“Slow down and remember this: most things make no difference.” — Tim Ferriss
There is an old saying, the devil is in the details.
Contrary to popular belief, the details really aren’t that important.
Unless you’re an engineer writing code or a surgeon installing a heart valve… the details often just get in the way. Please, allow me to explain:
Given my background is blanketed with incredibly complex, detail oriented work — this has been a tough lesson for me to learn. It’s one I still struggle with today.
I mean, c’mon… I went to school for Computer Science, took a job as a tech consultant, and even was a card carrying Microsoft Certified Professional Developer at one point. For years, details were my middle name.
But it’s a lesson I’ve had to learn for my clients sake to ensure I continue to churn out incredible Success Stories. After all, satisfied clients are the lifeblood of any coaching business. And after transforming 1,000+ men and women, I’ve discovered first-hand just how problematic the “details” can be.
In fact, I think the details are the devil…
You see, it’s the details were most people spend their oh-so-valuable time and attention. It’s the teeny tiny details that cause people to lose sight of the forest for the trees. And it’s the forest that ultimately matters when it comes to losing weight, getting six pack abs, or even gaining muscle mass.
Like video better? Watch a video version of this post below: 👇👇
For example, if you want to drive from Chicago to New York the specific details of the route matter much less than simply driving east. If you get that part right, everything else will take care of itself.
Instead, most people will obsess about the right car, gas mileage, the perfect route, traffic patterns, rest stops, etc. This obsession with details will often lead to one of two outcomes:
- They never get started and are forever stuck in “planning mode.”
- They never finish because juggling all those details is simply too overwhelming.
Most people focus on minutiae — small, meaningless tactics that divert their focus from the BIG things that really matter to the trivial details that waste their time.
The problem is that most people simply don’t know what to focus on… so they get caught up with fun, easy, or nebulous tactics that occupy their time and attention but never get them any closer to their goals.
To be fair, these are the same things many fitness magazines and “fitness experts” promote. For example:
- Specific Foods. Brown rice vs. white rice or peanut butter vs. almond butter.
- Supplements. The “best” protein powder or pre-workout shake.
- Specific Workouts. The “best” arm or chest workout.
- Equipment. The “right” shoes, clothes, gloves, wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, etc.
- Workout Time. The “optimal” workout time, training splits, or days per week.
When you’re up to your neck in alligators, it’s easy to forget that the initial objective was to drain the swamp. But it’s so damn easy to get wrapped up in the minutia of supplements, specific workouts, equipment, and time spent in the gym…
It’s fun to read about the latest and greatest supplements… and fantasize about how taking them will turn you into the Incredible Hulk overnight. And it’s really easy to order a supplement on Amazon and “feel” like you are taking action toward your goals. After all, you’re doing something. That’s better than nothing, right?
It’s super-exciting to do the same chest workout as some bodybuilder or fitness model you follow on Instagram… and it’s challenging to see if you can finish it. I mean, it worked for them… and they’re a pro bodybuilder or fitness model.
Plus, you always get that awesome “I worked really hard” next-day soreness. It’s like a painful reward and reminder that you went beast-mode yesterday. And it makes you feel amazing.
Workout equipment is more of the same…
Sure, it feels better driving the lane in a pair of Michael Jordan basketball sneakers… but the reality is the Jordan’s aren’t going to turn you into a one-and-done superstar. And MJ could have worn Chuck Taylor’s and he’d still be able to fly through the air.
And lastly, despite what you think… how many days and how much time you spend in the gym is far less important than what you do when you’re there. Showing up and “putting in the time” isn’t enough — if that time is wasted.
You can waste time on the wrong workout strategy or not having a strategy at all. You can also waste time talking to friends, playing on your phone, or checking out the hot girls in yoga pants on the elliptical machines. Well, maybe checking out the hot girls isn’t necessarily “wasted time” but I digress. That’s the one thing I’ll give you a pass on. 😜
After all this BS… there is no time, attention, or money left to focus on the BIG wins that will ACTUALLY move the needle. I’m talking about the 20% of things that will produce 80% of the results.
So, what are the things you should be focusing on?
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, experimenting on my own, and testing on clients. And what I’ve found is that diet strategies and workout strategies while important — aren’t everything either.
In fact, what I’m going to talk to you about today will help you lose weight, get six pack abs, or even pack on pounds of muscle regardless of your specific diet and exercise strategy.
Let me shift your focus with a question:
Why do all of the most successful people, teams, and companies follow a code or specific set of principles?
They do it because it simplifies things, it works, and it establishes a culture — a way of doing things that separates them, and ultimately you, from the rest of the pack. Different people call it different things… but whether you call it a personal code, principles, or even culture — it all means the same thing.
Now, this is powerful stuff and can be used positively or negatively — even The Force in Stars Wars has a good side and an evil side.
On the positive or winning side of the equation it’s why NFL franchises like the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Green Bay Packers continue to win year after year and decade after decade.
As a lifelong Chicago Bears fan you have no idea how hard it was to include the freakin’ Green Bay Packers on that list. No question, I hate the Packers with a passion. But I can’t argue with their winning culture.
On the flip side, it’s the same reason why teams like my Chicago Bears, the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions suck year after year and never seem to get their shit together. Yes, there are losing cultures too.
You can also apply this same concept to business…
It’s why companies like Apple continue to innovate, push the envelope, and lead the industry… while companies like Microsoft are forever stuck in 2nd place. It’s why Google is an ever evolving and growing juggernaut and Yahoo is still… well, Yahoo.
Personally, I began to notice the power of culture and personal code when I went to an all-boys private Catholic high school. At De La Salle Institute on Chicago’s south side there was an expected, acceptable way of doing things and handling yourself. It was the De La Salle way or the highway…
Either you got your shit together and adopted their code or you got the boot. My freshman class had nearly 300 boys in it; my graduating class had just over 100. You get the picture.
