In the letter I shared my personal health and fitness goals for 2012, which just so happened to be the top priority goals for the business this year as well.  If my energy gets drained, or my health takes a turn for the worse, then business slows down and suffers.  That’s not me being egotistical, it’s just the reality of being in a leadership position.

One of the goals I spoke about was the goal of rebuilding and restoring relationships that I have let suffer over the course of my lifetime.  More specifically for this letter I spoke about reconnecting with my father.

My dad agreed to come to Mississippi from Texas for the weekend to join me at a men’s coaching retreat.  I was both very excited and admittedly scared.  It may be difficult to see, but I have a hard time verbalizing my emotions and feelings for those I love.  That’s why I enjoy writing so much…I’m protected by the screen on which I type these words.

So to sit with my dad around a fire with a group of men and talk about the way I feel about him and the desire I have to build a strong relationship with him was frightening.

As the weekend progressed I could tell that my dad was as equally scared to speak into his hearts desire for me, so early Saturday morning I stepped out of my comfort zone and made a deliberate and intentional step toward building the relationship that I want.  I simply looked at my dad and told him that I was scared too.  That I was grateful for him just being there.  And that I loved him.

At that moment the barrier was torn down and my father and I began to grow closer.  We embraced and the chains that held our family from truly expressing our feelings for one another were broken.

The rest of the weekend continued to bring healing and growth.  I had a front row seat to see my father’s heart come alive again!  It was, in one word…AMAZING!

I share this story with you today for two reasons: 1) God did an astounding work in my life this weekend, and 2) It directly shows YOU that when you make a goal and earnestly desire to achieve it, you can obtain that goal…whatever the goal may be.

You see… GOALS don’t magically get accomplished just because it is something you want.  Granted, you first have to determine what it is you want…what it is you DESIRE.

That’s the first step.

But then you have to take ACTION.

You have to INTENTIONALLY and DELIBERATELY align your choices with your goals.

In the case with my father, I had to first invite him to come.  It required me to follow up with him and even when he gave me the excuse of not being able to afford the travel I stepped in and paid for the trip.  I was determined to build a loving, fruit bearing relationship with my dad.  I had a COMMITMENT!

I also had to be in an ENVIRONMENT that was conducive to allowing this to happen.  I didn’t invite him to a noisy bar for drinks to connect with him.  I asked him to a men’s retreat where we sat in a circle around a fire with other men.

Much in the same way you wouldn’t spend all your time at a buffet if you were trying to eat healthier or lose body fat.

But there was something else I learned this weekend that brought it all together.  I learned that I had to TRUST the PROCESS!

Nothing would have changed if I wasn’t willing to show up, take a risk, trust in a proven process, and listen to a coach that guided me through it all.

You want to lose weight?

TAKE ACTION.

Be INTENTIONAL and DELIBERATE with your choices so that they lead to the outcome YOU DESIRE.

Put yourself in an ENVIRONMENT to succeed.  Surround yourself with like minded people that truly want to see you achieve what your heart desires.

TRUST THE PROCESS.

You have to SHOW UP!

And listen to your coach.  If you don’t have one, get one.  They have the knowledge to help GUIDE you through the process.

BUT….

…You have to do the work.

Take responsibility for your own goals and don’t let anyone keep you from reaching them.

When you do, God will show up just as He did with me and my father.

You are ultimately responsible for what you want, but you don’t have to do it alone.

In fact, you and I were never meant to…

While I can definitely understand the hype, and therefore the disdain that has come out of the mass media coverage over the past several years and more noticeably the past couple of months, I merely want to share my thoughts on what I believe makes Tim Tebow so successful, and at the same time so polarizing.  I believe duplicating this trait can help make YOU more successful with your health and fitness goals, and ultimately your life.

There’s no denying that Tim has passion.  You can’t NOT notice it.  On the football field you can see it in his eyes when he’s driving the team to a come from behind victory.  You see it in his emotions when the team scores the game winning touchdown or field goal, which almost instantly spills over into gratitude – another of Tebow’s noticeable traits.  It’s this passion that fuels Tim on the field and has ultimately led to the platform from which he now finds himself off the field.

One of the things that we most often DON’T see is how hard someone works.  But based on comments from teammates like Champ Bailey who said, “I know he’s going to work to get better and be the best he can…he’ll work at it…I expect nothing but the best from him”, it’s clear that those around him the most know that he has a strong work ethic.

