[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Right now, my life is good. I live in Switzerland with my fianc\u00e9 and three-year-old daughter. And I <\/span><\/p>\n make a living doing the thing I love the most, fitness. But you may be surprised to know that life <\/span><\/p>\n wasn\u2019t always good for me. There was a time when the very things I love so much about my life now <\/span><\/p>\n were the things that caused me the most stress in my life. Here\u2019s my story. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gVOT2IDMdhw&t=” _builder_version=”4.17.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n In 2018 my life changed forever. Before then, I was a really normal guy. I worked a 9-5 in a <\/span><\/p>\n demanding field and worked my side hustle, Gym Performance, in my spare time. I also really loved<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0to travel the world. That is how I met my now fianc\u00e9, Gabriella. She is from Brazil, and I am from <\/span><\/p>\n Switzerland and we met while we were both travelling in Australia. When we met, we knew that we <\/span><\/p>\n would both be going back to our home countries, and we didn\u2019t want to go long-distance, so it was a <\/span><\/p>\n vacation romance. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then, in the Winter of 2017, wanting to escape the cold weather in Switzerland, I decided to take a <\/span><\/p>\n vacation to somewhere warm. I hadn\u2019t been to Brazil before, so I decided to go and contacted <\/span><\/p>\n Gabriella to see if she wanted to spend the vacation with me. To my surprise, she said yes. It was a <\/span><\/p>\n fantastic vacation and a much-needed escape to warmer climates. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fast forward to 2018, and I\u2019m back to my daily grind, working my 9-5 and coaching fitness clients in <\/span><\/p>\n my free time. One evening I got a phone call from Gabriella that changed my life forever. She was <\/span><\/p>\n pregnant, and it was mine. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On the phone call, I was very calm and reassured her that everything would be alright. But when I <\/span><\/p>\n hung up the phone, I was anxious and just plain scared. I could see everything I had planned for my <\/span><\/p>\n life crumbling around me. I knew I wanted to be close to my daughter, but did that mean I would <\/span><\/p>\n have to move to Brazil? Would Gabriella have to move here? I was in complete shock and had more <\/span><\/p>\n questions than answers. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have always been passionate about self-improvement and would read books from psychologists <\/span><\/p>\n and well-known business people. I also listened to podcasts every day. One book in particular that <\/span><\/p>\n stood out to me at this time was Unleash the Warrior Within<\/em> by Richard Machowicz. In it, the author <\/span><\/p>\n says to do one exercise every single day. It was a simple exercise; just read 5 sentences to yourself in <\/span><\/p>\n the mirror. One of those sentences was, \u201cI am responsible for my life and actions.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That sentence really stood out to me during this time. Planned or not, my daughter was a result of <\/span><\/p>\n the actions of Gabriella and I. I needed to take responsibility and ownership of my actions. As scared <\/span><\/p>\n as I was to be a father, I knew that I wanted to be close to my daughter, so after a lot of deliberation, <\/span><\/p>\n I decided to move to Brazil. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Moving to a warm country may sound like a dream to many people. I had always wanted to live <\/span><\/p>\n abroad and under different circumstances, I may have been really excited about the move. But at the <\/span><\/p>\n time there was a lot of change going on: <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In a short space of time, my life had changed so much, and it was a struggle to adjust. But two and a <\/span><\/p>\n half years later, Gabriella, our daughter, and I were back in Switzerland and my side hustle, Gym <\/span><\/p>\n Performance, was now a successful business with 80 clients. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Everything I did during that time to create the life I have now boils down to taking responsibility for <\/span><\/p>\n my life and actions. In difficult times it is so easy to believe that you have no control over your life. <\/span><\/p>\n But that is just not the case. Yes, sometimes unexpected things happen that change your life in <\/span><\/p>\n big ways. I have first-hand experience of that. But that doesn\u2019t mean that I don\u2019t have any control <\/span><\/p>\n over my life. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Taking responsibility for your life and actions means focusing on the things you can control. Doing <\/span><\/p>\n so allows you to make the most out of every situation. There were 3 things I focused on that allowed <\/span><\/p>\n me to thrive in a difficult time. <\/span><\/p>\n 1. Self-improvement<\/strong> \u2013 It is easy to work on yourself when life is going well, but it is difficult to work on yourself when your world feels upside down. Wallowing and cursing my life would have been much easier. But I chose to face my problems and try and find a way forward. I read self-improvement books and surrounded myself with people who I looked up to and who encouraged me.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>2. Fitness<\/strong> \u2013 At times, fitness felt like the only thing I could control, the one constant in my life. It gave me a way to healthily vent my frustrations while adjusting to my new life and later became a source of income. <\/span><\/p>\n 3. Help<\/strong> \u2013 One of the hardest things that I did during this time was ask for help. It is not weak or \u201cunmanly\u201d to ask for help; it is simply admitting that you don\u2019t hold all the answers and you value the expertise of those around you. Seeking help allowed me to adjust much faster to life as a new parent; it helped me to grow my business. I overcame problems faster and with fewer mistakes than I would have if I had just battled on alone.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I think this mindset of taking responsibility for my actions and my life was crucial to my success in a <\/span><\/p>\n challenging time. It will serve you much better than any clear blueprint or map to success ever could. <\/span><\/p>\n If you want to join a community of people also on a health and self-improvement journey, join our <\/span><\/p>\n awesome Fit Dad community on Facebook. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/projectfitdad” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Join the Fit Dad Community” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Right now, my life is good. I live in Switzerland with my fianc\u00e9 and three-year-old daughter. And I make a living doing the thing I love the most, fitness. But you may be surprised to know that life wasn\u2019t always good for me. There was a time when the very things I love so much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[260,267,268],"yoast_head":"\n<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n
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The Phone Call That Changed Everything
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Taking Responsibility For My Actions <\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How Did Taking Responsibility Help Me?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Take Responsibility and Overcome Challenges <\/strong><\/h2>\n