The next time you’ll be reading something from me will be in 2019.

Can you believe that?

2018 was one for the record books in so many ways.

Personally it was a banner year….

It was my first full “calendar” year as a dad.

I’m learning everyday, but feeling more and more confident.

Megan and I got to do some amazing things together.

As some of you know, being married to an entrepreneur is no joke.

There are no days off, my mind is always running, and I give her anxiety with the amount of ideas and stretch goals I present to her.

But we’ve grown a lot together this year, had the great fortune of going on some amazing trips together, and become closer because of Kaden.

With the low of losing my dad in October and now having lost both parents before turning 30 came the high of Megan’s family moving to Maine.

Both her parents and her sister and brother-in-law built houses in town and are know just a short five minute drive away.

Her parents have become my parents, and her sister and brother-in-law have become my brother and sister, so this move was huge for our entire family.

Professionally, it was a big year as well.

Spurling Fitness is as powerful as ever.

It’s fueled by the best fitness family around, and a really tight community of members that has grown another 20% this year.

They’ve pushed each other, held each other accountable, made friends, built relationships, volunteered their time for charity, and everything else that a community does together.

It’s led by a rockstar team, some of which hit their 5 year anniversary (Josh), and some of which started roughly 5 months ago (Jeremy).

With six awesome coaches and Mel leading the front of the house 2019 is sure to be another strong year.

Outside of leading the team at Spurling Fitness I’ve been able to expand the Spurling Community and prepare for some big moves in 2019 including…

The expansion of our coaching and consulting offerings for local small businesses and health and fitness businesses. Taking what we’ve used to build our Spurling Community and helping others build efficient and profitable businesses that make a bigger impact in their community.

The growth of our charitable work including a community 5k that donated almost $5,000 to a local non-profit, a $1,000 scholarship to a local high school student, thousands of dollars donated to local charity, hundreds of pounds of clothes donated to local shelters, and so much more I’m probably forgetting.

And finally, the clarity and initial steps towards our next brand under the Spurling Community which will help inspire positive change and cultivate relationships in our community through other wellness-based offerings (Massage, PT, Yoga, Counseling, etc), but also give us the space to fulfill our vision to teach and educate more through speaker series, seminars, workshops, and courses for the public.

As much as that is a highlight reel for 2018, like all of you, it was also filled with some lows.

Countless days filled with stress and anxiety, the loss of my dad, the never ending feeling of it never being good enough, and the constant question of “am I doing the right thing"?” still gives me nightmares, but that’s okay.

If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you learn the most from your low moments, and without those moments in life, you don’t get to experience the incredible highs.

I learned a lot this year, so here are 19 tips to make 2019 your best year ever.

