Getting in better shape isn’t complicated.

There are a few proven, stress-tested methods to get healthy and stay that way. Time, discipline, and consistency are always required. The truth is, most people who want to get in better shape either never start or quit before the magic happens.

Here are the 12 reasons you can’t get healthy or stick with it long enough to see your desired results.

1. You haven’t actually committed.

“Nothing changes if nothing changes.” — Brian Mazza

If you live the way you’ve always lived, you’ll continue to get the results you’ve always gotten. You can’t expect your body to change if you don’t change your lifestyle. …

“Back in my day, we used to wear masks anytime we left the house.”

I can picture myself 40 years from now, grey and old, telling my grandkids about all the shit that went down in 2020. A global pandemic. BLM protests throughout the country. Kobe’s tragic death. The stock market crash. And on and on and on…

Fortunately, 2020 is in the rearview mirror.

Although not always comfortable, the chaos and turmoil forced me to make three important decisions that enormously improved my life.

1. The Decision That Made Me Finally Pursue My Dream Career

I’ve always wanted to be a writer.

I thought it would be cool to grab a cup of Joe from a local coffee shop, open up my laptop, and then start sharing my ideas online. However, despite my nagging desire, I never actually took the action needed to make it happen. …

“Writing online requires an unrelenting commitment to consistency. Writing online means tolerating the fact that pieces you spend hours slaving over are going to go unnoticed, while pieces you write in twenty minutes are going to go viral.” — Nicholas Cole

Virality is near-impossible to predict. Sure, there are some general principles that will improve your chances — strong title and subtitle, attention-grabbing featured image, easy to read formatting — but in general, virality is random and inconsistent.

What you describe as your “best writing” rarely ends up getting the most engagement or views. Because of this, chasing viral articles will lead you down a dark and unfulfilling path. Consistency, on the other hand, is predictable. It’s concrete, easily plannable, and a much more feasible way to strive for articles that gain attention, exposure, and maybe even virality. …

How many people do you know that are 6’5”, live in Los Angeles, run 20 miles a week, and have broken their hand twice punching a wall? I’m going to guess very few if any.

Well, these are a few things that describe me. In addition, I’m a child of divorce, a college graduate, the youngest of three boys, and have completed a handful of marathons and an IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon. Mixing in these additional flavors, there are very few people on this planet with a similar life experience as me.

Although bizarre and unusual, my life adventures are unique to me — both the good and the bad. Not only do they describe me as a person, but they also give me a comprehensive toolbox for generating endless amounts of content ideas. …

2020 was a year I won’t ever forget.

According to a survey done by the Pew Research Center, “one-in-four adults have had trouble paying their bills since the coronavirus outbreak started, a third have dipped into savings or retirement accounts to make ends meet, and about one-in-six have borrowed money from friends or family or gotten food from a food bank.”

In April of 2020, the United States' unemployment rate hit a record high, 14.7%, leaving more than 46 million Americans jobless. Fortunately, the unemployment rates since early 2020 have slowly declined. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 6.7% …

“I don’t know. I’m a pretty private person. But I don’t have anything to tweet, or say, or anything.”

In an interview with Esquire, this was how Keanu Reeves responded when asked why he doesn’t have any social media. Despite having “nothing to say,” Reeves has fortunately been quoted countless times on the internet.

Sprinkled throughout these quotes are nuggets of wisdom, experience, and knowledge — giving us a glimpse into how the famous actor ticks. …

We’ve all been there. You sit down at your computer, excited for a few hours of writing. As your fingers gently rest on the keyboard, your mind goes completely blank. It’s as if your brain spontaneously deleted any good idea you’ve ever had.

You sit there for a minute, trying to think of something to write about. Your dog. That jerk at work. The global pandemic. Not being able to write. Nothing of substance comes to mind. You’re at a loss for words and not sure how to get your thoughts out of your head and onto the screen.

I’ve been there, you’ve been there, and every other person that calls themself a writer has been there. Writer’s block will come knocking every once and a while and ruin the streak you had going. …

Technology is an awesome tool that can help us do pretty much anything — from ordering food to using a robot to clean your apartment.

Like most other industries, technology helps you to do less of the things you don’t like and more of the ones you do. As a freelance writer, you undoubtedly love to write. But too often, you might find yourself spending time doing other things.

These four pieces of technology will help you get back to doing what you love — writing. They’ll assist with administrative tasks, improve your writing, and hopefully make your life happier.

1. Trello

Trello is a unique drag-and-drop list-making tool that allows you to organize your ideas and stories into easy to understand boards. …