What I'm Learning from The Biggest Loser

I'm a reality show junkie. It's like a car wreck to me... I know the shows are going to be hyped up, dramatizations of real life, but I still enjoy watching and wondering what these people will do next. Who is gonna crack? Who is gonna cry? Who is gonna fight?

At the beginning of the year, I did what so many others did and resolved to become more physically fit. For some strange reason, I thought watching The Biggest Loser would help me on this goal. In case you were wondering - it hasn't. But what it HAS done is help me view my business in a new way. Bear with me while I describe what lead up to the moment that made a light bulb go off in my head.

In the last episode, one of the trainers (the more in your face one), Jillian, confronted one of the ladies on her team, Laura. This gal has never pushed herself 100%, though she swears that she has. She works out... and it looks like she's working pretty hard... but while the others are putting up big weight loss numbers each week (10-14 lbs even), Laura is consistently at 5 or below. There were a couple weeks that she lost 8, but it's never been any more than that. It's been an ongoing battle for Jillian to figure out how to get Laura to push herself harder. She was at such a loss, that in this particular episode, she did the meanest thing I've ever seen someone do on this show...When they were all in the gym working out, Jillian made every single team member (including Laura's best friend) say who was the weakest link in the team.

Every single one of them said Laura.

Then Jillian asked Laura why she thought that was everyone's answer. Laura did nothing but sit there and cry. Jillian pleaded with her to say something, and when nothing was said, she walked away. I found myself hurting for Laura and wished she would see WHY Jillian did that. Thankfully, later in the show, Laura and Jillian sat down and discussed it.

Jillian explained to Laura that she doesn't believe that Laura is the weak link. Laura believes she's the weak link and is therefore projecting those feelings on others. She has a victim's mindset. She doesn't truly believe she can lose the weight, so she subconsciously sabotages herself every time she tries and makes others think she is weaker than she actually is.

This is something that I think a lot of people go through at some point in their lives... And I hope you can see how this pertains to building your business.

You will not succeed until you believe you can.

It's that simple. Sure, you're talking to people. Sure, you're telling your story. Sure, you're doing the training. You're going through the motions, yet your business is staying the same and you wonder why. You wonder if you actually deserve to be successful. You wonder if something will ever give.

You know what? It won't.

Nothing will ever change in your business until something changes in yourself.

You can want it... but if you don't believe you deserve it, you're just spinning your wheels. Desire is important... but belief is mandatory. If your business isn't booming and you feel like you're putting everything you have into it, you're not. There is still more you can give, but you have to get over the roadblocks you've created for yourself.

You have to KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that you ARE successful.

Did you notice what I wrote? Go read it again... it's okay, I'll wait.

Did you catch it that time? Here's the hint. I didn't write "you will be successful," I wrote "you ARE successful."

Don't wait for the numbers to start showing up before you start acting like you're somebody. Be somebody right now.

When you start believing in yourself, believing not only that you can do it, but you damn well deserve it, things will start to happen. You will carry yourself differently and people will take notice. Not only will your business start growing, but you will have such a change in your mindset, that you'll start to see your whole life in a different light.

Stop being the victim. It's in you to make it happen.

So quit crying, and get back in the gym.