My mother always told me, “Scott, if you’re going to do something, do it right.” Those words left an impression on me. What she meant was, whatever you choose to do, do it to the best of your ability. You don’t have to be perfect at it, but you have to give it 100%. In other words, sign your name to it.
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Sign Your Name To It
Sign your name to it is something I have always told my children. I didn’t care what they wanted to do with their life, as long as they did it to the best of their ability. When they wanted to play sports, I told them to strive to be the best player they could be. Don’t just be on the team and wear the uniform; give it 100% and contribute to helping the team win.
Some people are genetically superior athletes, and they tend to play professional sports. If you didn’t inherit those genes, it doesn’t matter how hard you train; they will always be better. Deciding to become a professional athlete would mean you would have to train much harder than them. You would have to be the best you; if you wanted to make the team.
The Gym
I go to the gym every morning and see people who train incredibly hard. They are there every day, and I call them gym rats. In contrast, I see people that can barely walk on the treadmill at a slow pace. The ones that train hard are in great shape and have little body fat. The others, not so much. For them to transform their bodies, they must change their habits and lifestyle.
If you want to become a healthier person and decide you need to do more exercise, the gym is a great place to start. Mentally you have to think of yourself as a gym rat, even if you do not look like one. It is more important to be at the gym daily than it is to spend a lot of time there. Your workouts periods will increase as you get in better shape.
Sign Your Name To It With Consistency
It is a process that starts with showing up. Develop a weekly training plan and reward yourself for sticking to it. You do not have to keep up with the gym rats, but you have to be there. Work out the best you can for that given day. It does not always have to be great but at the end of your workout, sign your name to it.
Deciding to make a change for your personal development is half the battle. Commitment is what it takes to win the battle. It comes down to being a professional or an amateur. Professionals show up every day even when they do not feel like it; amateurs don’t. Professionals embrace practice and failure; amateurs do not.
Is Motivation Enough?
In an earlier post, I wrote about the difference between motivation and self-discipline. It is hard to be motivated every day to eat healthily, go to the gym, write, etc. A professional does not need the motivation to do the things they are supposed to do. They have developed the self-discipline to do the right things every day. They sign their name to their daily habits. An amateur goes to the gym only when they are feeling well. Any little ache or pain becomes a rationalization or excuse not to go.
Writing
Writers write daily. They do not always write 2000 words a day, but they write. It is only through this consistent effort that they meet their publishing deadlines. I have recently dove into the world of writing a novel. It is a daunting task. Developing the daily habits of writing and researching will be the only way I will complete it. I keep telling myself to sign your name to it; every day that I write.
Also, I have incorporated the idea of becoming a professional in my golf game. No, I do not have any delusions of making money playing golf. It is not an easy game to learn and requires self-discipline. By being self-disciplined, I work on my swing every day. Some days, I will swing 100 times, and then there are days when I only take ten swings. It is about doing the best I can on any given day and doing it consistently.
Do you have any part of your life you are trying to improve? Are you trying to learn a different skill? If so, enjoy the process. Work on it daily and forget about the results. The results will come; you have to practice delayed gratification. Do the best you can no matter how you feel and develop self-discipline. Most importantly, sign your name to it.
[…] Sign Your Name To It […]
Yes, you have been writing and I missed it till now.
Great wisdom and I so agree with your Mother Scott!
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“You don’t have to be perfect at it, but you have to give it 100%. In other words, sign your name to it.”
I’m looking for those gym muscle arms again … hard to build em back up. 🤷♀️
Thank you, Cindy. The muscle is there but we have to go slower in building them back up.
I know right and with less weight on the joints. Damn. 💖