TCC?

In 2008 I weighed 230lbs. In 3 months, I went from 230lbs to 170lbs. Back then, my gateway to fitness was P90X. One of the things I heard during those exercise videos was “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was your body. Just keep pushing play.” And that is what I did. I just kept pushing play. I kept pushing play through the frustration, the exhaustion, the disappointment in myself, the anger at how I allowed myself to gain so much weight. Despite all of that, three key things were necessary for my success: Time, Consistency, and Commitment. I reached my goals and then blew past them. That was 11 years ago. Now I help others reach their goals. I primarily work with veterans and First Responders, helping them reach their fitness goals. In the process, they become both physically and spiritually fit.

So what is TCC? Personal Training is a fulfilling job because you get to see people accomplish their goals and witness the manifestation in their physical appearance.

But often times people fail to reach their goals because they are missing one of three key components to accomplishing their fitness goals. We often take what is simple and unnecessarily complicated it.

Time

We all know what time is. It is something we can give or something we can take. It can be beneficial to us or it can hinder us. It is simply a measure or measurable period, where an action, process or condition exists. So really how much time is someone willing to give to something. Minutes? Days? Months? Years?

Putting in the time can help create proficiency at something and encourage consistency in that practice.

Consistency

Consistency is defined as: harmony of conduct or practice with profession. Repeating the same procedure over and over again because it works and has been successful is important because it will help identify the benefit of the action which will develop commitment to the practice.

Commitment

We should all understand commitment. We do it everywhere without realizing it. If you work the same job every day for years, then you are committed to that job. Commitment is simply adherence to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty. So, when we say someone is committed to something it means they will stay with it no matter what. It is another way of saying “mental grit.” Nothing will stop a person or get in their way of finishing what they started. Even if it means they fail 100 times, they will get up and do it again.

These three practices of Time, Consistency, and Commitment will lead to successful outcomes if someone is using them to reach a positive goal.

TCC, is what’s needed to finish and finish well. But if one is missing it can derail the whole process. Someone can have time, though if they are not consistent and committed, may see limited success but never the full scope of their goal. If they could not stay consistent with their diet and exercise, missing a day here or there they won’t be dialed in and again, see limited success. If they are not committed to the goal, they don’t really have the mental grit to continue for the long haul and will never arrive at the desired outcome. They may have consistency, commitment, and even though they have the mental grit and the ability to stay on track with diet and exercise, if they are not willing to put in the time, they won’t be successful.

Fitness is not a sprint, it is a marathon. The body does not change overnight; it can take months sometimes years to see the results, depending on the goal. The most successful people are able to maintain that fitness by taking it one day at a time. They are consistent. They don’t allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the amount of days, months, or even years it will take to reach their goals, they just take it one day at a time.

Fitness helps in a number of physiological and psychological ways but fitness, ultimately, does not solve the one thing of greatest importance – the healing of the soul.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 “So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

I can train and train and become extremely physically fit but if I do not spend time with Jesus and build a relationship with Him, none of that physical ability will mean anything.

I said it takes Time, Consistency, and Commitment to become successful in physical fitness but this is also true of our relationship with Christ. Just like relationships between humans require time to form a deep connection, so does our bond with Christ. It takes time to build that relationship and for us to rely less on ourselves and more on Him.

Think about it- If a stranger came to you and said, “Hey, I climb mountains and have been doing it for years. Come climb with me. I will be the lead climber and I will lead you onto the safest path.” Would you be willing to count on this stranger you have never met to safely guide you? What if you had a trusted friend you have known for years ask you the same thing? It might still be scary at times and you are relying on them to get you to the top but you feel safe because you trust them.

Christ is willing to lead you on the expedition of a life time and you need to start training. It takes time to build trust, consistency to create authenticity, and commitment to walk the path- do you have what it takes?