Ugh… it pains me to admit that.
As I mention in the early parts of the book, part of this delay was due to some extreme bouts of:
- Writer's block
- Fear of failure
- Perfection paralysis
- Trying to do everything all at once
- "What will people think"?
- "Can I create enough value"?
I forgot that building a business is a process. Not only that, it takes raw courage. I feel like most people may go experience similar feelings in the beginning when thinking about building something that they can check off as an accomplishment, and in some cases something that can turn out to be profitable and eventually evolve into a career.
I have come to truly love this picture...
When I got my head in the right spot, I knew that it was just a matter of breaking through my comfort zone. There are growing pains initially when a person accepts the challenge of becoming their own boss. It sounds appealing, but I bet if you ask any successful entrepreneur, they will tell you that success on your own requires a mental resilience that some will never be able to fathom. Controlling emotions is key. A college hockey coach of mine used to preach…
No High's. No Low's.
Once I made the decision to put my head down and go for it, I instantly felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. It was like I told myself either commit to it and finish it, or don't do it at all. There is no in between. I have a notorious habit for starting projects and then not finishing them. Once I admitted this to myself, it became clear that finishing what I started here is a simple decision.
Go for it.
My checklist for my work is simple… I have a million ideas of what to write about for my book. There have been a zillion books about fat loss, what to eat, etc. It is almost nauseating. I am also not here to reinvent the wheel. There are some brilliant minds that have come before me, so I am not going to compete with their knowledge. I decided against complicating topics that are already over-complicated by journals, magazine and the mainstream media.
When I started to think about what I wanted to write about, I would become paralyzed. I felt like I had a lot to say and yet it was hard to get anything out. My head was cluttered with incomplete thoughts about complicated topics. Then I started thinking about some of the questions that people had asked me in the past about body composition, and how to reach goals related to it.
I asked myself things like...
Do people really care about the physiological process of why/how fat is lost from the body through strength and conditioning?
Or
Do they just care that they are getting sustainable/effective results from a program that is manageable, challenging and appropriately designed for there current physical strength and conditioning?
These are some of the questions that I had to ask myself when I was trying to organize my thoughts and put myself in the shoes of the consumer. Just because I like to read about the details of physiological process doesn't mean they do. I couldn't be blind to this fact. I mean, how complicated does this process need to be?
Some of my favorite manuals that I purchased early on my career were straight to the point. Do this and then this will happen. Enough said. I like this approach.
My goal is simply to give people the information that they need. I will provide the guidance to get the job done.
I know that some folks absorb more as readers (the written word), some are visual learners (video), and some are both. That being said, I know that I will have to create "an experience" so to speak.
One avenue that I am extremely interested in is the concept of streaming workouts through mobile devices such as iPads, iPods, and iPhones. With the popularity of Apple TV on the rise, this is something that I am working out logistically in my head. It would seem to provide a great bang for a person's buck with regard to training in the comfort of their own home.
This is going to be a leap of faith since I am no Hollywood actor. My guess is it would take me a few video shoots to get the hang of it. I'll have to remember to laugh at myself as I start looking into this route further.
Economically, training at home is the way to go. I have a deep respect for personal trainers, but it just isn't a long-term solution for clients. Spending that kind of money every single session gets draining on the bank account.
On the flip side, most people who have a gym membership don't go anyways (gyms love this). Judging by my experiences in the gym, I would guess that only 10% of the folks that do make it to the gym on a regular basis get any kind of results. Sure, you can buzz around the Nautilus machines for a few rounds and work up a sweat stain on your shirt, but there is an entire other world of "fit" that you are missing out on. If these people are excited by the results they are getting from a mediocre training regimen, I always wonder how they would react if I got my hands on them (not literally) and took them through a training session.
Bottom-line… I am in this to reach out to people. Specifically, those who want to be helped and want to help themselves.
It is going to be exciting and I am looking forward to the challenges and speed bumps.
I am familiar with blogging, so I know that it will take a little bit for this blog to get up and running with content, but rest assure that it will be buzzing in a few weeks.
I will leave this post with a video that I love. I hope that it hits home with you as it did with me. Our time is short, maybe a lot shorter than we think. So why not try and do something incredible? Even if it's only incredible by what you once believed was possible for you to achieve? Nothing is impossible.
Cheers to the wanting to squeezing a little more out of life… whatever that means to you…
Kyle Garner
5/31/2012
Racy's Cafe
Eau Claire, WI
