The more I travel, the stronger my road habits become. I find I’m less flexible and rely on my road routine more than ever.

My first year or so of travel, I didn’t know any better. I loved the uncertainty that would come with travel. Not so much anymore.

The good that has come is I’m definitely a seasoned traveler and there is little that I’ve not experienced so far aside from an emergency landing or major car accident. (insert WHEW here)

The bad is I’ve become very rigid and have lost that willingness to change even the things that are not good in my road routine.

Let me ask you a question. Before you read it and answer it quickly, really think about it. My hope is it’s a response that if you do, could literally change your travel life or possibly your whole life.

Here’s the question:

If you could change one thing, anything about YOU when you travel, what would it be?

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I’ve asked this question to SO many people as I travel and here are the top five responses:

• I need to eat healthier on the road. I’m embarrassed by the weight gain and I’m less disciplined when I travel.
• I drink too much on the road (and I don’t mean water). It’s easy to justify but I definitely need to cut back in this area.
• I need to exercise more on the road. I seem to be allergic to the hotel fitness center and need some type of activity other than eating and drinking.
• I need to sleep more on the road. I go to bed late and get up early then come home from my trip and just crash.
• I need to check in more at home. I could but simply don’t saying “I’m working”.

And as I push further in my questions it leads to this last question:

Why don’t you change this one thing that is an obvious pain point for you?

And sadly the answers are simply excuses. I don’t know if most eventually change but I can usually tell in just a couple of moments if they value their excuses more than this pain and change rarely happens.

I’m for the person who is willing to make the change and if this is you, here are three action items to make this change a reality:

 

1. Determine Your “WHAT” to Change

What is your answer to the question: “If you could change one thing, anything about you when you travel, what would it be?”

The first critical action item is to determine WHAT you want to change. What is it? Is your answer one of the top five or something different?

Then ask: will it move the needle and make some real change in my life? If your response is yes or definitely, you’ve found a strong WHAT.

For example, you want eat healthier on the road. Good start. But specifically you want to lose 20 pounds in the next six months and unless you get your act together on the road, the only change will be one word: ADD instead of LOSE.

 

2. Determine Your “WHY” to Change

Your WHAT is the easiest of the three action items. But WHY do you want to change this one item?

This answer is beyond the surface so you need to dig. Your WHY is your motivation.

For example, you want to lose 20 pounds in the next six months. But WHY? I’m overweight. Yeah, true, obvious, heavy (pun intended) but WHY do you want to lose the weight?

Real answer: I’m embarrassed by my weight and lack of energy and hate my lack of self-control. This MUST change.

Now you know your WHY.

So, what is your WHY behind your WHAT?

 

3. Determine Your “How” You Will Change

Once you have your WHAT and your WHY, lastly you need to determine your HOW.

This is the take action part of the program. You obviously know how NOT to do it and possibly great at it. So, now look through what it would take to make it happen.

Back to our example, HOW will you implement your change of eating healthier on the road. You may start by setting some rules:

• ALWAYS starting with a healthy breakfast
• Limiting the amount of sugary drinks
• Substituting a vegetable for fries
• Cutting out dessert at dinner
• Stop choosing restaurants with a DRIVE THRU!!!

You know the Road You so fill in the HOW blanks. This is a must for you to change.

Once you know your How, you definitely need to set the tone for your next trip with these changes. Read more about it HERE.

Future Watch – I’m developing an online training course for this very reason called The Traveling Professional’s Nutrition Course: Four Healthy Strategies to Avoid Going Off Road On the Road.

If you’re interested in joining the pilot program, email me directly: Bryan@BryanPaulBuckley.com and I will respond. I will be taking a limited number through the 1^st round.

 

Closing Challenge

Change is hard. It requires effort. It requires breaking our normal, comfortable routine and doing something different.

And this is why your WHY is critical to your success.

We’re all motivated when we hear the amazing story of how someone lost 40 pounds and you want to know HOW. But the story almost ALWAYS starts with the WHY.

You can become this person. You can do it! Find your what, your why, and your how and start today.

I hope this question, (If you could change one thing, anything about you when you travel, what would it be?) absolutely owns you, consumes you, and motivates you to change something about the Road You.

Be better than average. Average is easy. Average is unsatisfying and leads to regret. Work these three action items and make the change.

 

Closing Question

What do you need to change when you travel that will make a major difference in your life if you just do it?