When I moved to Las Vegas in 2003, I was a show bartender that had been recruited out of Florida to work in the nation’s mecca of entertainment, Las Vegas. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for me because up to that point, I was making minimum wage as a bartender at $2.37 an hour plus tips.
Our paychecks in Florida were $0 because all the hourly pay went towards taxes at the end of every pay period. Luckily, moving to Vegas, I would be blessed with becoming part of a bartender’s union. The union part paid almost 6 times more an hour, and the tips were larger.
My family made an upgrade and so we decided to stay in Vegas as long as my bartending career would suffice.
In 2005, I also got my real estate license. From 2005-2008, being that anyone could buy a $300k house during that time, I did pretty well.
As a bartender in a city that never sleeps, you would have drinks after work to ease down for the night after pumping out $4,000 in sales in 6 hours. You and your co workers had a beer or several just to celebrate that the hard night of work was over.
Well this turns into a habit that I did for a few years. After a while, you tend to look back in life and wonder where you could be if you made better use of your time.
I don’t want to get in the details, but I created a bad habit of having beers and a few shots after work because that is just what we all did. I was wasting valuable time getting my life in order and too busy being lazy and average every night.
Result, I was in the same position as I was in the previous 5 years.
In 2009, I decided to quit drinking and focus all my time in bettering my life and spending all the time I could with my family. This was a decision I should have made 5 years prior, but the truth is, you need to live and learn.
So this brings me to how I have gone 3 years now without sipping alcohol, when before, I was doing it 4 plus nights a week.
It all started with me having a clear direction of what I wanted to achieve. I wanted to become successful. I had failed so many times in the past and I felt my chances were slimming to almost none. I thought about what I was doing, staying out later than I should, and how it acutally effected my performance on a daily basis.
I would wake up sloppy, unmotivated, having headaches, gaining weight, and just a bad example to my family.
I asked myself, “What If?”
- What if I can use all my time towards things that mattered in life, to the people who were most important to me.
- What if I eliminated all this time wasted doing nothing at 5am in the morning.?
- What would the difference be 5 years from now?
- What would change in my marriage?
- Would my kids see me as a better man, and look up to me or someone else?
- How would changing my bad habits effect the way I lived my life?
- Would I be happier?
All these things came across my mind and I knew one thing, I wanted to give it a try.
You see, I had always been success minded. But in life, sometimes you get caught up in a wrong circle of influence, and then years pass before you, and you soon find out, you’re doing nothing with your life that you’re capable of.
So right before Thanksgiving, 2009, I had my last go around and never looked back since. I stopped all drinking, and all hanging out late nights after work.
The result?
I am over 20 lbs lighter. I am healthier and stronger than I’ve been in 20 years. I have the best relationship with my kids and wife then I’ve ever had. My business is improving daily and I have a clear vision of where I am heading in life with my family.
I don’t wake up tired anymore. I wake up motivated. I used to wake up at noon. Now, I wake up no later than 6:30a.m. because I have this drive in me that wants to get up and do something productive to get better everyday.
Once my eyes cracks open, I’m thinking about the job that needs to be done to be successful. I say my prayer, thank him for waking me up, ask for his blessing and protection, and then I’m off.
Was The Change Easy? How Did I Actually Do It?
It starts with a decision. It starts with putting a meaning to life. It’s starts with believing who you really are and who you can become.
Was it hard to not drink a beer during a football game with my friends? Absolutely. But, I made the decision, and the more time went on, the easier it was for me to resist a beer.
After I got through the transition, I was in full force to capitalize on what god gave me the ability to do. That is, to become successful in all I wanted out of life.
So Why Did Actually Quit Drinking?
It was slowing me down, I was making wrong decisions in life, putting road blocks in my life, effecting my patience with my family, and much more.
Could I have a beer every once in a while? Of course. But I’ve gone so long without wanting it, why would I want to drink one if I don’t need it? I feel good without it.
So What Is The Whole Point Of This Article? How Does This Help You?
Whatever your bad habits are that’s keeping you from losing weight, getting in shape and healthier inside, you can get rid of them like i did.
It’s about becoming in control of your life and knowing what’s best for you. Getting rid of the road bumps and repaving that road to your own success.
I wanted to improve my health, my family, and our future. So I had to do what counted and get rid of the things that didn’t matter.
Are you seriously wanting to lose weight? Then you need to get rid of the bad foods in your life. You need to get up and become active daily. Fill your fridge and pantry up with foods that will help you reach your goals. Only then, will it happen.
Are you wanting to get healthier? Stop eating out at fast food joints. Stop eating large portions of food. Stop adding extra sides to your meal. Stop drinking sodas and sugar filled juices all the time.
Everything you do in life is a part of the result that it is associated with.
- Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol leads to problems
- Eating excessive amounts of processed foods leads to obesity
- Lack of exercise leads to injury problems and becoming overweight
- Lack of nutrition leads to diseases
The list goes on and on. Change whatever it is in your life that is not producing a positive result. Start doing things out of your comfort zone to achieve things that will surprise you.
- You can become healthier than you’ve been in a while.
- You can fit back into the clothes you used to before you let yourself go
- You can become more fit than you were before you had a baby
- You can lose weight and be healthy no matter how busy you are. Make the time.
Breaking a bad habit one at a time is a great way to help you towards your goals. Success is achieved through hard work and consistency. But first, you must make a decision that is written in stone and means something so huge, that your only true happiness lies in reaching the finish line.