Be present: I write this as number one for the simple fact that it’s my everyday reminder. We only have today. We can dream about the future, but we only have this moment, right now, and it can be taken away from us at any moment.
Stretch yourself: If you were to tell me seven years ago I’d be where I am today I would have said “no freaking way!” However, none it came from being conservative. None of it came without an extreme amount of stretch and sacrifice.
Happiness is about the journey: There is no destination. I am at my happiest when I am working on something that can never be “done.” I can never stop developing as husband or father. I can never stop developing as leader. I will never inspire positive change in everybody. However, it’s that “never ends” feeling that makes the journey so fun. It’s about the journey not the destination.
What problem do you want? We’ll always have problems. More money, more time, more anything. It doesn’t remove all our problems, it just gives us another problem. In 2019, you’ll have problems, but it’s about choosing what problems you want.
Process based goals: As you look to set goals in 2019 set process-based goals not outcome based goals. For example, don’t set the goal of losing 10 pounds (outcome), set the goal of getting in 10 workouts per month (process). You can control the process, you can never control the outcome.
Reading for the win. I don’t care if you read a physical book, listen to it, whatever. Reading everyday, in my humble opinion, is a non-negotiable. It develops you, it challenges you to think differently, it builds a habit. There is only one negative to reading which is all that you’re not learning by not reading.
It’s all connected. This is one of my missions in life is to better educate the community that it’s all connected. Everything. We can’t try and isolate one thing. We can’t try to fix one thing while ignoring the rest. From a small example like if your knee hurts, we can’t just look at the knee, it’s probably being caused by something above or below. To a big example like your whole wellness. If you hate your job it’s going to impact your fitness. If you’re stressed it’s going to impact your nutrition. If your finances are not in order it’s going to impact every other area of life. If you want to truly develop (physically, emotionally, financially, etc) as a person we need to realize that it’s all connected.
Find a coach. In every area of life that’s excelling I have a coach, and if I’m being honest, in the areas that are lacking, I don’t have a coach. Everyone needs a coach. You’re not better than anyone. We all need a coach. If you want to get better at fitness and nutrition, get a coach. If you want to get your business in order, get a coach. If you need help with your marriage, get a coach. We all need more coaches in our life.
You get paid for done. Not thinking, not brainstorming, but straight up action. It amazes me, and I’m guilty of it myself, how long we let things sit on our plates. If you look at it, that act of finishing it, is really not that big, but we never get it done. The people that implement the fastest win.
Have a really clear vision. I spent two days in Michigan this year learning about visioning and I’m just cracking the surface. However, I do know one thing about visioning. It works. Write down (they key) where you want to be, visualize it, and then set your goals to get you there. Most of us set goals but we don’t know where we want to be. Figure out the vision first then work backwards.
Write everything down. Your brain is best at creating ideas, it’s terrible at storing ideas. Your vision? Write it down. Your goals? Write it down. An idea you have? Write it down. Did you workout yesterday? Write it down. Your business operations? Write it down. Everything should be on paper. The physical act of writing it will allow you to comprehend better, and more importantly, you’ll have something to reference back to. Stop keeping stuff in your head.
More Kindness. It’s our core value at Spurling, and I’m at my best when I am kind. The world needs more kindness. We need more kindness. There is no negative to being more kind.
More Play. It’s another core value at Spurling, and I am at my best when it feels like play. Playing with my son, having fun with my family, making games out of work. We all need to put our head down and work sometimes, but if you’re not having fun, what’s the point?
Be curious. Another value at Spurling. immerse yourself in anything you want to learn, go all in, get curious. Do you want to learn more about a person or a thing? Ask questions. Are you furious at someone or something? Get curious. We could all benefit from being more curious.
Have some values. As you grow the opportunities become more and more, you can become stretched thin. Know your values, know what you stand for. Your values become your guardrails so you know what to say yes to, and more importantly, you know what to say no to.
“I can’t.” You can, you just may not want to put in the work, and that’s okay, but you can if you want to. If you truly want something bad enough you’ll find a way. Try to say “I can’t” a little less in 2019.
I wish. That's the biggest phrase I work to avoid. I wish I went on that trip. I wish I tried that adventure. I wish I made that career jump. When I'm 95 years old and sitting in a rocking chair I can only ask for one thing...no regrets. I did everything I could to make an impact and leave a legacy. I don't want to say "I wish." Here’s to no regrets in 2019…
Stop comparing. We all have our own visions, our own goals, our own things that make us happy. Some want a big house to host family dinners, some want a tiny home. Some want to travel the world and some want to be a homebody. Some want to have 6-pack, others just want to be healthy. You’ll have your best year ever if you stop comparing yourself to others.
1% Better. This is the motto I live by. Every day I try to be a better person, a better husband, a better father, a better business owner, and a better leader. 1% better every day. It's keeps me hungry yet humble. It's everything. 2019 will have highs, and it will have lows, but ultimately it will be your best year yet if you just try to get a little better everyday, realize that success is never a straight line, and that you determine what success looks like.

Cheers to the last year of this great decade!

I’m excited to learn, grow, and be humbled alongside you.

Taking the time to read what I write means you said no to something else, and for that I’m honored.

I hope I have made a small positive change in your life, for that, is my mission.

Happy New Year!

1% Better.

Dedicated to Your Success,

Doug Spurling