Usually I’m the one talking about being “Vinspired” but this past week I watched Chris Powell’s show “Obesse: A year to save my life” and the story of Tony had me Vinspired!

At 49 years old Tony tipped the scales at just under 400lbs with a whopping 50% of his weight being fat.

In just 12 months he halved his body weight and transformed himself … but that is not the amazing thing about Tony’s story.

During that 12 month period he had a bunch of challenges which could have stopped him in his tracks and nobody would have criticised him for it.

But he didn’t.

Despite tragically losing his 28 year old son, suffering the breakdown of the relationship with his soon-to-be wife and being made homeless, this giant of a man kept going.

He kept his discipline, his focus and his drive to succeed front and centre at all times.

We could learn a lot from him.

Although his change was of a personal nature there is a lot to learn from him with regards to making changes in your business.

When embarking on any kind of change there will always be obstacles, challenges and tough situations to face.

Here’s what Tony’s story reinforced for me and what I think could help you.

Have a solid, clear vision.   Tony had very clear reasons for the journey he was on and he placed so much importance on them that anything else in is life was secondary. He never lost sight of his end goal, more specifically he never lost the connection with how he would feel on the other side.

People often fall short during change because the pain of the obstacles of they face seem greater than the upside or benefits at the end.

Keep your discipline.  When Tony was made homeless it would have been easy for him to turn to cheap junk food to save money but instead he still ate well turning to fruit and vegetables, found ways to work out and stuck to a routine.

When you are facing tough times it can be easy to look for short cuts or cut corners but often those short terms wins can lead to long term loss. Keep your discipline and persevere.

Accept help from others  – During his journey Tony had moments where  he thought about throwing in the towel but he reached out for help and surrounded himself with good people.

Drive and commitment do not mean travelling alone. The most successful people in the world always ask for help and surround themselves with good people.