Tony's Rant of the Day

Weight-loss success story, awesome Beachbody Coach, and friend of mine, Jodi Myers sent me this motivational rant from Tony Horton. I hope you like it!


Doing the Right Thing—For the Right Reasons
By Tony Horton, creator of P90X®

We have become the United States of Quick Fixes.

Why are we so addicted to shortcuts, tricks, and magic potions? Far
too many people in this country live in some kind of wannabe
fantasyland. We're trying to keep up with the Joneses without working
as hard as they do. This bigger, badder, and faster world doesn't give
us an opportunity to stop and look at real and authentic ways to
achieve greatness.

How many people have you talked to about P90X® who, when they find out
they have to exercise and eat right say, "Forget it!" There are
millions of people in this country who have absolutely no clue that
you have to work hard, take risks, and be willing to fail over and
over again to earn what's worth having. Hard work, risk, and failure .
. . "Forget it!"

This is a very sad commentary that reveals what we've become in this
country. We have the best of the best in the U.S. of A., but we hold
the record for the highest percentage of fat people. Why do we reach
for drugs, alcohol, sex, food, lies, blame, anger, hate, guilt, and
self-pity far more often than power, courage, discipline, forgiveness,
wisdom, and self-reliance? We've become a bunch of crybabies, filled
with excuses, blaming everyone else for our problems!

The freedoms and conveniences we now enjoy were fought for by men and
women who didn't think twice when it came to working hard, taking
risks, and failing over and over again. This generation's selfish,
lethargic, "woe-is-me" mentality is creating a country filled with
folks who live in a constant state of quiet desperation. Our ancestors
worked very hard to create a world with less stress and strife. So why
are we more stressed out than ever?

The pendulum has swung way too far in the wrong direction. It's time
to stop all the bitching and moaning and wanting, and the just wishing
and hoping and dreaming things will change. We need to start living in
the real world and begin to take some responsibility for what goes on
in our lives. It's time to start exploring and searching and devoting
and sharing and growing and working for what you want in this world.

It's really a matter of right and wrong. We know the difference
between the two, but we still fail to behave in ways that allow us to
be great human beings.

Right                          Wrong
Work out                    Don't work out
Eat healthy                 Eat junk
Fail and try again         Fail and quit
Persevere                    Blow it off
Forgive yourself            Blame others
Listen                         Complain
Be kind                       Be right (all the time)
Find out what you love  Ignore your greatness

This is a short list, but I think you get the point.

The list on the right will lead you down the road of endless
short-lived pleasures that result in lifelong pain, fear, and sadness.
The list on the left (which can be hard at first) will open you up to
a world filled with happiness, joy, and fulfillment.

You might want to ask yourself how history will see you after you're
gone. If you don't like the answer today, then it might be time to do
the right thing.

Peace,
Tony H.