We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeff Savage. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeff below.
Hi Jeff, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?
I appreciate the opportunity to answer this question, as it’s very dear to me! Having run marathons all around the world, it’s easy to look at all the success that I’ve had in life and conclude that I must be some sort of a naturally-gifted athlete. But I’m someone who fits into the “Zero-to-Hero” character trope, which is the basis of the journey I describe in my book “Savage Resilience: Conquer Adversity and Be Your Own Hero”.
In it, I reflect on lessons that running a marathon will teach a person and how they are the same things that can make someone successful in the Marathon of Life. My story begins as an awkward child of divorce at an early age, with no athletic ability and an easy target for bullies. My mother remarried quickly, and my family moved all around the country. I was frequently the new kid in school, trying to make new friends, and finding social integration quite difficult. My self-image and self-esteem were severely damaged.
Fast forward to today, and it’s easy to see the results of success. Whether it’s wearing a NYC Marathon medal, having a fit physique, or holding a copy of my book in my hands. there is a physical manifestation that people can see, but what is often elusive is knowing the journey that it took to get there.
The answer to this question lies in the answer to an even greater question: How bad do you want it?
You see, in every quest for achieving a big goal in life, there is a motivating factor that compels a person to take action. Some call it “knowing your why”, and quite simply, it’s the underlying reason you’re doing what you’re doing. My self-discipline comes from deciding what I want out of life and always remembering why I want it.
Knowing that I’ve come a long way from being that awkward kid to becoming someone that people admire is an incredible fuel source to keep dreaming big and taking on large goals.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m always at my best when I have a big, scary goal on my calendar, something that is out of my comfort zone and my normal routine. As a marathon runner, I am on a quest to become an Abbott World Marathon Major Six Star Finisher. It’s a rare feat that requires completing the Chicago, New York City, Boston, Tokyo, London, and Berlin marathons, and as of now, is something that only 3,800 Americans have accomplished.
I have taken the message of my book Savage Resilience: Conquer Adversity and Be Your Own Hero to the stage as a motivational speaker, and talked about it on TV, on podcasts, and in magazine articles. It’s not just a book that uses running a marathon as a metaphor for the journey of success, it’s also filled with universal truths that help you find your stride in the Marathon of Life.
Next up is the launch of my new personal development program called Unleash Your Savage Resilience. I teach people how to take ownership of their mindset and circumstances, and hold them accountable to their desire to succeed. Using a marathon as a metaphor, I teach the virtues of pacing yourself in life to not burn out too fast, creating balance in our lives and routines to accommodate new pursuits, always remembering our motivations, and the power of staying in your own lane, among many other valuable concepts.
We can either take ownership of our circumstances in life, or play victims to them. By putting one foot in front of the other and choosing to move forward despite challenges, we can prove to ourselves and show the world around us what it’s like to be the hero of our own story.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Well, when I consider the concept of developing self-discipline, it really is a skill that manifests from a Seeing is Believing point of view. Once we succeed in a big goal, we are given the inner confidence to ask ourselves, “If I can do that, what else can I do?” We notice that our actions start to inspire others to dream bigger in their own lives In fact, developing self-discipline has more to do with holding ourselves accountable to what we say we’re going to do than any other factor.
I’d like to share three lessons that had a huge impact on my journey that continue to help me enhance my self-discipline.
The first is simply putting yourself first. Treat your pursuit as a priority and don’t make excuses about not having enough time or not feeling like it. Tell yourself that you owe it to yourself to succeed, that if it were easy, everyone would do it, and believe in yourself enough to actually give a damn about your own future. One of my favorite authors and speakers is Mel Robbins, and she is famous for saying “Nobody’s coming to save you.” Be the hero of your story and make the time.
The second lesson is learning to handle distractions. Self-discipline has everything to do with staying focused, and throughout our day, we are bombarded with things that can derail us. One of the most accessible things in our lives that can be the source of our greatest distraction is our phones. For many of us, it is always within arms reach, and we have become conditioned to check our messages, our social media feeds, or sports scores at any moment throughout the day. It is often an innocent desire to check on something that can lead to a journey down a rabbit hole that removes us from our tasks and our momentum in getting them done. This takes work, and I admit it’s not always easy, but I find that putting the phone away in a drawer on silent mode is a promising way to not let random notifications impair your ability to get tasks completed..
And finally, remembering why we started and keeping our motivations front of mind are key to staying focused and consistent. It is when we forget our motivations to succeed that we give up on a task or the pursuit of a goal. And it’s not always when something is difficult or challenging. We can forget our motivations in times of boredom, when things become a mundane routine, We can forget our motivations when everything is going right and we get distracted by something else. It’s not always frustration from adversity that can cause us to quit on ourselves. It’s recalling why we wanted something in the first place, that burning desire to take action that will help us keep our eye on the prize and not be distracted by a shiny object.
One piece of advice that I have for anyone looking to develop their self-discipline is to recognize that F.O.M.O. is a very real emotion, that being the “Fear Of Missing Out”. But we have to recognize it for what it is, and not for what it could possibly be to us. It’s a fear, and it’s rooted in an alternate reality to where we currently find ourselves. Self-discipline is harvested when we realize that what we are working on is more valuable than what we might possibly experience by doing something different. It’s like chasing highs that often come up empty.
F.O.M.O. will never go away. But when we recognize it for what it is, we can be more successful in keeping it at bay than letting it wreak havoc on our lives.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
For me, it really comes down to what is going to help us move the needle the most. If our strengths are producing our biggest results, our primary source of income, or giving us the greatest source of confidence and inner-satisfaction, then it is wise to focus our efforts on being the best versions of ourselves that play to those strengths. Being viewed with credibility as an authority in our field goes a long way to building a legacy that lasts.
Being successful can give us freedom in time, money, and resources, and in that freedom we may choose to spread our influence to other areas that can enhance our capabilities to provide value to the world around us. But doing so without the foundation of success by virtue of our strengths can pin a hope of being able to provide for ourselves or our families on something that we aren’t best suited for. To ignore our strengths to enhance our weaknesses may result in a generic sense of being just OK at something, similar to the saying “A jack of all trades, a master of none”.
One might argue that being more well-rounded can enhance one’s marketability by showing versatility in skills and experiences, and that could be valuable if pursuing a career change to another field. But if our strengths are providing our biggest successes in life, it makes more sense to sharpen that saw than to have twenty dull blades in the drawer.
If I’m a star college track and field athlete, but I’m not good at basketball, I’m going to invest in myself to be the best runner I can possibly be for myself, my school, and my reputation. I may enjoy playing basketball with my friends, but to take time and focus away from what I’m naturally inclined to do and attempt to become a more well-rounded athlete may diminish my ability to succeed at what I’m good at.
Contact Info:
- Website: JeffSavageOnline.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jeffsavagefit
- Facebook: facebook.com/therealjeffsavage
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jeffsavagevo
Image Credits
Vlad Levine Madison Truscan
