Make a way

My brother has just recently begun making his own protein bars.

Forget those store-bought, overthe-counter protein bars containing more than a few ingredients you need a dictionary to pronounce— he’s found a recipe for easy, homemade bars that he (and the rest of the family) can snack on as a healthier alternative.

You can almost say that he found a way to add more whey (protein) in his diet (it’s an awful pun, I know). Last I checked, he was also trying his hand at baking his own bread, so you go, younger bro.

I share this story because my brother is not Superman; he’s an ordinary college student who is trying to hit his fitness goals without breaking his college student budget. So, he makes a way.

I also share this because he’s generally someone who doesn’t get motivated easily (try getting him out of bed before 7 a.m.), but once he does, he exhausts any and all avenues to hit his goals.

There are over a thousand and one different things we can do this year, and all it really takes is finding something you really want to do and sticking to it—making any way possible—for you to meet these goals.

Results aren’t made by playing motivational videos over and over again until you get pumped up enough to charge right out of the gate; they’re made by the small but consistent steps to pursue these results even at the expense of certain things that may be “nice to have” but are not “must haves.”

For instance, now that it’s IEC week, the heavy traffic may make it necessary to wake up earlier just to arrive on time for work or school— making any way necessary. (I’m also trying to convince myself about this, so we’re in this wake-up-early struggle together, everyone.)

Of course, we do make allowances for life getting in the way. We should not get so lost in the trees that we fail to see the forest—long-term versus short-term thinking. But for 80 percent of the goals we want to hit this year, which have short or medium-length time frames, all it takes is a little creativity.

Want to exercise but find yourself short on time? There are 30-minute workouts you can do at home that get your heart rate up and jump-start your metabolism.

Want to save for a trip but find yourself needing to spend a little extra this month? Save up what you can and see where you can scrimp a bit to make up the difference (maybe that cheat day Frappuccino for a few weeks).

The bottom line is that if it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse. So how badly do you want it?

Younger bro, I want those protein bars badly, so find a way to save some for me, okay?