Traits like passion, gratitude, and a strong work ethic are all ingredients for the making of a great leader.  Tim Tebow IS a leader.  Two national championships in college and now a turn around playoff run in the NFL are proof of that.  Granted there were some bumps along the way.  I’m sure both Tebow and the Broncos learned a lot about themselves through the process. Tim is also a leader off the field with his unapologetic, uninhibited faith.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and I believe that is what makes him so polarizing.

Tim Tebow is a passionate, hard working, grateful leader.  But as distinct as these qualities are I think there is another that is Tim’s greatest attribute.

It’s not as visible, yet “speaks” louder than all the others traits combined.

It’s a trait that few have mastered (if any) and one that we would all benefit from be better at doing.

I believe that Tim Tebow’s greatest attribute is stewardship.

The verse that comes to mind when I think of the life of Tim Tebow is 1 Peter 4:10.  From the message it reads “Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it”.  Obviously Tebow is blessed with a natural ability to play football and it’s just one of the blessings that he has received.  He’s caring, well spoken, good looking, and now…wealthy (monitarily).

Tim uses all of his gifts to help others.  I would argue that Tim is on this “stage” to show others how it is meant to be done, which is probably why so many people are taking shots at him.  Tim Tebow’s mission, as stated on his foundations website, is “to utilize the public platform that God has blessed Tim Tebow with to inspire and make a difference in peoples lives throughout the world.”

Tim Tebow is generous.  He never takes full credit for success, and yet owns up to his shortcomings in a defeat.  As one author has stated, “it’s not that he usually says the right things… he ONLY says the right things.”  Up to this point Tim has not sat back and coasted on his natural talents and abilities either.  He confronts the critics head on and tells them that he has things to improve and that he will get better.  And you know what?  I believe him.  Why?  Because he follows through.

Look… I’m not trying to deify Tim Tebow.  I’m positive that he’s NOT perfect and that he has blemishes in his life.  How can I (or anyone) be certain of that?  Because he’s human, just like you and me.  But you can’t argue with the volume at which his life speaks!

Stewardship is defined as the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.  Choices are a direct reflection of how well we care for and manage ALL the resources that are entrusted to our care.  And by resources that includes our money, our health, our bodies…OUR LIVES.

We can all learn a great deal from Tim Tebow.  We can live life with more passion.  We can show more gratitude.  We can work harder.  And by aligning our choices so that we are better stewards will make us all better leaders… in our homes, in our business’ or work places, and in our communities.

Just imagine if more athletes took the time to invite a person in need to a game and spent quality time with them to put a smile on their face.  And imagine if you and I did that on a daily basis, reaching out to someone just to let them know you care.  What kind of world could we create?  How much more would our community thrive?  And how much healthier could we be if we simply managed and cared for our bodies with greater conviction and passion?

Think about it.  And the next time you see Tim Tebow, let that be a reminder of how powerful a stage God gives all of us.  Even if it’s not front and center in the NFL, people are watching.

Thanks for reading!  And God Bless!

Clint

…30 RTB clients and their families enjoying a “rockin’” good time at the Raising The Barr Fitness Christmas party.

We all enjoyed a little food, some great conversation, and one crazy, out of hand “White Elephant” gift exchange (seriously, the thievery was thick)

Check out the fun pics we snapped during the festivities.  Pay special attention to the staff and I as we fully embraced the Christmas spirit with our wardrobes.

A good time was had by all!  One of the other reasons we gathered was to announce this year’s Client of the Year winner.  We had a tremendous response with over 470 votes placed for our six finalists…and the voting was close.  All of the finalists are winners in our eyes because of the amazing results that they’ve all accomplished.

But someone has to “win” and we couldn’t be more pleased with the individual that you selected as our 2011 Client of the Year!

Congratulations Suzanne Deaton!

Suzanne has had a great year and her story is an inspiration to all of us here at Raising The Barr Fitness.

Suzanne won a gift package a value $500!  It includes an $100 gift card to Ruth’s Chris, a Viking Cooking School class, a month supply of supplements, and an RTB pullover jacket.  Congratulations to Suzanne for her accomplishments this year and we wish her continued success for the year to come.

And Merry Christmas to you all!  Thank you for reading and may your New Year be bright!

