The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

The Greatest Secret of Personal

Change and Achievement Getting
Out of Your Comfort Zone
Hi this is Tom Venuto and youre reading Volume One of the Burn the
Fat audio Coaching Essentials The Greatest Secret of Personal
Change and Achievement. Although this lesson is a short one, I
guarantee that when you finish reading, youll agree that this lesson
lives up to its title and you will probably find yourself reading this one
over and over again at least I hope you will.
But before we get started I first want to thank you and congratulate
you for reading and for giving me the privilege of being your coach.
For over two decades, Ive coached hundreds of people in person one
on one and now I have the honor and privilege of being able to reach
you and thousands of others just like you thanks to the internet and
thanks to our amazing burn the fat community
Over the years, I have seen some of the most incredible
transformations you can imagine. Men and women of every age,
occupation and lifestyle from more than 153 countries have used the
burn the fat program to burn up to 50 pounds, 100 pounds, and
believe it or not, even 200 pounds or more.
Ive also seen many people go from already lean to super lean and
compete in Bodybuilding, figure, fitness or body transformation
contests. Personally, Ive competed in 28 bodybuilding competitions
and I still train with a passion to this day.
So, Ive had a lot of opportunity to see what works. And Ive also seen
what doesnt work and my goal for these audio coaching sessions is
to share everything Ive learned And to go way beyond just what to
eat and how to work out, and also give you the mental and emotional
success strategies to help you stay motivated to stick with your
program so you can achieve all your goals.
I gave a lot of thought to what I was going to talk about for this first
show which is part of the coaching essentials series.

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

The first thing that came to my mind, which probably doesnt surprise
you, was nutrition, because lets face it, nutrition is at least half the
battle and a lot of people believe nutrition is the single most important
factor .
So at first, I planned on starting with a burn the fat nutrition primer
like a top 10 principles of fat burning nutrition all condensed into 20
minutes.
Then I thought about training, because the entire Burn The Fat
program is based on the principle that its better to burn the fat than
to starve the fat - and without resistance training, sure, you might get
skinny, youll never TRANSFORM your body or get much stronger. So I
started putting together a list of the MOST important training
principles the 20% that gives you 80% of your results.
And then I thought about GOALS because goals are extremely
important how to set them, and even more important, how to
program them into your subconscious mind and how to ACHEIVE
them.
But then I realized that as important as all these things are, that I
would have to come back to those topics later, because even if you
have the nutrition and the training Even if you have your goals set in
writing, and even if you have a good social support system in place,
there is still a success secret even more important than all of those
things.
Were going to be talking about body transformations, but there is
Nowhere that this secret doesnt apply, so even though were going to
be talking about fitness or building muscle or burning fat, you may
listen to this and start thinking about how else and where else you can
apply this secret in your life.
So Lets talk about change

If its your goal to change your body, but your

body is NOT CHANGING, theres a reason why.
one of the biggest complaints that most people have on their fitness
journey, is that its hard to change.

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

There are rare occasions where a powerful emotional experience

triggers an instant change in behaviors, in beliefs, in attitudes or in
personality.
But in most cases and especially when it comes to physically changing
your body theres no way around it - Change IS difficult and it takes
desire, focus, and hard work. Its not easy.

Theodore Roosevelt once said that "There has

never been a person in our history who led a
life of ease whose name is worth
remembering."
And if you ask any champion athlete they will tell you the SAME THING
-Bruce Jenner, who was an Olympic gold medalist in the Decathlon
said:
I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to
work hard at it. Whether youre a musician, a writer, an athlete or
businessman, there is no getting around it. If you work hard, youll win
if you dont, you wont.
So I want you to know that this is not a quick fix youre going to learn
today. Its simple truth, and, its sort of a wake up call too.
But at the same time its very liberating because once you understand
this and start living it, youll be able to change anything in your life, you just have to realize theres a price you have to pay for the change
you want

There is no such thing as

something for nothing
So lets get started
What Id like you to do is to take out a full sheet of paper and a pen or
a pencil. If youre listening to this in a car or on an IPOD while youre
working out or doing chores, then you can go ahead and keep
listening, but please, come back to this exercise and DO IT later, and

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

for now, follow along as best as you can as you listen and do your best
to visualize in your mind what Im going to describe to you.
1. Okay, Take your pen or pencil and draw a circle in the middle of
the page, and make it about the size of a golf ball.
2.