Although you can spot this stuff anywhere, and it’s deeply ingrained in everything from politics to religion, business, and even family… there is nowhere that culture is more obvious than sports…
For example, have you heard of the New England Patriots?
You don’t have to be a sports fan to have heard of the Patriots, their quarterback Tom Brady, and their head coach Bill Belichick. That’s because they win. All. The. Time.
“The culture precedes positive results. It doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they’re champions: they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners.” – Bill Walsh
Bill Belichick established a winning culture in New England alongside a code they use called The Patriot Way. And it’s worked pretty damn well because they are by far the winningest team in the NFL since he took over in 2000.
In that time, and at the time of this post… the team has won 226 games and lost only 80 — winning an unbelievable 73.9% of their games. That’s good enough to put him 3rd on the list of winningest NFL head coaches of all-time, which basically cements him in the NFL Hall of Fame and on the Mount Rushmore of NFL coaches.
They are 26-10 in the playoffs giving them 10 more playoffs wins since 2000 than any other team in the league. The Baltimore Ravens are in a distance 2nd place at 15. They have also been to 8 Super Bowls and won 5. In his 17 years they’ve also won their division 14 times.
Pretty good, huh?
Yeah, that’s how powerful a code can be when it’s used to create a winning culture. I took the liberty of summarizing The Patriot Way here:
- You only talk about winning. Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. Become obsessed, and relentlessly pursue it every single day.
- You ONLY talk about winning. See Rule #1.
- No “talking” to the media. Of course, you can talk to the media but you’re not allowed to really say anything interesting. This is to keep the focus and attention on winning and prevent any distractions. Again, See Rule #1.
- Do your job. Don’t worry about or focus on things outside your control. Focus on the things you CAN control like doing YOUR job to the absolute best of YOUR ability. If everybody does that, winning will take care of itself.
- Focus on the process. Don’t worry about the big picture like winning the division or even the Super Bowl. It will only overwhelm and distract you. Instead, focus on the next game, the next practice, the next drill, or even the next snap. See Rule #4.
- No days off. Your ability to consistently put in the work will either make you or break you. Hard work is like compounding interest, and over time it can produce results far beyond your wildest dreams. But you must do it every single day.
This is a video of Bill Belichick chanting, “No days off” with a crowd of over a million people that ironically took the day off to attend the Patriot’s Super Bowl parade last year. Hilariously ironic and I simply had to include it in this post.
Reading books like Good to Great by Jim Collins, Relentless by Tim Grover, The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday, The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh, Principles by Ray Dalio, and Be Unstoppable by former Navy Seal, Perfect Fitness founder, and friend Alden Mills only reemphasized what I already learned from experience…
Establishing a positive, winning culture by adhering to a few key principles in both your personal and professional life will have a far greater impact — by an order of magnitude — over any other strategy or tactic you could possibly implement.
In other words, your personal code or culture is kinda fucking important.
With that in mind, I want to teach you the code that I live by and teach to all my clients in my Online Coaching Program. I call it The Superhero Code because it sounds cool… and it’s inspired by the hero’s I grew up idolizing and still look up to today. Heroes like Batman, Superman, Captain America, Ironman, and Thor.
This is the same code my most successful clients have adopted and live by each day. This code ensures that they not only get unbelievable results in the short-term, but also guarantees they’ll keep them for life.
It’s the same code Rafael used to cut 2% body Fat, gain 9 Lb. of muscle, add 3 inches to his chest and go from a scrawny, skinny fat, and self-conscious dud… to a sculpted, shredded, and charismatic stud:
The dramatic change in his physical appearance and confidence required a significant change to his personal code. Doing the same thing, or a simple incremental improvement wasn’t going to produce this level of success.
The code alone is powerful enough to take you from zero to hero.
Let me repeat that in case you missed it: The code alone is powerful enough to get you from the person you are today to the person you’ve always dreamed you could be. Regardless of your goal, the code alone can get you there.
Tips, tricks, tactics, and strategies will only produce short-term results unless you change your personal code. Simply adopting the code CAN and WILL be enough to cause a dramatically positive shift in your body, your health, and your life.
I’m serious as a heart attack and if you don’t change your code, that precisely what’s headed your way…
For example, if you adopted the code that your body is a high-performance machine like a Ferrari — do you think you’d make better food choices?
You bet your ass you would. No question about it.
That’s why I created The Superhero Code and why you’re going to start living by it today. Without further ado, I give you Action Jackson’s Superhero Code — powerful enough to take you from zero to hero in 5 simple steps:
- Positivity Primer: This ritual will literally change the way you feel each morning for the better, override your negative self-talk, improve your overall level of happiness, and allow you to attack the day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. Yes, I stole that line from Jim Harbaugh.
- Take Action: The trick I’m going to teach you will enable you to take more action and will literally transform you from a Superzero who over-thinks and hesitates to a Superhero that takes bold and decisive action.
- Get Uncomfortable: This daily habit will allow you to improve yourself each and every single day. You’ll also gain a level of comfort with discomfort or at least an association that temporary pain leads to long-term pleasure and pride.
- Million Dollar Machine: This idea will dramatically shift your mindset about your body and completely change how you think about food, exercise, and even rest. It’s similar to the Ferrari analogy above.
- Lead By Example: The lead by example mindset might be the most powerful of all 5 principles. It will allow you to set the trend, be the example, and be the captain of your ship instead of just getting pushed around by life.
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to write a specific post about each of the five steps. I’m going to dive into why it’s important, how to implement it in your life, and provide some real life examples from my life and the lives of my clients.
So, stay tuned and as I create each post I’ll link to them above 🙂