Clint Barr, Owner of Raising The Barr Fitness, delivering the Turkey Busting Workout donations to the Care Center

The Care Center feeds on average 200 families per month.  That’s up 100 families/month just from last year.  And during the months of December and January they feed up to 1,000 families…more than double their normal month.  With the help of our outstanding community, we were able to make a dramatic impact delivering more than 300 food items that will help to feed almost 100 families.

Thank you to all of you who participated or gave a food donation for this year’s Turkey Busting Workout!  We look forward to bringing this event to the metro area for many years to come and partnering with the Care Center to help those in need.

Clint in his Boots

As many of you know I am passionate about supporting our soldiers.  What you may not know is how much I disagree with the reasons we send them into harms way, but that’s a discussion for another day and in a different arena. These men and women deserve to be recognized and supported, regardless of mine, or any others, opinion about the political reasons for war, because they voluntarily step up and put themselves in harms way for the benefit of me and you.

And that is to be commended.

The reason I am so passionate about supporting our troops is because my two youngest brothers currently serve in our armed forces.  Chase is currently in Afghanistan, and Cole just recently returned from Afghanistan.  The two youngest in my family are identical twins.  In ways they are very similar, yet in a lot of ways they are dramatically different.  They both would tell you that the path they have chosen has been engrained in their DNA from before either of them ever served.

Both Chase and Cole were always fighting when they were younger…with others, and each other.  More often then not in fact, they were always in some kind of trouble.  I didn’t understand it back then, and being 6 years their elder I was already out of the house at college when their escapades really heightened.  But make no doubt about it, these two were born to fight.  And not for the wrong reasons, but for all the right reasons as I later learned more about their character.

My brother Chase can’t stand bullies.  He has a passion for helping those who can’t protect themselves, and I’ve seen him take the place of someone who was being bullied to fight when he had no desire to fight.  He literally walked up to the guy who was picking on this person and told him that if he felt like fighting, he’d gladly “scratch that itch.”  And that’s the way he approaches his role with the Marines.  He sees the other men in his unit, those he leads, as his responsibility to protect them and he would gladly take a bullet for anyone of them.

I’ve never seen Chase fear anything.  He reminds me of David about to face Goliath.  Chase has a calm confidence and attacks things head on, with little disregard for his own safety.  He is a true warrior!

My brother Cole has a quiet reservation about him.  He’s more the “lover” of the two.   One thing I have never seen Cole do is run.  He faces the music whenever it starts playing.  In 2 Samuel 23, the Bible speaks about David’s mighty men.  There were 3 that were David’s top men.  Shammah was one of the three.  It states that there was about to be a great battle and when the enemy advanced everyone fled, except for Shammah (2 Samuel 23:11-12).  He stood in the center of the field and took on the entire army.  Cole embodies that spirit.  When others flee, he stands.

I love my brothers.  And I know there are countless others who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them that are cut from the same cloth.  As I said…”it’s in their DNA.”

I want to “stand” with them as best I can.  I do that by showing my love and support for them.  But I want to do more.  So my team and I wear red every Friday to show support and keep these men and women in our thoughts and prayers.  Recently I found another wardrobe item that can make a difference in a real way.  And that is why I’ve posted the pictures of me here with my boots on.

My wife Jennifer and I showing our support in Orlando last month!

There is a great organization called The Boot Campaign.  It was started by five women in Texas who call themselves The Boot Girls.  This organization helps support several Veteran causes by creating awareness, supporting the active and retired military men and women, and by selling military issue boots made right here in the USA, of which $50 of every purchase goes directly to those Veteran causes.

I recommend getting involved and supporting this awesome organization… Get Your BOOTS ON!!

Join me in supporting our troops, our Veterans and their families.  They sacrifice so much without even questioning why they are ordered to sacrifice it.  When they get the order to go…THEY GO.  When they go, they all leave family behind, mothers, brothers, sisters, fathers, wives, husbands, and children.

My brothers’ wives are two of the most courageous women I know.  They go days, weeks, and sometimes months without hearing from their husband.  They hold it all together and encourage them even when all they want is their man back by their side.  They say “I love you, now go get ‘em.”  I don’t know about you, but that might be the hardest thing any loved one can do.

