Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Why do so many people fail to succeed?

As I have pointed out many times in the first two chapters of this amazing book – many people fail to achieve their goals in a diet or self-improvement program. Here I want to illustrate some reasons why, so as to better address topics of how to succeed. In chapter two, I gave three principles of discipline. It is a direct correlation to a lack in one of these areas that people encounter failure on their path to success.

A question should have just entered your head, “Why is the stick man labeled 'Phil'?” Well, I guess I will tell you. This chapter will be a story about a guy named Phil and a girl named Jane. Jane is in her mid-twenties, she has a good job working as a personal fitness trainer and she is the second fastest speed skater in the whole of Russia. Because of her extensive work as a fitness trainer and her career of excellence to back it up, Jane decides to write a book on dieting. Her personal fame shoots the book, which is entitled, It's Not About the Ice-Skates, It's About the Tibialis Anterior!, to the top of the charts. The book garners a lot of attention from various national news stations who hail it as the diet of the century (or at least the decade). Her diet becomes the newest, biggest fad. Memberships at ice rinks skyrocket in volume as people set out to lose weight on the ice. Now let me introduce our hero – Phil. Phil is in his early-twenties, a college student who likes to play video games and he loves Mountain Dew. Phil is not what you would call fat – but he is certainly no cover (or back) model for Men’s' Health. Phil figures that he could do with losing a few pounds around the mid-section and decides that Jane's book is the way to go. After buying, reading and re-reading the book, Phil buys a pair of speed skates and a membership at the local ice-rink. The first day he goes out, all gung-ho ready to grab the world by its suit coat lapels, tie it in a knot and use it as a sweat rag. He skates. He skates a lot that first day; doing everything he can to mimic Jane's personal workout routine. After four solid hours of skating, Phil figures it has been a good day and goes to a few of his classes. He comes home and remembers that he is supposed to do some stretches to cool his body down and keep his muscles fresh. Phil looks at the list for a few seconds, trying to muster to gusto to just get down and do it when his roommates shout, “Dude, Phil, Madden 2003 tournament!” Phil's mind starts to process the complexity of the choice, stretch or play video games? Three seconds later, Phil is on the couch next to Dave running a 'Hail Mary' play for a seventeen-yard gain and a first down.

After several hours, Phil retires to bed. The next morning he wakes up craving a Dew and thinking about some new football plays he could try. He sits down, flips on his television, and realizes he is supposed to go to the rink and skate another two miles today. The start screen for Madden 2003 is flickering on the screen in front of him, the Wisconsin State University cheerleaders are dancing there too. He sits and starts for a while before he decides, “Eh – I'll just do it later and cut chemistry instead.” He selects his favorite team and runs an option play for a total of thirty -six yards.

Later that evening Phil realizes he has drunk a total of six liters of Mountain Dew and done a full seasons work of Madden football. Phil slaps himself in the forehead and says, “Man! I forgot to go to chemistry!” ... “Dude! I forgot to go skating!” Phil thinks quickly about what he could do to replace his speed skating since the rink was already closed. His mind spins around like a slot machine, first wheel stops on 'Run' with a “schunk”-ing sound. The second wheel snaps into its final position on 'Sleep.' The third wheel spins for what feels like an eternity before settling on 'Run' as well. “The slot machine knows best,” says Phil as he jumps to his feet. “Aargh!” screams Phil as he collapses back onto the floor holding his hamstring that is currently seized by the biggest charlie horse seen on this side of the Atlantic in the past thirteen years! “Ha-ha!” thinks the second wheel as the third wheel removes its disguise, revealing its identity as a 'Sleep' label. Phil decides, while rolling on the ground, in excruciating pain, that running probably is not going to happen tonight. Instead, after the pain clears, he goes to bed. On the way there, he kicks himself for not stretching the night before. Half a second later, he is flailing on the ground screaming because of a fresh charlie horse.

As he swims into consciousness the next morning, Phil notices how sore his legs are and decides to forgo any lower-body workout for the near future. While on campus that day, he notices signs up that proclaim the release and arrival of Madden 2004 to the local bookstore. “I have GOT to get me one of these,” pants Phil as he shuffles/limps over to the store where he buys his very own copy. Coming home, he boots up his gaming console and discovers a completely new world of digital football. Over the coming weeks, Phil develops a really bad case of Mountain Dew addiction and slack jaw. By the time reality comes back into focus he realizes he is worse off than when he started his diet.

Seeing his chances of success burning, Phil returns to his life of mediocrity and class cutting. He graduates a few years later with a degree in Video Game Consultation and gets a nice job working for WetWare Inc., a new startup gaming company.
So what is the moral of the story? People fail to achieve their goals because we are generally weak, and if we try to tackle too steep of a learning curve without honestly and accurately accounting for our own abilities and frailties, we are destined to fail. That is why Chapter Four is going to rock your world with an amazing play for success!