There are no magic workouts or magic diets or even magic drugs. And certainly no magic supplements.
But there is such thing as magic.
Hard Work is Magic. Download a random program off the internet and you’ll make progress—if you bust your ass. Sleepwalking through The Most Perfect Program Ever will do… next to nothing.
Consistency is Magic. Three days of “perfect eating” followed by three days of whatever won’t accomplish a thing. But a month of 90% compliance (meaning one or two so-so days a week) will yield dramatic results.
Noise Reduction is Magic. Get all the uninvited cooks out of your mental kitchen and follow YOUR plan. (While you’re at it, turn off cable news. Stop inserting yourself into arguments, especially if you aren’t advancing it and just “want to be heard.” You’ll have more oil in the lamp to shine brightly on things that really matter.)
Pursuing Excellence is Magic. How you do something is how you do everything. But have the wisdom to accept when failing to achieve excellence is still better than okay.
If you set out to make the perfect omelette and fall short you still get yummy scrambled eggs.
But if you start out with “just gonna throw these baby chicks in the pan and maybe add some salsa if I can find it” then… let’s just say I won’t be coming over for breakfast any time soon.
Helping People Is Magic. Years ago I was in a funk and someone I looked up to said to help one person every day. Not help them into reading my work or retaining my services—just actually, sincerely help them. No strings attached. And if I ended up solving a problem they didn’t even realize was affecting them, even better.
This was among the best advice anyone’s ever given me. It changed the course of my life and my career, and it STILL works. Even though I have to remind myself to do it from time to time.
I actually paid for that advice. And it’s paid for itself many times over in ways beyond dollars and cents.
But now I’m giving it away for free. All I ask is that you put it into action for a week.
That’s how you pay me back.
It’s magic.
– Bryan