Our military men and women, and their families need our support.  Will you join me?  I hope so.  If not, that’s OK too. My prayer is that one day we won’t have to send our loved ones off to fight in a distant land, but rather they stay within our borders and protect us from any harm that might try to come our way.  Until that day, the day I can literally stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them, I will support them any way I can and know how.

God Bless our troops, and God Bless America!

When asked what she likes most about the Tri-Fitness Challenge Laura said, “I love that Tri-Fitness is an honest and overall fitness competition. It is challenging in so many ways. Since I was a competitive athlete growing up I still craved those challenges. Also, Tri-Fitness is the healthiest competition around! The other athletes are your training partners, your biggest cheerleaders, as well as your competition. It is a family. The atmosphere at any Tri-Fitness event is energetic and uplifting!”

You can read more about Laura’s story and her journey as a Tri-Fitness athlete in the upcoming October issue of Natural Muscle.

All of us here at Raising The Barr Fitness could not be more proud of Laura and her accomplishments.  She truly lives the healthy lifestyle and inspires many others, including her clients to do the same.  Congratulations Laura!

If you’d like to take your fitness to the next level and train with Laura or any of our elite fitness experts request a no-obligation health and fitness consultation today!  It may just be the best decision you ever make.

This results in not accomplishing what you desire to achieve.  Your goal has to be as clear as the bullseye on a target.  Imagine if you were shooting a bow and arrow, but rather than aiming at a specific target you just shot in whatever direction you “thought” would work and hoped aimlessly to hit something close to what you wanted to hit. Your success rate would be pretty miserable.

The goal(s) you set for your body transformation, weight loss, health and fitness are no different.  Without clearly defined and specific goals it’s going to be extremely difficult for you to make the necessary choices or decisions to get to that goal. You must be aiming squarely at the target for which you wish to hit.  When you do that you’ll start to get closer to hitting your target.  And as you learn which choices get you closer to your target (goal) and which ones don’t, you’ll be able to make minor course corrections along the way until…

…BULLSEYE!!

So, your first order of business before starting any exercise and nutrition program is to clearly define what you want to accomplish, or will accomplish rather.  The question you’re asking in your head right now is “okay, how do you do that?”

Well let’s dive into that…

Start With The Big Picture

I’m a big fan of the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (or BHAG).  I think if you’re going to shoot for something you should aim high. Especially with your health and fitness.  And why not?  You should achieve everything you want to achieve when it comes to your body, your health, and your quality of life.

Now…this doesn’t mean that the goal can be so “off the wall” that it reaches into the realm of impossible.  Your goal has to be realistic.  For example, you can’t have a goal of losing 50 pounds of body fat when your body composition assessment reveals that you only have 40 pounds of body fat.  That would yield a negative body fat percentage, and that is impossible to do.

But, you absolutely can, and should in my opinion, strive to accomplish the absolute very best body and health that you want.  As long as it’s realistic and attainable I believe you are capable of accomplishing exactly what you set your heart to doing.

Here’s the key.  It must be specific.  ‘I want to lose weight’ is NOT specific.  How would you measure success for a goal like that?  Is 1 pound of weight loss successful? Is it 5 pounds? 10 pounds?  What is it exactly that you want to achieve?  Be specific.

Your goal must also be measurable.  I agree that feeling better and having more energy are great goals…actually, I think those are more “reasons why” you want to achieve your goal than an actual goal.  The problem with having them as one of your main goals is that you can’t measure them objectively.  You subjectively feel like you have more energy.  You subjectively feel better.  It’s hard to know if you really do have more energy than you did when you started, other than the way you feel.

Feeling better and having more energy are a by-product of you working toward your given goal.  So set your goals for something that is measurable.  By being able to see your progress, you’ll be better equipped to know if what you are doing is working, AND be able to make any adjustments necessary to keep you on track.  In other words, you’ll have the data necessary to make decisions that directly align with your goal.

Have Some Supporting Goals

Supporting goals are goals that give you small stepping-stones toward your main goal. By working toward these supporting goals it will result in accomplishing the greater goal.  So this could be a physical goal like being able to run a 5K, or performing one pull-up, or doing 50 pushups without stopping.  These could also be things like build more confidence, prove to yourself you have what it takes, etc.

