Success Against The Odds

You probably know the bible story of David’s success against all odds against Goliath. Here’s Goliath, all 9 ft 9 of him armed and armored to the teeth and never been defeated, going against David, a shepherd boy armed with a slingshot and a few rocks. On paper, you would give David no chance of succeeding against Goliath, but David won because God had his back. 

Whether you believe it or not is not the point, but considering you can succeed when the odds are against you, that is the point. Please don’t get confused with the Phil Collins song Against All Odds. It’s a love song classic that takes us back to the 80s, a less uncomplicated time with bagger pants.

Thanks, MC Hammer.

Anyhow, where was I? Yes, success against the odds. You’re probably thinking, what the heck does this have to do with health, fitness, and all things goal-related? Substitute you in as David and your lofty goal as Goliath. Like you versus the weight scale

Let’s dive in on how you can get on the path to success when the odds (and not Phil Collins) are stacked against you.

Success, It Depends

Before going any further, let’s define success and what it means individually.

Here are two popular definitions of success.

Achieve the desired aim or result.

Or

Attain fame, wealth, or social status.

For some, getting out of bed unassisted because they don’t want to or are suffering from back pain is a success. Or a social media influencer” ( I use this very loosely) achieves the goal of 100K followers.

What you define as success is individual to you. Success can be significant, like getting that job promotion you have always wanted or being happy with the number on the scale. Or it can be small, like making the bed or knocking off a few to-dos on your to-do list. Either way, we all like to succeed and not fail, no matter how big or small.

I thought I’d get that out of the way before moving further. How do you reach your big goals when Phil Collins seems to be stacked against you? Let’s get into that.  

First, A Personal Tale

I’d be the first to admit I’m not a shining example of success, but I have overcome some odds to get to where I am. If you don’t like bragging and stuff, you could scroll down to the next section, and for those who will read, I’ll keep it short.

I opened a gym in a small country town where I didn’t know a soul to have a stable income and a couple of long-term clients.

I freelance for Muscle & Fitness and Garage Gym Reviews, a couple of the biggest websites in the exercise space, after starting to write for my local church newsletter and failing English in high school.

I have published an article a week here for over eight years. It used to take me almost a whole week to write a blog post, and now I’ll pump out a couple a week.

Plus, I successfully deadlifted twice my body weight after herniating three disks in my lower back. It took me a while, but I finally achieved it. It’s not a massive level of success when measured against others, but I’ll take it in my book.

What successes have you had? Think about it for a moment. Doesn’t that feel good?

Success Against The Odds

The very fact I’m earning money from writing words still surprises my wife, my mum (both with English degrees), and probably all my high school English teachers. And to those who knew me as some skinny wimp over 30 years ago with now a modest amount of muscle. But enough about me, as I’m using me as an example to make a point.

I’ve overcome some odds and significant family doubts about whether I could make a living doing what I was doing. You realize it is hard to make a change or to chase goals when you have the backing and belief of loved ones and friends.

But it’s doubly hard to succeed when people openly doubt you.

For instance, in my training career, I have had a few clients flame out in their weight loss efforts because they didn’t have the support of their spouses. Some even hid the fact they were paying for training.  

So, how do you achieve success (according to you) when you have odds (not Phil Collins) stacked against you?

It’s not complicated, and you’ve probably heard it before, but you must have an inner belief. You must believe you will succeed, or how else will it happen? It is great to have the support of loved ones pushing you, but if you don’t believe in yourself, it will not happen.  

David believed he could beat Goliath because God had his back. But he thought he could do it, too. Success against the odds is always possible if you believe in yourself and stay consistent.

Wrapping Up

When reaching for success, you will take your knocks and fall flat on your face for a time or two. Now, I’m not going to feed you hard work pays off line, but I will remind you once again that success is possible if you believe in yourself. When other people match your belief in yourself, watch out world.

Email: shanemcleantraining@gmail.com