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At one point, they were average people, who may have lived a mediocre life and a semi-sedentary lifestyle. They weren’t published figures, nor did they have award-winning physiques. They were just like you and me regular people.

The power of decision is one of the main principles Tony Robbins lectures in his best-selling book, “Awaken the Giant Within.” If you don’t like something about yourself, Robbins states that you should simply change it! If you want to lose weight, gain more energy, become stronger or live healthier, then your first steps to creating change is taking a decisive action and committing yourself to that change.

The Power of Decision
While making a decision to be in great shape seems like an easy decision, it’s a decision many people have a hard time executing. It’s hard to want change because it means you must be unsatisfied with where you are today. Being unsatisfied with oneself requires a deep level of critical reflection. The depth of your dissatisfaction will equal the depth of your desire and decision to commit yourself to change.

Fitness model and competitor Safiya Johnson began competing at age 16. While she had participated in track and cheer leading in high school, she never thought her talents would exceed the high school field. However, as she watched her older sister excel in the fitness industry, she made a decision to test her body, mind and spirit in the quest to creating an award winning physique. Safiya won her first national title at 17. “At that point, I didn’t think there was anything I couldn’t do,” says Safiya. “No dream was too big for me.” After winning Teen Nationals and shooting with popular photographer, J.M. Manion, she made it a point to seize any opportunity in the industry. “I’ve been driven ever since.”

In accordance to Robbins’ success module, Safiya used controlled laser-beam focus to create and shape a masterful destiny for herself. By deciding to be an extraordinary fitness woman, she brought both commitment and clarity into her life.

When you know what you want to become, small daily decisions become clearer and easier. If your goal is to lose weight, it’s easier to choose what to eat, what to do with your time and when to take supplements. By becoming more aware of what you want, you begin to see helpful information everywhere, such as reading an educational article or meeting a motivating person. By piecing goal-directed information, you are able to pave a brighter path towards a future you’re creating. It’s not enough to know to eat six meals a day, take daily supplements and exercise regularly, because as Robbins often notes, “Information is power when it’s acted upon.” Making a decision to complete a goal provides clarity in your actions and consistent motivation to be who you envision yourself to become in the future.

The Importance of Goal Setting
You’ve heard about “setting goals” a thousand times, but what you don’t often hear is why it’s so important. Having focus towards a long-term goal is vital when you make day-to-day decisions that ultimately lead up to that defining end-point. When life gets exciting, stressful or lonely, many people are quick to indulge in short-term satisfactions such as drinking, smoking and/or overeating. By not creating a sustainable goal, you are not preparing for a difficult mental and physical journey ahead. Robbins states, “It’s all the small decisions along the way that cause people to fail. It’s failure to follow up. It’s failure to take action. It’s failure to persist. Conversely, success is the result of making small decisions: deciding to hold yourself to a higher standard, deciding to contribute, deciding to feed your mind rather than allowing the environment to control you.”

Marcus Wheeler, 29, of Max Muscle Elk Grove, Calif., advises all customers to create personal goals. “It is detrimental that goals be set when deciding to become in better shape no matter what fitness level you are at. If no goals are set then you end up wandering around aimlessly without any true purpose for working out,” encourages Marcus. Setting goals, revising goals and completing goals are all part of the process that helped Marcus transform his 160-pound physique at 8 percent body fat to a solid 230 pounds at 10 percent body fat in just a year and a half.

Marcus was never a “big guy,” averaging 145 pounds when he played soccer at Indiana University. However, in August 2009, he made a decision and created goals to become stronger and heavier. He began training six days a week and consuming an array of supplements including MaxPro and IsoExtreme for protein, Pro BCAA and Amino Max for essential fats, Max Creatine for growth, Max Glutamine for recovery, 2Tx for testosterone boosting and Max LiquiCarn for optimizing performance products. Setting both long- and short-term goals was vital in his transformation. “I set new goals on a monthly basis,” he says. “The body is so adequate at adapting to the stress and fatigue that you put it under that I believe it is necessary to always have a new game plan each and every month. In addition, it also helps keep my mind stay focused on training and achieving new goals, which keeps training fun.”

What is your Belief System?
There’s a popular saying, “You become what you think about all day.” So what are you telling yourself? Are you saying, you’re fat, lazy, tired or stressed? Are you telling yourself that you will never amount to anything or complete a real fitness goal? Many people already believe they are going to “fail” a workout/diet program before they even begin. So what usually happens to these negative beliefs? They usually come true.

Many people are overweight, unsatisfied and stressed because they don’t set a higher standard for themselves. They cannot envision future success because they focus on past and present failures. They are limited by what they find possible. If you want to be someone you’ve never been, then you must do things you’ve never done. If you think becoming fit, strong and healthy is possible, then you’ve achieved the essential requirement in manifesting the Fitness Giant inside of you.

Former Max Sports & Fitness magazine cover model, Mona Liza Reyes, overcame many negative thoughts, including attributing her weight gain to her failing metabolism due to her increasing age. Her excuses were coupled with low self-esteem, a mental ailment that prevented her from playing high school sports because she never felt “good enough.” At 5-foot-2 and 150 pounds, Mona made a commitment to run her first marathon in 2002. While the preparation was hard and the criticism from peers even harder, Mona completed her first marathon in 7 hours, 19 minutes and 22 seconds.

In that moment Mona experienced an emotional, life-changing feeling. She asked herself, “If I can do this, what else can I do?” She went on to compete in 15 figure competitions in just three years. In 2006 she won the coveted title of Miss California with the National Physique Committee.

By changing her belief system and building her confidence through goal setting, Mona transformed herself from an average sedentary person to a fitness role model. “Mental confidence boils down to acknowledging your value,” she says. “There is something to be said about someone who makes the time to take care of oneself. When you value yourself enough to take care of your body, it demands respect from the people around you. You can’t expect others to value you, if you don’t value you.”

We all have a fitness giant within us ready to transform our body into a strong, fit and healthy machine. However, if we seek transformation, we must first make a decision to awaken the giant inside of us. We must be willing to commit, set goals and change our belief system. We all have the ability to strive beyond mediocrity and become a person of greatness. Awaken the fitness giant within you – and be who you know you can become. MS&F

By: Maria Kang