I was recently fortunate enough to travel to Alaska for about 11 days of majestic mountain views, hiking, nature walks, local foods, history and relaxation. Literally everywhere you turned there was an ice-capped mountain range for your eyes to marvel at, with scenery to match. It was an incredible time, but that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about.

What I want to talk to you about today is something that became clearly highlighted for me as I walked the streets of Alaska: you can only feel as good as your decision making process. What do I mean?

While in Alaska, I found an interesting divide between the restaurants featuring locally-grown, organic foods and the restaurants offering diner-style meals and traditional comfort foods. “The Great Choice” between eating for comfort and convenience vs. eating for personal energy and vibrant health often seems like it comes down to external factors – aka what restaurants are around in the area, how hungry you currently are, how much money you have in your wallet, etc. As much as this can appear to be the case time and time again, I’m here to tell you that “The Great Choice” doesn’t come down to external factors…rather, it’s your decision making process.

Let’s take a look at a few examples together.

Running through the airport? Waiting for a plane ride? The layover? The flight? It all adds up, and it’s one of the most common places for bad decisions to take place. You’re tired, dehydrated and slightly more irritable and frustrated with the downfalls of traveling. If you see this coming in advance, you can make the ultimate healthy decision: pack your own meals and snacks ahead of time. You’re not limited to the food available at the food court (even though many options are becoming increasingly healthy and delicious). I may grab a smoothie at the airport, but it all depends on the ingredients. If it’s a sugar-powder-filled-packet mixed with water, I’m out. If it’s fresh fruit and other real foods, I may be in. But I don’t rely on that perfect meal to be there for me. Simple solutions come into play here – and not just for the airport, but all the times you’re on the run  (traveling, at work, just “on the go”, etc).

One of the simplest solutions available is in fact a smoothie. This can be with any high-quality protein powder (an example would be SunWarrior Protein), fresh fruit (especially berries), vegetables (particularly green, leafy vegetables) and anything else you’d like to add in. Many people add in things like peanut butter, coconut water and/or flesh, coconut oil, olive oil, nuts and seeds, etc. You can literally get in an entire healthy meal and blend it up into something that tastes like a dessert. That becomes your “on-the-go” meal – instead of an excuse. The power of this one simple habit can revolutionize your mood and health while at work and traveling.

Another example would be straight from my trip to Alaska. Instead of going for an easy-to-grab, heavily-processed bag of trail mix, our entire family made our own for hikes and traveling. It was made up of just 3 things: goji berries, cashews and chocolate chips (natural, gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate chips :) Compare that to a traditional trail mix with food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and everything else under the sun! The idea of a trail mix is perfect – just step up your game and don’t settle for the fake stuff. The difference is night and day.

To be clear, I’m not saying you always have to have 3 days of meals packed in the back of your car at all times. I’m saying that you’re the one in control here, and it’s your responsibility to tap into clear decision making to get the kind of results you’re looking for. If you know you’re going out and might have to purchase and/or find a meal, you can prepare in advance by making a meal or by getting creative if you’re just not finding what you want. Go to the grocery store! You can get a bag of groceries that’ll last for days for the cost of a night out at a mediocre restaurant, and head out on a picnic or nature hike for free to top it off. You’re only limited by your own ability to think creatively.

I’m sure you get it by now – you’re the one in control, and you can and should take 100% responsibility for the actions you take, as well as the results those actions bring you. But how can you consistently tap into that source of inspiration and motivation in your daily life? How can you always make the “right” decision? The key is to be aware of your decision making process in the first place, and to use it strategically to get what you want. When we develop clarity on exactly what it is we want (be it gaining weight, losing weight, building muscle, increasing endurance, or anything else) then we develop a “feel” for what the right decision is. When it comes down to choosing one meal over the other, to get in a workout or not, to help a friend in need or sleep in – all it takes is an awareness of that decision being made. In that state where you’re completely conscious of which decisions are on the table, you’re able to see all of your options clearly and make a decision based on reason – as well as take into account the signals your body is sending you.