Inside your circle, Im going to have you write a few things.

3. Inside your circle at the top, write where I am now.

4. Just below that, still inside your circle, write, what Im doing now.
The space inside this circle represents everything youre doing right
now and everything youre getting as a result. Where you are is the
effect. What youve been doing is the cause.
And you might be doing a lot! You might be dieting, you might be
training, you might be reading your goals and affirmations all day
long, you might seem really busy. And yet, your body may not be
changing.
And thats really frustrating isnt it? How could you be actively training
and actively dieting and getting little or no results?
Well, Have you ever heard the expression do what youve always
done, get what youve always got?
5. Take your pen again and draw another circle around the outside of
your first circle so you have two concentric circles, Go ahead and do
that now.
6. In the space between the old, small circle and the new one, up
there at the top, write the word CHANGE, and write the word
GROWTH.
If youre not seeing the changes you want, even if you have the desire
and the goals and you're taking action and doing thing, its because
you been staying inside that smaller circle.

That circle is called your comfort zone.

7. So Go ahead and inside your first Circle, write MY COMFORT ZONE

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

To grow and create change, you have to expand your boundaries by

stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Now, if thats all there is to it if a little step over that line outside
your comfort zone is all it takes to grow and improve then why dont
more people do it? What makes that step so difficult? Why are so
many people stuck? Why are so many people living with more of the
same?
Ill tell you
8. In the space between the two circles, down near the bottom, I
want you to write some more words:
I want you to write the word, dis-comfort.
I want you to write the word pain
And I want you to write the word FEAR

You see, in the same place that you find growth

and change, you also find pain, discomfort and
fear
The reason most people dont grow is because the very SECOND they
leave their comfort zone, they feel the pain or discomfort, they feel the
fear, and they pull back. They withdraw right back into the comfort
zone.
Quite simply, they are unwilling to put up with the pain of change.
Now this pain were talking about is not necessarily physical pain,
although it could be in the case of training.
Let me give you an example.
Its that feeling when you get to the 9th rep of a weight lifting exercise,
when youre only used to doing 8 reps and it just starts to get difficult
and the muscle starts to burn.
THAT is the point where most people stop. But if you cross that
threshold and squeeze out the 10th 11th and 12th rep, that is where

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

almost ALL the progress takes place. Because youre doing something
you havent done before
All the champion bodybuilders knew this. The late great bodybuilding
trainer from Hollywood, Vince Gironda called this training over your
head. It was the idea of pushing yourself just slightly beyond what
you were used to.
In the bodybuilding documentary pumping iron Arnold
Schwarzennerger talked about this kind of physical pain. He said
The body isnt used to the 10th, 11th, and 12th reps but thats what
makes the muscle grow! Going through the barrier, experiencing the
muscular pain, continuing and just going on. Thats what divides a
champion from every one else. If you can go through this barrier, then
you become a champion. If you dont then forget it.
But were NOT just talking about physical pain, this can also be the
emotional pain of feeling awkward or uncomfortable doing something
new, like a new exercise or working out in a gym in front of other
people
It could be the pain of discipline and sacrifice like saying no to some
of your favorite junk foods, passing up on a night out drinking with
your friends at the bars, or getting up at 5:30 in the morning for
cardio.
To do what is goal achieving rather than stress relieving, takes
discipline. To do what is hard and necessary rather than what is fun
and easy takes discipline. And discipline is a type of mental and
emotional pain
So were not just talking about physical pain and hard physical
training. Were talking about the mental AND the physical
The philosophy of no pain, no gain, has been embraced by a lot
successful people, but its also been criticized a lot and even called a
myth. But let me ask you something -- who is doing the criticizing is
it the successful people or is it the unsuccessful people and the people
who have a magic pill to sell.
There are a lot of people in the diet and fitness industry who would like
you to believe that not only is change easy, but that change should be
easy.
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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

