How the 5and2Guy came about…
After reading the Rich Dad Poor Dad book, reading became a big part of my life. I am not talking about romance novels or fiction. I am talking about non-fiction books. Books that can improve all the major areas of my life. Those areas are: Money, Relationships, Wisdom, Happiness, and Fitness. Reading is important, but it isn’t enough. Knowing what to change is important, but it is also important to take action on what you have learned.
Taking action can be easy, but taking consistent, repeated actions can be tough. Since I don’t consider myself one of the world’s greatest minds, I always fall back on my work ethic and effort. In the book, The Slight Edge, it stressed that change doesn’t happen overnight. It happens by taking daily actions towards change, which over time, adds up to success. The actions don’t have to be huge, but need to be identified and taken, consistently. Since I am a big effort guy, with a strong work ethic, small daily actions seemed doable.
As I jumped from book to book, from one area of life to another, I started to learn how to improve my life. I could improve my life based on the experiences of others, what they did, and how they did it. After I read a book, I review it, looking for actions to take that could make a significant change in my life. I record those actions so that I can remember to take them on a regular basis. I then take those actions daily to improve my life. This approach has helped me establish my personal mission.
“I evolve each day, improving in all aspects of my life, with faith and discipline as my guides.”
Taking action, every single day, can be tough. Especially when life pulls our focus in many different directions. Without realizing it, I migrated towards a different approach. An approach clarified in a conversation I had with my big sister. We were discussing dieting and exercise. I told her that I pretty much take 5 days (Monday – Friday) to do the best I can with diet and exercise. I then take 2 days (Saturday – Sunday) to relax, not exercise, and eat what I want. She said, “well, it doesn’t really matter what you do those two days a week. It matters more what you do those five days a week.” This clicked with me, and became my approach. I will work towards positive changes in my life for 5 days a week and then take 2 days to relax.
I discovered that focusing on change 5 days a week has helped me to establish good habits. Habits that carry over to the weekends. I am not perfect on the weekends with my diet, exercise, or improvements in other areas of my life, but that is okay. This is how lifestyle changes don’t seem so overwhelming to me. I will do my best 5 days a week…even when my willpower is low, because I know I get 2 days of fun. Do I “mess up” during the week too? No…I don’t “mess up.” But I do make exceptions. I have established a lifestyle change where I make a conscious exception. If I had a very stressful day, and life threw a couple hard punches at me, I may have a big bowl of ice cream. It makes me feel better, so why not make an exception. By definition, exception is a person or thing that doesn’t follow a rule. What is important here is that this is the exception, not the rule. This change in my way of thinking gave me the 5and2Guy life.
Change is hard, and I know I am not the only one who feels it. I get overwhelmed thinking about making a change that will take a long time before I see any benefit. The 5and2Guy reminds us that we can work on these changes and do our best during the week. We are working towards the weekend. Before you know it, we have established positive habits. Habits that carry over into the weekend and become a part of who you are. These changes that were so tough, are now a part of who we are. We no longer need discipline and willpower to live that positive change.
Become a 5and2Guy or gal and watch how easy it is to change your life!!!