According to Tony Robbins, "Success leaves clues. People who succeed at the highest level are doing something differently than everyone else does.”

Over the past 18 months I have had the privilege of working with and alongside dozens of Men over 50. Every one of these Men is successful in their career and joined Argent Alpha with the intent of becoming Harder to Kill as evidenced by improved body composition (targeting15% or less), lower biological age (aging slower on a cellular level), and improved fitness.

We don’t guess on these factors; all are measured on a regular basis.

In today’s issue of Harder To Kill I’m going to share some of the clues left by these successful Men who have experienced phenomenal results.

Clue #1: They make the decision

Once you get past the half century mark, the clock ticks louder. It’s like it is challenging you to stay put or make a decision. And the call to stay put is strong.

Steven Pressfield calls this seductive voice the resistance.

Steven describes resistance as a negative force in the world that keeps you from fulfilling your dreams.

Men who overcome the resistance, make decisions and take action get results and enjoy success. It’s as simple as that.

It’s easy to overthink things and tell yourself you need to do more research, you are too old to change, or you’ll start as soon as things settle down. Procrastination takes many forms. That’s resistance.

That’s the first decision you need to make - decide to change your limiting beliefs from what you can’t do to what you can do. Kick the resistance to the side and get started. The path will reveal itself as you go.

Clue #2: They play the long game.

Wherever your health, fitness and weight are today, it didn’t happen overnight. And changing it won’t happen overnight.

Successful men take the long view and keep their eyes focused on their daily standards and course correct as they go. While it may have taken 10, 20 or 30 years to get to where you are, you can reverse things relatively quickly.

Note the word relatively: It won’t happen in a week or a month. But significant changes can happen in 3 months and amazing transformations can happen in 6-12 months.

But nothing happens if aren’t playing the long game.

Clue #3: They follow a program

Find a program that works for Men like you.

It’s not going to come from a Men’s Health magazine targeting a 30 year old guy.

And look for a program that covers more than workouts. An integrated program that starts with Mindset and covers sleep, nutrition and fitness are essential to making sustainable changes.

And once you find this program, follow it. Don’t pull a Sinatra and do it “your way” which is what led you to your current situation.

Successful Men seem to think they can improve anything. In this case, submit and follow what works for other Men like you.

Clue #4: They show up everyday

Small things repeated consistently produce big results.

You don’t have to boil the ocean. But you do need to show up everyday.

Somedays that work is intense, other days it’s all about recovery, most days it’s about doing some kind of work that moves you closer to your goals.

Show up daily and put points on the board everyday.

Clue #5: They take extreme ownership

Successful Men own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame. Anything that impacts the results is their responsibility, even if it isn’t under their control.

According to retired United States Navy Seal Jocko Willink, we need to stop making excuses. Excuses are lies, and they’re the centerpiece of failure.

Demanding clients, kids activities, travel, friends who like to party so you join them…the list goes on. Successful Men navigate these obstacles and achieve their goals.

Clue #6: They get disappointed but not discouraged

Not everything is going to go according to plan. Your progress will not be linear. You might go backwards for a period of time.

Growth takes many forms. The common denominator of all forms of growth: it takes time and you need to keep going.

Successful men get disappointed but they don’t get discouraged. They have a Northstar for themselves that reminds them why they are doing the work.

They revisit their Northstar regularly to help them stay on track.

At Argent Alpha, the Northstar that keeps men moving forward is their Future Self.

Clue #7: They prioritize themselves

In order to deliver for the stakeholders in your life, you need to first take care of yourself.

You apply the oxygen mask theory.

So the way the oxygen mask theory goes is that if you’re in the unfortunate position of being on a plane which is about to nose dive, you should secure YOUR oxygen mask before helping anyone else – including children. If you don’t, you risk not being able to help anyone at all.

You have control of your schedule whether you realize it or not. Schedule time for yourself everyday. This clue pairs well with clue #5.

Clue #8: They redefine what fun is

When you were a college kid, you defined fun differently than you do today.

As you matured and gained responsibilities, your definition of fun changed.

As a Man over 50 seeking to become Harder to Kill, you can still have fun. But you may need to redefine what fun is.

If you want a high quality of life in your 50’s, 60, 70’s and beyond, you can’t booze it up regularly, eat crappy food, not exercise, pop 3-5 meds everyday and live life with a CPAP machine.

Those kind of habits lead to platinum status with the sickcare system.

That’s not fun.

So redefine what fun is. This may not happen overnight but it can happen if you decide to make it happen…see clue #1.

So there you have it, 8 clues successful Men over 50 have left to help you become Harder to Kill. Start with #1 and see what happens.

Want to join the Men over 50 who left the clues above? Go to Argent Alpha and take the next steps.

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