Theyll tell you that if you follow any exercise program that requires
the slightest effort or god forbid, a nutrition program that causes the
slightest hunger, or that asks you to track your calories or keep a food
journal or to say no to your favorite foods and so on that you are
suffering needlessly.
Because their program is pain free and effort free.
Well let me tell you something that is one of the biggest lies in the
fitness industry.
I want to read something to you from a phenomenal book by a
phenomenal human being. His name is Geoff Thompson and his book
is called 'The Elephant and The Twig The Art of Positive Thinking.'
Geoff is a successful man. He is a world-class martial artist who is also
a bestselling author screenwriter and playwright among other things.
Listen to what Geoff says
Get angry with yourself when that negative voice tells you that the
road is hard, get mad and get on with the journey; remind yourself
that it has to be hard, it has to be a difficult road; if it isnt, you will
not grow. Discomfort is a sign of growth, knowing that this is a truth
can bring great solace; it will allow you to be comfortable in your
discomfort.

NO pain, no gain is the truth.

But no pain no gain is also misinterpreted a lot, so its very
important especially when were talking about physical fitness to
distinguish between the BAD pain of an injury and the good type of
pain and mental toughness and discipline thats necessary to grow.
Ive found that a lot of people who are new at this, depending on the
type of personality they have, will actually take this saying literally and
push themselves to a physical injury. That is NOT what were talking
about.
Pain can a tool for growth, but was also built into us as a warning
signal. The pain of a strain, sprain or pull is NOT a sign of positive
growth. So you need to fine tune your senses so you can recognize

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

your bodys signals before you ever reach the point of injury in the
first place. You dont aim for that kind of bad pain and you dont work
through that kind of bad pain.
I think it will help, when youre just starting out, if you dont know how
to tell the difference yet, or if you just dont resonate with the no pain
no gain concept, to change the wording a little bit
NO DISCOMFORT, NO GAIN
Or maybe even better:
NO EFFORT, NO GAIN
Or maybe even

MORE OF THE SAME EQUALS NO GAIN

But whatever YOU call it, the truth remains, if you dont step out of
your comfort zone, you are simply not going to grow or change.
If you studied the highest achievers in any field sports, business,
science, music,
Academics or anywhere else, you would always find that they
understand this.
The highest achievers and the people who get the most results FORCE
themselves to stay at an uncomfortable, awkward new level until the
discomfort finally subsides and they get comfortable at the new higher
level. Then that becomes their new comfort zone and their new higher
level of achievement
90 to 95% of people will withdraw into the comfort zone the minute
the effort gets difficult. Only that small percentage- that 5 or 10
percent, will continually raise the bar on themselves, they will push
themselves into the zone of discomfort, and these are always the
highest achievers in every field
Muhammad Ali understood it. He said, I hated every minute of the
training, but I said to myself, bear the pain NOW and live the rest of
your life as a champion.

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

And thats exactly what he did. Muhammad Ali is not just one of the
most famous athletes in the sports world; he is one of the most
famous people in the whole world.
So am I saying that you have to suffer and go through unbearable
pain just to achieve the fitness and the body you want?
No. Absolutely not. You just have to get out of YOUR comfort zone.
Elite athletes and bodybuilders take this to the extreme because they
have extreme goals. The bigger the goal, the more discomfort and
discipline and sacrifice youre going to have to bear to get there
But all YOU really need to do to make progress to increase your
fitness level, to gain muscle, to burn body fat, to get healthier, to
change your body is to just stick your toes over that line.
The edge of that first circle you drew thats called the threshold. Just
Cross the threshold ever so slightly and stay in the place of slight
discomfort and YOU WILL GROW. YOUR BODY WILL CHANGE.

Go back and look at your circles again

Lets say you MAKE IT
You stepped outside your comfort zone and stayed there
You expanded your boundaries
You grew. You achieved the change you wanted
Heres the most exiting part of all. You can keep expanding
Draw a third circle.
Draw a fourth one
How far to you want to go
How far do you want to grow?
Its up to you. As soon as you reach one level, a new one unfolds in
front of you one that you might not have even seen before

