready!

Not My Cars (but I can still drool over them)

This is the 1975 BMW 3.5 CS, it is one of the most iconic racing cars of our times. This car was driven by Ronnie Peterson and Brian Redman. This was the first CSL to win a Group 5 race. Compared to their current race car sitting next to it, makes me smile seeing the innovation over the years

It’s okay to have FOMO when you get epic recaps from your friends. The photos below are from friends who went to Bimmer Invasion, one of the main events for BMW lovers. While I couldn’t go, it was neat to see my friends’ cars displayed inside: a badge of honor in the car community.

XM Interior

When you get in the XM and turn it on, you’re greeted by a movie soundtrack-like sound created by Hans Zimmer and Renzo Vitale. If doesn’t make you feel like you’re starting off the day as a superhero, then I don’t know what will.

Remember:

-Adrian