Muscle testing has been a phenomenal success in proving that we (our bodies) often know the right answer or decision nearly instantaneously and respond much more strongly to that over the weaker decision (although we may consciously choose the wrong one with our minds). On some level, we all know this to be true already. Sure, it often feels easier to stay in bed in the morning. The decision making process here is whether to spring out of bed in the morning or take it easy for 10-15 more minutes. The decision that usually makes more logical sense is to get up and get the most out of your day! The emotional decision that feels easier is to stay in bed and sleep in. Here’s where it gets interesting…

I was once told that the exact moment where making the right decision is the hardest is when your personal power grows the most. I’ve found this to be true in my own experience. When you feel the most tired and REALLY just don’t want to hit the gym, do it anyway. Not only will you feel great physically, you always feel great mentally when you know that you’ve just made the more powerful decision, or the “right” call. This certainly applies to your health, but it also applies to every other area of your life. That moment when you really want to buy something expensive that you don’t exactly need but would really like to grab? If you’ve got other higher goals financially, like paying off a mortgage or saving up for a new car, stay disciplined. Even though you don’t come away with a new purchase, you come away with an immense respect for yourself and your decision making process.

The best part? It grows in power each time you stay on course and keep up the momentum. How many times have you seen someone hit the ground running with a new diet or fitness routine for a few weeks and then take “just one” day off and spiral completely back to their old lifestyle? I’m willing to bet that you’re intimately familiar with it. Yet, on the other hand, we all know those solid individuals with an invincible mindset that’s set to always make the right decision – whether it’s easy or hard, simple or complex. These are the ones who commit to a 12-week program and follow it to the letter…and enjoy the incredible results as a reward. They hit the ground running, but with an even mind and a clear view of the decisions being made along the way. Use this momentum to hit it big and never look back.

Golden Takeaways:

* Alaska is an incredible place to visit :)

* “The Great Choice” is the decision making process between eating for comfort and eating for health and personal energy

* The key to always making the “right” decision is to be aware of the decision making process taking place

* It’s your decision making process – and not external factors – that consistently give you the results you’re seeing in your life

* Tap into your success motivation (a great one is choosing to focus on how you’ll feel after you make the right decision, instead of focusing on the process)

* The exact moment when choosing the right decision is the greatest challenge is precisely when your personal power grows exponentially

=> Note: Notice how I didn’t say when making a decision is hardest, but rather “when making the right decision is hardest”. The important idea here is that the right decision isn’t always the hardest one. In fact, sometimes the right decision for you may be the simplest and easiest to implement of a whole number of options. So don’t go out there and look for the hardest decisions to make – rather, consistently make the right call. When it just happens to bring about a challenging circumstance, stay the game and commit to making the right decision. That’s when your personal power grows – as well as when you feel the best about yourself.

Unleash Your Vitality,

- John Brackett

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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The other evening I was cleaning up the downstairs workout room. As I was vacuuming, something interesting happened: the cord got pulled out of the outlet. Of course, the vacuum stopped and I had to turn around to plug it back in. But as I did so, a crucial insight came through to me. I realized that when you’re not “plugged in” to your own power source, you’re just spinning your wheels.

Let’s consider the vacuum itself. Both before and after, the vacuum was perfectly setup, fully functional and in the “on” position. The only difference was whether or not power was surging through the wires. It really struck me that a lot of people are in that “on” position, doing a lot of the right things on the outside but finding that they still feel “stuck” or disconnected at some level – and certainly not achieving the results they’re after.

What you can learn from any ordinary vacuum cleaner is this: you’ve got to be plugged in. You’ve got to be connected to your own power source, your own internal drive and motivation. As I often get at, this internal drive doesn’t just affect one area of your life. Rather, you use this drive as the fuel for better relationships, more productivity, working out, preparing healthy meals and really getting on track. You can be doing all sorts of things on the outside, but if that internal drive is missing then you won’t experience the fulfillment of true, meaningful achievement. There will always be results in your life, but you’ve got to ask yourself if you’re just seeing “results” or true, meaningful achievement (which really isn’t measured in outward results but an internal sense of accomplishment).

The best decision you can make today is to start pursuing the habits and practices that lead to an increased sense of drive, motivation and direction. When you focus on the things that really “plug you in” to your own power source, all of the outward results become infused with that power as well. In other words, if you want to start seeing some real changes on the outside then start with the inside – by plugging yourself in!

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett

P.S. Leave your comments below!