Be GREAT, Because…..

It was a Friday morning as I flew from NJ to NC and would then fly to Miami.

I would be spending the weekend sharing stories of The Underground Strength Gym with plans of inspiring just 1 person. No thoughts of "world domination" as too many love to shout from the roof tops.

My time in NC came and went in the blink of an eye. I spent lots of time hanging out with Jim Wendler in NC, talking life more than we spoke about lifting. Saturday evening I flew to Miami and Mike Bledsoe picked me up from the airport.

I arrived in Miami Saturday night and was ready to speak with the guys of Barbell Shrugged at a fitness event, Wodaoalooza.

The mansion was packed on Saturday night and there were no rooms available so I was told I'd be sleeping on the couch.

Sleeping on the couch is GOOD.

It keeps me from feeling spoiled.

Comfort is the enemy.

Everyone in that mansion was "living their dream" as "they" say.....

I have no clue who "they" actually are, but whatever..... You don't need to care who they are or what they think. "They" being anyone else out there who tries to define you.

Your heart tells you the truth. Your heart will guide you and your actions will define you.

I slept great that night on the couch.

I woke up That morning and we all had breakfast together. The ladies of Barbell Shrugged cooked up an amazing breakfast and my friend, Chris Moore, aka Barbell Buddha, had the coffee going. The Buddha took making coffee seriously as he served it up with a smile.

It was awesome to see and feel the passion in that house. Heck, there was even passion behind the making of his coffee. I respected the heck out of that.

As I was sitting down with a few friends during breakfast, we got to talking about "living the dream".

Also known as, "making a living following YOUR passion". I view this as Doing what you were put on this earth to do.

What were YOU put on this earth for?

My friend was stressed out and on the edge, over working himself between his "real job" and pursuing his passion.

Plus, he was a family man. His wife was stressed and she knew that it was all too much. We ALL have our breaking points. I've seen that these breaking points can break people OR, they are tipping points, tipping you in the right direction where you trust your gut instincts and trust your heart.

I related immediately to my friend because I lived that stress for a long time. A LONG time.

I told my friend about my "nightmare"....

That 1 day my daughter would be grown up and she would ask me.....

"Daddy, I want be a great ________. What do I do and how do I REALLY make this happen?"

And then, just as I was about to answer her she cuts me off and says.....

Wait! WHY am I asking you for advice?

You NEVER dared to be great!

You just payed it safe!

You grew up in this town.

Got a job in this town.

You never dared to follow your dreams.

That nightmare of a thought haunted me for a while.

It scared me.

It scared me so much that It INSPIRED me to finally "go for it" as they say.

Again, who is "they"?.

That's where the dream gets twisted. It's YOUR dream and YOUR passion, so stop worrying about what others think is right or wrong.

I finally learned that it was time to "live my dreams." The time was NOW. Why right Now? Because perfect does not exist. Perfect timing, perfect opportunities. There is NO such thing and anyone who has achieved their goals understands that you must break through instead of break down.

You must get "crazy" to get creative.

I realized long, long ago that the only way to fail is to not even try, to keep waiting for the "perfect time" which never comes.

That thought of my daughter not looking to me as her inspiration to do something great for herself is still 1 of the "things" that keeps me going.....

Even though I KNOW it woulda been WAY easier to live in the town I grew up in, to keep that safe job and to never dare anything great. Oh, that woulda been VERY EASY.

To me, that is NOT living.

My friend was inspired tremendously by our morning conversation.I saw it in his eyes. I could feel his passion and energy in every word we shared together. I still remember Travis Mash saying, "Ya see, we need to record conversations like this because everybody needs to hear this stuff."

Later that morning, when I spoke during my presentation at The Barbell Shrugged Tent and shared my  challenges and obstacles, my friend realized we're ALL capable.

You see, I've worked many odd jobs.

I almost took a job at Spa Lady for crying out loud. I remember getting that phone call while I was at the beach and lying to the manager of Spa Lady, telling her I was hired elsewhere, when truth be told, I was NOT hired anywhere.

My heart told me, "Do NOT take that job. It is NOT you. Stand UP for yourself and F--King GO for it already!!"

I was broke and in debt at the time. I NEEDED that job! But I KNEW that I had to "go for it". That was when I started training athletes from my parents garage and back yard.

Until then, from my kid years and early adult life it was.....

Paper Routes.

Gas Attendant.

Worked in a Pizzaria and thought the owner was gonna fight me he was so crazy.

Worked at CostCo emptying garbage cans and cleaning out old storage warehouse space.

The list goes on......

I got to a point where it was time to believe in myself.

I shared those stories in Miami and That weekend was amazing.

I met some great friends after going through a rough time in my own life and boy was it refreshing!

As an entrepreneur, sometimes you can feel very alone. So when you meet the right people, you become inspired beyond anything my words can describe.

After that weekend, My friend went home and quit his job and pursued his passion with an Iron Heart.

It's like he just needed 1 person to let him know it's ALL gonna be Great. It's been done by countless people all around the world.

And if someone like myself can do it, the guy who was laughed at and  made fun of, then heck, YOU can do it, IF you REALLY want it.

ALL you gotta do is BELIEVE.

Believe with an "Iron Heart".

Of course, from there, it takes work.

LOTS of work.

Smart work.

If you fear the work then you can not succeed.

But......

I'm NOT talking about working to a point of having no life.

THAT is the big mistake......

I'm talking about working in a way that GIVES you life and GIVES all who come in contact with you
that feeling of ahhhhhhh, I needed you.

Thank you for coming into my life.

So, whatever it is you do.

Do it with an Iron Heart.

Do it with ALL your heart.

I don't understand any other way to live.

And I hope you realize that you can be as great as you WANT to be, as long as you're willing to GO for it.

GO. Do it NOW.

In memory of my loving friend, Chris Moore, aka Barbell Buddha.