It’s hard, day in and day out, to do the right thing.

In a world of excess and easy choices, it takes a special kind if thinking and commitment to be at your best.

I’ve coached and worked with thousands of people who are looking for an answer, ‘the answer’, to cure their particularly ailments.

They’re after a quick fix, but often feel the only option is a complicated fix.

The most effective advice – which is not only the simplest but, conversely, the hardest to adhere to – is simply to do the right thing.

When others are sleeping, it is hard to be the one awake and grinding through the rain and pain.

When others are eating cake, chocolate and hot chips, it’s hard to eat right.

Struggling to make good food choices?

You already know the right thing is to eat vegetables and meat and drink plenty of water – you just have to do it. There are no shortcuts.

Those super supplements? Well, chances are they do not work, but hard work, that sure does. Because it is the right thing to do.

But doing the right thing is more than just about diet and exercise.

Although paramount to a good life, they are just the beginning. Doing the right thing extends to all aspects of our lives.

It is about making the hard choices that are best for you and best for the other people in your life.

If you’re having issues in your relationship, doing the right thing means talking about them, working at them and then overcoming them.

Or, the right thing may be to leave the relationship. It may be harder, but doing the right thing is not always easy.

There are many obstacles that stand in the way of you doing the right thing on a daily basis.

The Coca-Cola, the hot chips, the half effort for your assignment or work project, your warm bed, or ...insert your vice here…

There is almost an infinite choice of self help books, not to mention a world full of Internet ‘experts’ and Facebook ‘professors’, happy to throw their two cents’ worth in any which way they can.

We are besieged on all sides, attacked constantly by meat pies, sugar, Facebook ‘experts’ and thoughts of “if only I were more awesome, things would be easier.”

What if the problem is not that you need another self help book or that you need to be positive all the time or an alpha male with loads of muscle on top of muscle?

What if...

You just need to do the right thing?

View obstacles as your opportunity to prove that you can do the right thing.

That the path less travelled is, indeed, less travelled because it is harder, requires more resolution, more doing of the right thing.

Overcoming life’s obstacles by doing the right things boosts your resilience; it makes you a stronger and better person.

It tells those around you, and, indeed, the world, that no matter what, you will not stop, that you are the person who does the right thing, who never stops, never yields, never gives in. You are the one to follow.

Picture this. Your boss walks in and throws down the gauntlet; you’re in trouble; or you have a new deadline.

Or you have had a long day, you’re tired, hungry and at the shops trying to buy food and then get home for dinner.

As usual, the Doritos stand is right beside the checkout.

Or you get home from work exhausted, your partner has had the kids all day and you can’t really be bothered talking about the kids’ tantrums, let alone helping to get them to bed.

Do and doing are action words.

They require that you make a stand against apathy, fatigue and problems of excess.

You don’t have a flip-out at your boss – you simply acknowledge the demands, see it as a challenge and do the job to the best of your ability, factoring in the needs and commitments of your loved one/family.

You skip the Doritos, drink some extra water to tide yourself over until dinner and maybe plan ahead with your meals next time so you’re not buying groceries when you are tired and hungry.

You listen to your partner and help with the kids despite being tired as well.

Each obstacle and every difficult path requires neither self-help nor more awesomeness. It simply requires your ability and affinity to do the right thing.

When life is rally throwing curve balls, when you’re stuck in a rut, in the middle of a bad relationship, overweight, injured, failing at university, not performing at work, or things just aren’t going your way, you need to know there is a way out.

There are better things coming.

If we broke the obstacle down to its most basic level, there would be a series of right and wrong things to do.

How do you put that into practice?

Pick three issues that are plaguing you at the moment. Break them down to their basic premise. What is the right thing to do to eliminate the issue?

Unhappy with your current weight and have no idea where to start? Start with breakfast.

Is that bowl of Coco Pops the best you can do?

Is it the right thing to be doing? Probably not, so swap it for a low carb, high protein nutritious breakfast.

Work on that, consolidate that change, then move onto lunch after a week or two of good breakfasts.

Stressed anxious, tired and unhappy?

Turn off the TV 30 minutes earlier four nights a week and practice meditation or journaling or talking to your loved one.

Get up first thing in the morning and go for walk, or do so after the kids’ school drop off, or when they have activities on or make them walk/ride with you!

Every obstacle can be broken down into opportunities for you to do the right thing.

In health and fitness, relationships, work, and difficult times... You know what to do.