It’s probably not two topics that you would put together, but there are so many correlations between all the lessons I learned preparing and competing at my recent body building bikini competition vs what it takes to run, market and brand your business! It was one of the best experiences of my life and while many people think they couldn’t do it, you’d be surprised what you are truly capable of when you just do it one day at a time.

The biggest take home for me from my recent bodybuilding competition, is that I want to apply all that I have learned over the past 2 years about myself through that experience, across all aspects of my life. 

Most people achieve success in a handful of areas of our lives, but imagine if you could achieve that across EVERY aspect of your life. From your relationships, to your finances, your health, education, your business… imagine feeling really successful in every area of life!

And, as Tony Robbins says, we greatly overestimate what we can achieve in one day and grossly underestimate what we can achieve in 10 years! I really learned this lesson from my body sculpting journey. I couldn’t change my body shape in a short period of time. It honestly took two years for real change. The progress was slow and often uncomfortable. It really was a matter of showing up every day and putting in the structured work in the gym, in my diet, and being disciplined enough to show up and do it all again the next day, and the next week, and the next month.

So when it comes to marketing and building your business, or your personal brand… it’s the same principal. We expect it to happen in a matter of weeks or a month, when realistically it might take a couple of years. But is 1 or 2 years a long time really in the grand scale of things? Not really. Not when it’s life changing and permanent.

So here goes… here are my thoughts in no particular order:

1. Your desired outcome and action plan - We need to have a plan. If you just start with a goal but no idea of how you’re going to get there, you won’t get there.
2. When you don’t have the knowledge… get a coach to mentor you! If this is an area that you don’t know what you’re doing, then work with somebody that does. And the more qualified they are, the better
3. The Universe will test you along the way! You better believe it! Nothing is a coincidence and each challenge is a step to see just how bad do you want it. But it makes the end result so much sweeter when it took a bit to get there. Because let’s face it, if it was easy… everyone would be doing it! And that includes running a business!
4. Stick to a routine with your Action Plan
5. And make sure it’s customised for YOU.
6. Set yourself up for success.
7. Set goals and make them achievable so each month you feel like you are having a win. Share your goals with people, so you’re more accountable and more likely to achieve what you set out to do. Understand that you are never finished, you can always achieve more. 
8. Your coach needs to be personal and constantly working with you on your mindset, because they go hand in hand.
9. Work towards a clear outcome at the end. It has to look like success in your eyes.
10. Be aligned with your coach’s motto! My coach lives by Dedication. Determination. Discipline. And that worked for me! But don’t forget to make it fun because, you need to enjoy this. Do the hard actions first thing in the morning. Make them your absolute priority.
11. Repetition is what will get you there. There are no shortcuts. It’s not glamour - but it looks glamorous! It’s 5% appearance and 95% grit… just like building your brand!
12. Make sure your goal… is your goal! Don’t compare yourself to others. This is your journey, and your outcome. You get to measure your own success on how it makes you feel, not what other people think.
13. Be surrounded by people that share your vision, or at least support it. Accept that some people will just not understand or respect what you are trying to do, and will be happy to vocalize that to you!
14. Understand that you will feel uncomfortable, And you will need to challenge your comfort zone. Don’t be half assed, if you want true success, you need to go all in.
15. Get excited about learning new stuff, and never think that you know better. You have to be ‘coachable’, so don’t be trapped in your ego.
16. Understand what the numbers mean. The numbers on the scale, the numbers of your calories… the numbers in your business and the numbers in your marketing analytics… they all tell a story and shouldn’t be ignored because they tell the truth. Trust the process, and don’t be afraid to make changes along the way. Measure as you go. Constantly look at the success performance indicators to make sure you are on track.
17. Visualize you in the success as you imagine it. Self-belief is crucial that you believe you can achieve this goal. Do not listen to the knockers. You may need to change your tribe.
18. Be + Do + Have Model. Who do you need to be right now, and what actions do you need to do, to have what you really want to have?
19. It’s your unique challenge and your goal.
20. Be prepared to be challenged. It’s never smooth sailing. Nothing ever runs smoothly. Don’t use this as a reason to give up, find a way to turn it into a positive. The universe is constantly testing you!!
21. What can you do that is that 1 or 2% more? Look for ways that you can be better, even if it’s just one percent, because doing something one percent at the in the early stages with a lot of repetition, can end up with a 200% outcome in the big picture.
22. Self-belief and love yourself. Work on yourself, develop your mindset, work on the blocks that might be getting in your way from succeeding. Change your self talk. “I am” statements versus I hope. Love yourself. Make a promise to yourself, commit to it, and keep it every single day. It’s not selfish to want to achieve the best for you. And if you are around people that don’t support your dreams, then perhaps they are the wrong people. You are worth it, and your dreams are worth it, and when you go all in you will achieve anything you want to.
    Lack of self-belief is the biggest killer of all dreams. If you can’t believe it’s possible for you, it never will happen. It’s masked as busyness, procrastination, overwhelm, fatigue. Work on your self belief daily, and lead with love, but fear.
23. Don’t beat yourself up… just do better next time! Understand that nothing amazing and long lasting happens overnight. It will take time. Enjoy the process. Ensure and share your knowledge.

Focus, commitment, small daily growth, and staying the path is all you need for radical improvement and long-lasting success.

Why don’t you look at one area of your life that you know you are excelling at, look for the success indicators and what you do consistently to make that happen, and then apply those traits to other areas of your life that you aren’t doing so well.

And I guarantee, if you stick with it, you’ll see a massive transformation. You just need to stay focused and remember the real transformation comes after repeated daily actions that might take some time but will be so worth it in the long run! And if you’re just not sure where to start, get in touch, I think I can help you!

If you want to check out the BTS videos of the actual competition and the lead up 3 weeks to the big day... check out these videos here!

PART 1 – 3 WEEKS TO GO! MY FIRST ICN BIKINI PREP OVER 50’S https://youtu.be/X1J4uSc5dnU

PART 2 – PEAK WEEK! ONLY 1 WEEK OUT FROM SHOW DAY https://youtu.be/7etS-T3TUdY

PART 3 – ICN BIKINI OVER 50’S – SHOW DAY! https://youtu.be/CmMrVJBHIAc

Hope you enjoy the series, and if you do, please share with a friend or colleague that might really benefit from this information. And don’t forget to like and subscribe to the YouTube channel.

CHECK OUT MELISSA'S PODCAST CONNECTED & CONFIDENT
https://open.spotify.com/show/3qjDygWEcmx7shv6cy7Fln