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

Im sure youve heard it said so many times before. We use only a

small fraction of our physical potential and even less of our minds

So How Do You Tap Into All

Your Unfulfilled Potential?
Well first you WAKE UP, so to speak, and REALIZE that you have been
living inside a very small circle. You realize that you have vast
reserves of untapped potential and you are capable of much, much
more.
Let me read something else from the Elephant and the Twig:
This is Geoff Thompson again:
The thing that really excites me, is that there is NO END TO OUR
POTENTIAL our consciousness can grow to infinite levels it is only
limited by fear and we only fear the things we do not know.
So look at where you want to go get the fuel and start the journey.
The fear the you feel initially is soon dispelled; it only exists on the
edges of our comfort zone as soon as crash through, that fear will
go. It always does.
Look at your circles again
Draw ANOTHER circle
And ANOTHER

And now look back at how small the circle of

your comfort zone is compared to what you
CAN become
Do you really want to stay there and live your life inside such a tiny
little space?
Even if you said you wanted to, the truth is you cant because theres
no such thing as maintenance.

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

Look at nature. There is NOTHING in nature that stays the same. Look
at the trees and the plants. They are either growing, or decaying. We
are not apart from nature, we are a part of nature, and we are subject
to the same natural laws.
Grow or die. Expand or retract. There is no staying the same. So if you
say, Im going to play it safe and stay in side my comfort zone, what
youre really doing is shrinking.
You CANNOT hide from this
In the end, you cant avoid experiencing pain of one kind or another.
Its like Jim Rohn said:
We all have to suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or
the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while
regret weighs tons.
So here it is. Heres one of the greatest secrets to personal change and
achievement

All change, all growth, all achievement

takes place outside your comfort zone
If youre not getting the results you want right now. If youre not
changing your body or any other area of your life, the reason is you
are staying INSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
All you have to do is to step outside the comfort zone ever so slightly
and stay there just long enough until it becomes comfortable.
Its at that point youll see the change you were after. And when you
see that change, when you can measure it, , then you know for sure
youve stepped up to the next level and expanded your boundaries.
When you reach that higher level, enjoy the view, savor it, reward
yourself, Celebrate for a little while, but then move onward to the next
level.
I want to leave you with one last thought its a reminder.

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

When we created our burn the fat inner circle logo, we wanted it to
mean something.
If youre in front of your computer or you have access to a web
browser right now, go to burnthefatinnercircle.com and look at the
logo in the upper left hand corner of the website. If youre not in front
of a computer now, remember to take a look at it the next time you
are. The logo is also used at the top of our goal cards, which you can
download from the inner circle website and carry with you.

When you look at the burn the fat logo,

you will see that it is a series of circles,
expanding outward

From this day forward, every time you look at the circles in that logo,
you will always remember the lesson of the comfort zone. Youll be
reminded to ask yourself. Did I step outside my comfort zone today or
did I feel a little discomfort from doing those things that are difficult
and necessary and then pull back.
Remember the difference between good pain and bad pain train
safely, train smart, take small steps and make progress slowly but
make progress stick your toes over the threshold, challenge yourself,
and expand your boundaries.
Thanks for reading and until next time, train hard and expect success.

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The Greatest Secret of Personal Change and Achievement by Tom Venuto

About Tom Venuto

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural
bodybuilder, fitness writer; fat
loss expert and author of the
Internet bestseller Burn the
Fat, Feed the Muscle and the
national bestseller, The Body
Fat Solution. Since 1989, Tom
has been involved in virtually
every aspect of the fitness and
weight loss industry as a
personal trainer, nutrition
consultant, motivation coach,
health club manager and
freelance writer.
He has appeared on more than two dozen radio shows and
podcasts including Martha Stewarts Healthy Living show on
Sirius, WCBS-AM, 1250-ESPN and Blog Talk Radio. his book, The
Body Fat Solution has been featured in Oprah Magazine, First
for Women Magazine, The New York Times and The Wall Street
Journal.
As a freelance columnist, Toms articles have appeared in Muscle
and Fitness, Mens Fitness, Mens Exercise, Natural Bodybuilding
& Fitness and IRONMAN magazine. Tom is also the founder and
CEO of the premier fat loss support community, the Burn The
Fat Inner Circle as well as a widely published Internet writer
and blogger with hundreds of articles online. More than 260,000
subscribers receive his weekly e-mail newsletter.
Tom is steroid-free, hormone-free and 100% drug-free for life, a
supporter of natural bodybuilding and a strong proponent of the
all-natural method of gaining muscle and losing fat. Tom has no
affiliations with the nutritional supplement industry.

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