These supporting goals should be in direct alignment with your main goal.  Striving to reach them will inevitably help you reach the ultimate objective of achieving the realistic, specific and measureable goal that you set for yourself.  You can also include small breakouts of the big goal as stepping-stones or markers.  This will help build positive feedback and keep you motivated to move toward your BHAG!  And you can do this by simply creating a vision for your body, health and lifestyle.

Create A Vision

In order to have a vision it must have detail and of course you must be able to see it clearly in your mind.  Remember, your goal needs to be clearly defined and specific.  So, once you’ve set your goal and created some supporting goals, you need to create a vision of what that looks like.  The only way to do that is by incorporating detail so the image you see in your mind is real.  As if you could touch it!

Start with what you want to look like and feel like just 3 months from now.  Make it detailed.  What are you wearing?  Are you happy?  Do you like what you see?  These are important questions.  Make the answers to them positive.  The mind will only manifest what it can comprehend and it doesn’t comprehend negative. For example, if you tell yourself “don’t think of red-faced monkeys”, you’re going to conjure an image of red-faced monkeys in your mind.

See…you’re doing it right now!

When you create your vision you have to force yourself to see the best of what you want.  If you dwell on negative aspects of body image or things you CAN’T achieve, that’s exactly what you’re going to get.  So, cultivate the vision for exactly what you want to be like. Do this for 3 months out.  Repeat for 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years from right now.

Once you do that it’s imperative that you continue to work on your vision daily.  Take 15 minutes a day to slow down, close your eyes and formulate your vision.  It’s an exercise that will reap huge benefits over time!  Do this, and I guarantee you’ll exceed what you thought you were capable of accomplishing.

Identify Your Weaknesses

If you want to see change, then you’re going to have to make changes.  Hmm… there’s a profound statement.  But you’ve probably had a goal to lose weight in the past but never really identified the areas of your current lifestyle that might prevent you from reaching your goal.

Simply acknowledging the areas that need to be dealt with will help you to move toward a healthier lifestyle.  These things will vary for every individual, but you have something right now that you are “comfortable” with in your life that is preventing you from living in the body you so badly desire.

You have to get honest with yourself on this one.  Think about your daily routine, or what you do on a weekly basis if you need more substance.  What are some of the areas of your life that don’t align with your goal?  Do you need to eliminate alcoholic beverages?  Do you need to stop eating out or eating fast food?  Maybe you’re just a very busy person and when you wake up in the morning you’re out the door before you even think about eating something for breakfast.  Whatever it is, just acknowledge that there are areas that you need to work on to help you reach your goal.

Set A Deadline

Ok… if you don’t set a timetable for when you are going to reach your goal, then it will never be reached, plain and simple.  Deadlines work!  You know this to be true.  The problem is you don’t want to possibly miss the deadline thereby making you a failure, right?  Wrong!  If you lost… say… 30 pounds of your 35-pound weight loss goal by the deadline you set, how can you constitute that as a failure?  YOU LOST 30 POUNDS!

The deadline will force you to adhere to the plan that is laid out after you’ve set your goal.  It’s the application, and more importantly the execution, of the plan designed to help you reach your goal that will produce the results you’re looking for.  Without a deadline, you’re more likely to waiver and fail to remain consistent to your plan.

Set the exact date for when you will reach your goal.  The size of your goal will dictate the timetable for which you want to adhere to… the greater the goal, the longer the timeline.  For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds, that’s going to take longer than 20 pounds.  Not too difficult to understand.  But you may not know exactly how long it will take you to reach your specific goal.  Ask your fitness professional or your personal trainer for help for how long it will take to reach your goal.

Bottom line…set a deadline!

Putting It All Together!

Now that you’ve set a specific and measureable goal, added some supporting goals, created your vision, identified your weaknesses, and established a deadline it’s time to take all that information and formulate your GOAL STATEMENT.

This is where you are going to make a definitive statement about what you WILL accomplish, how you’re going to accomplish it, and when you will accomplish it by.  You’ll use all the steps talked about previously to help you write this out and make your goal REAL.  This is how you take an abstract thought or desire and make it into a tangible, physical goal that you can see and touch.  You literally give your goals LIFE!

Regardless if you want to achieve 100 pounds of weight loss or drop a quick 10 pounds for your high school reunion, setting goals correctly is the key to achieving the results you desire!  And just like the world-class archer who practices archery skills everyday, you must continue to improve and refine the skill of goal setting so you can hit your TARGET every time!