God, we're good at making excuses, aren't we?

It's what we do - avoiding things, letting ourselves slack off, gliding through life with intermittent bursts of motivation occasionally occurring on Mondays, the first day of a month, or at the advent of a new year. Or sometimes if someone particularly inspiring gives us a telling off.

Dr. Phil, Anthony Robbins, the sadomasochistic lady-robot trainer from The Biggest Loser, you know the type.

But I'm starting to think it's all bullshit. What are we doing? The way we live our lives kinda half-assed...it's just weak.

• We fuck around when we should be working
• We work at jobs we hate instead of chasing our dreams
• We put off things we need to do (pay bills, get a check up)
• We say no to people, and opportunities for stupid reasons
• We go to the gym, barely get a sweat up and eat shit food
  
• We treat those closest to us like shit because of our own issues, that we're probably not even aware of
• We let our habits rule us, the traits we dislike about ourselves go unchecked
  

It's all just laziness. It's weakness. We are too lazy, too weak to push ourselves, to get our asses up out of our seats, and DO SOMETHING.

I got sick of being this way a few months back - the whole reason I started this blog. I was just tired of being this second-rate version of myself, when I knew I had the potential to be so much more.

It took me a while to get into it, but all the work I've done on myself, all the introspection, the research, the action I have taken to just be a better person, it's all starting to get me somewhere.

My head is in a different place. I'm starting to think like a badass.

See, the dictionary defines a 'badass' as someone who is tough, or aggressive. And I guess my definition is a little bigger than that.

To me, a badass is someone that is focused, someone who kicks ass at life, who is taking names, and just fucking owning it. The hero in a movie in the big fight scene. An olympic athlete as they speed past their competition and win the race. Fucking badass.

That's the mindset. Nobody can stop you, nobody can beat you - you are above it all. You are on a mission, and that's all that matters.

Sure, this is a useful mindset to get yourself into when you're cranking at the gym, or even sitting at your computer working. But living in a constant state of badassery; that's the goal. Everything you do has a reason. You ball so hard, muhfuckas wanna fine you. You don't even know what it means to be lazy. That's the fucking business right there.

I'm a work in progress. I get that. But the way I see it is that you can be the person you want to be. You choose every decision you make each day, every minute, you have the choice to be awesome, or crap. You can go on making excuses for yourself. But what's the point? Who's winning in that scenario?

Getting yourself to badass state right off the bat isn't easy, you have to take baby steps with your badassery. Playing mind games with yourself - ain't no shame in it - just do what you got to do to get it done until it becomes a new, good habit.

{THIS IS ONE OF MY BADASS FACES}

Being lame at work, fucking around and procrastinating?

• If you've got a mental block; can't get motivated, or you're struggling to think creatively, change your playlist to classical music, or at least music you don't know the words to. It blocks out distracting noise but doesn't interrupt your train of thought. Check out my post about getting through a mental block for some more tips.

• Set yourself a time restriction. Imagine you're your own boss, and you've been given a tight deadline to finish the task at hand. Think about how long it would take you to finish the thing you're working on without any distractions, use this online timer, and work your ass off until the buzzer sounds. This is so crazy effective I even use it when I'm cleaning the house.

• Work out what tasks are most important to you, and get them done before anything else -  don't waste your time on shit that's not urgent. It's so much more satisfying to get to the end of the day having accomplished something instead of getting caught up in little insignificant tasks.

Spending your days doing something you don't really want to do?

• Imagine your ideal self 5-10 years from now. Where are you, what are you doing, who are you? Define your goals from that vision. Look at your life as it is now. What can you start doing right this second to put you on the path to your goals if you're not already heading there? Having clear goals gives you this amazing focus, allowing you to shut out the shit that's getting in the way of your dreams, or seeing your current situation as a stepping stone to your future awesomeness.

Putting off health checks or debt because you're too scared to deal with them?

• I know a lot of people that don't see their doctor because they're scared they might find something is wrong. That is possibly the stupidest thing I've ever fucking heard. So many health issues can be treated or cured when caught early, and those same health issues just get worse and worse the longer you leave them. Your health is the most important thing you've got. Don't mess around - if you're worried about something, if you're due your regular check up, just go, goddammit. Same goes for bills, debt - at least if you know the damage, you can deal with it, the unknown is only going to cause you worry.

Find yourself turning down opportunities, or self-sabotaging?

• So many of us suffer from a fear of failure. As described in the book 'What's Stopping You' by Robert Kelsey, we either only do what is easily attainable, or attempt outlandish challenges that no one would judge us for failing at. The cure for this is somewhere in the middle, going after opportunities that are slightly terrifying, but achieveable, if we really set our minds, knowledge and skill to it. Embracing, and being at peace with failure is totally badass.

• Just say yes to shit. If someone asks you to do something socially, if someone offers you a career opportunity, just say yes. Stop thinking about reasons why you shouldn't, and think first about the reasons why you should.

Working out like a lame-ass and eating food you know is bad for you?

• When you've been at the office all day, you feel like a winner just for stepping foot inside the gym. But spending an hour pedalling, lifting, jumping, jogging and stretching half-heartedly is a waste of your fucking time. I'd sit there watching music videos wishing I had a body like Beyonce, and I'm barely getting a sweat up during the one time during the day I have a chance to improve my figure! Now, I workout for real. I spend less time each session doing it, I do it more regularly because it's easier to fit in, and I work my ass off. I'm all about high intensity interval training, doing sprints instead of lame long jogs, or BodyRock workouts instead of mincing about in the gym. Why make excuses, right? You're only wasting your own time.

• Why do we eat bad food? Because it tastes good. Because it's usually more convenient, and cheaper. Because it's pretty damn satisfying to bite into a big chunky bar of chocolate. I don't want to deprive myself. If I want a treat, I'll have it. But eating something just because it's there, or rewarding yourself with fatty food because you've just done a workout is pretty useless. You're making the decision - your stomach isn't in charge. If you think you're going to regret eating it, just walk away. Make an active decision. Don't just mindlessly eat it because it's there.

Do you find yourself being an asshole to your friends and family, being overly negative or acting in ways that you can't seem to control?

• I was anxious all the time. I pushed people away when they got too close. I would snap at the people closest to me. I had low self-esteem. I knew none of that was going to get better on its own, and I knew it was negatively affecting my life and the people around me. So, I went and saw a therapist. I see endless value in sitting and talking to someone about all the stuff you wouldn't burden anyone else with, and really looking inside yourself to see why you are the way you are. It was one of the best things I've ever done.

• Read some books, like Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and even You Can Heal Your Life (maybe not so much on the superhippie stuff), and let all of that self-help goodness just wash over you. They offer some great advice, and when you put it into practice, you'd be suprised about how fast it can make a difference to the way you see the world, and the way the world sees you.

• Look at yourself. Indentify your faults. Work everyday, in every interaction, in every action to be a better person.

Don't wait until Monday morning. Don't wait until it's too late. Start today. Start right now. Start making better decisions. Don't bargain with yourself. Don't allow yourself to have excuses. Kick your own ass. Decide who you want to be, and be that person.

Ask yourself: what can I do today to be awesome? To take myself to that next level - to be proud of what I have achieved? To elevate myself above all the secondary shit that's going on, and just own the day? How can I be badass today?