22 Random Thoughts from 30 Years

I am now 30, and whilst I’m still figuring shit out, as I’ll always will be doing, I’ve learnt some principles along the way that have served me well.

So here goes, a few random thoughts after hitting the big 3-0.

1: Don’t forget the people that truly matter the most to you.

Covid has highlighted this more than ever I think. Family is everything at the end of the day.

2: Life’s too short to stick in a situation or environment that makes you miserable every day.

This can be career, job, relationships, personal fitness and health, mental health etc.

That starts with being aware of things first, taking responsibility for where you’re at and then taking action on what needs to change.

3: Ask better questions, get better answers.

4: Communication can solve a shit-tonne of stuff.

Relationships, customers, business and life in general – communication is key.

If you’re too pig headed to chat things through, see things from other peoples perspective and aim to problem solve, you won’t get far with people.

5: Take the Lead.

I’m not sure is this an Irish thing but anyway, ‘take the lead’.

Example:

If you’re waiting for a friend to ‘check-in’ with you because you haven’t spoke in a while (or a family member), take the lead and do it and stop waiting for other people to do stuff.

If there’s someone you know is worth keeping in touch with, do the work to do it then without expecting them to do it.

6: You can learn something from anyone.

7: Be aware of your ego because it’s a sneaky bastard.

This is to big to get into, instead read ‘Ego is the Enemy’ by Ryan Holiday.

8: Treat your mind & significant others relationship like the gym – it’s something that needs to be worked on. If you neglect it, things will fade.

9: Have a budget & save. No matter how small, savings add up.

10: I’ve always found it funny how people assume I’m a bit of a dick & up my own arse because I’m a ‘fitness guy’ or ‘owns a gym’.

But yet, said people have never interacted with me in real life.

Newsflash; social media ain’t real life.

Guess you can’t please everyone and I’ve stopped trying a few years back. I do however like to think I’m not a complete dick.

11: Failing or fucking up something isn’t a reason to give up, quit, or think that this ‘thing’ won’t work for you.

Failure is a learning curve to make things better for the future.

If I didn’t fuck up numerous times and made mistakes with Doc Fitness, we wouldn’t be anywhere near what we are today.

You can apply this to pretty much any area in life.

12: I like to see the glass half full.

13: I try to avoid talking about the weather because it does my head in.

It just gives people shit to complain about.

14: Surround yourself with people that pull you up instead of dragging you down.

15: You are where you are right now because of your choices, habits and behaviours.

If you don’t take 100% responsibility for that, change is going to be very hard if you’re trying to change anything in life.

16: Keeping an open mind get’s harder as you get older, because you get stuck in your ways.

Take nothing as gospel, but instead, apply what you learn to your own life with an open mind willing to change it in the future.

17: Knowing what you don’t know is important.

You realise you’ll always be a student.

18: Just because somebody is [INSERT PROFESSION HERE], does not make them superior to you or anyone else.

19: You chose what to ‘win at’ in life.

I struggled for this for a while with my Sport, Hurling.

I thought I had a shot at county level because I was kinda involved at a young age & it ended up me not enjoying the sport as much as I could have the past 3-4 years.

That reality was hard to chew for me for a while.

Now, ‘winning’ for me is enjoyment with my sport, playing with team mates I’ve grown up with since I was 5 and trying my best for that day.

20: Fulfilment with anything is knowing you’ve done your best.

Even if you don’t get that job, or come up short with something, as long as you’ve done your best, that’s all that matters.

21: Don’t be afraid to ask for help, it can help solve what you’re struggling with.

We see this with our client’s, they might struggle silently for weeks with their nutrition until we ask them ‘is everything ok’ – only then they open up.

Which means we can help them because now we know.

I had a small hiccup myself the past 2 years with anxiety.

I hadn’t a clue I was even experiencing it until I started to talk about it with Kate, then one of my close friends.

Only then I was given the kick up the arse I needed to go and get help with solving it/ figuring it all out.

I was embarrassed about it really because I’m usually seen as a ‘big 6 foot 2 man that’s strong’ – why the fuck should I feel like shit?

Or the usual conversation I’d have with myself, ‘there’s nothing wrong with ya, man up’

Anyway, I asked for help, got it, still getting it and it’s been fan-fucking-tastic.

So yeah, I’ll round off this brain dump with; ask for help if you’re struggling with anything, there’s people better equipped out there to help you work through stuff and it’s also why I love doing what I do.

The Team and I get to have a chance daily to change clients lives and for that I’m grateful.

Oh, one more;

22: Practice gratitude.

I’ve done this daily for the past 6 years, 3 things I’m grateful for every morning get’s written down in my weekly planner and I’ve just kept it up.

It makes you realise what’s truly important and you’ll probably have everything you’ll ever need.

Until I’m 31, peace out

David ‘getting ould’ O’Connor

P.S: If you’ve read this far, thank you. I do appreciate it!

P.P.S: If you’ve found it helpful, share it with your friends, family or anyone you might think will benefit from this.

P.P.P.S: If you want to get professional help with your training & nutrition to get some serious results that stick around for life, go here: https://docfitness.ie/getstarted/