The Spartan Way: Eat Better. Train Better. Think Better. Be Better.

by Joe De Sena

Those who outworked, out-marketed, outproduced the other guys were the ones who got the jobs. They were always on, and they were crushing it. Thirty-four years later, I realized that the core values I started learning

They’re scared of failure, so they never try.

Don’t allow your dedication to weaken either. Get rid of distractions. Focus on what’s important, and learn to say “no” to anything that pulls you from the path of your commitments.

See, talk is cheap, but that’s what we humans do very well. Execution is hard. Always has been. Human beings procrastinate. They lack follow-through and self-control. The ancient philosophers Plato and Aristotle knew this and had a term for it, akrasia, a weak will. Willpower rarely ever works, and certainly not without definitive action. A plan for every day gives you the action that stokes your willpower. Think of it as your system for putting your contract into play. Systematic. Automatic. Routine. But powerful. It’s like throwing lighter fluid on hot coals. Commitment and preparation are critical

What was missing from this restaurant all these years was enthusiasm. This dude brought it in buckets.

Enthusiasm makes hard stuff easier. You could have a killer True North goal, but without enthusiasm your commitment is unlikely to last very long because hard things are rarely fun things. That’s why passion is so friggin’ valuable.

You become more powerful and effective. It’s hard to overstate the importance of body language, smiling, the tone of your voice when you are giving a speech. To be a powerful public speaker you need to engage your audience. You do that with enthusiasm. How many times have you listened to a boring speaker? He or she is timid, quiet, doesn’t make eye contact, and speaks in a monotone. His body language transmits the message: “This isn’t important; don’t bother paying attention.” A great speech needs to be larger than typical conversation. It requires more energy; it comes from your center. Remember the root of enthusiasm—“having God within”? It’s the same with any performance or challenge, public or private: A larger-than-normal-life enthusiastic attitude empowers action and achievement.

Get this: Researchers at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, found that people who practiced self-discipline along with getting regular physical exercise actually became more disciplined in ALL areas of their lives.

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: The pain of discipline and the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”

Be ruled or rule. That’s what it comes down to.

“Perseverance is genius in disguise.”

Hope isn’t a business strategy. You’ve got to make things happen.

Everyone has twenty-four hours in the day and how you choose to use them is up to you.

It’s a fair world...

always wanted to make enough money so that I wouldn’t have to worry about things for my kids, so that they could do whatever they want, and we could just be happy. I’ve accomplished that, but I keep going. Why? It’s a little bit like a shark—if they stop swimming, they die! So...