Full Strength LIFE

When Life’s Got You In A Sleeper Hold, Do This…

Life can get the best of the best of us.

Too much swimming upstream, too many long days and short nights, too many local tragedies and international disasters can act like Kryptonite to even the strongest and bravest among us.

When it feels like you’re flailing your arms to stay afloat or worse yet, “doing okay” Life’s got ya in a sleeper hold.

You’re playin’ not to lose rather than to win—and there’s no surer way to lose than that.

In steps the Power of Challenge.

A Challenge brings out our best, awakening your Strength.

It wakes you up, ignites your power, gives meaning to Life.

Life without challenge is, by definition, sleep walking.

Yet, when life’s got you in a sleeper hold, everything looks to be an insurmountable Challenge.

Hell, balancing your check book just as well be repelling off the Empire State building.

When every Challenge is in the “other” category—the one that shuts you down cold, it’s time to take control and put power back in your Life.

It’s time for simple, daily, repeated, positive action—success you can celebrate will have you back to Full Strength, “Kryptonite F.r.e.e” in short order.

Watch this short video as I explain the fastest, easiest way to take control, claim your power, super-charge your confidence and get you back in the game—playing to win big.

Take the 14-Days to Full Strength Challenge

Now, I invite you to step back into your rightful place, to get that confidence back on your side, and feel the control and power that is your birthright.

Step into your power in 14 short days, take the 14-Days to Full Strength Challenge.

It’s backed and 100% Guaranteed by yours truly. You’ve nothing to lose but fear and anxiety?

Don’t wait for things to turn in your favor—take action and turn them yourself.

The 2-Weeks to Full Strength Challenge will have you back at Full Strength, playing to win, fast.

Click Here to Get Started Now

Beyond "Have to" Exercise, To Fitness Freedom

“Have to” vs. “Want to Fitness”

As I write this, I’m watching Shaun “The Flying Tomato” White flip and fly high through the air out of the half pipe on his snowboard. Watching him is amazing. It’s truly art in motion.

Absorbed in the moment, it occurs to me that this sort of expression—this talent and skill—can not be the result of “have to” approach. There’s no one big enough or mean enough in the world to make someone “have to” fly head over heals, 720 degrees around.

This is truly an expression of some other energy, some greater desire. Even if it we’re a “have to” for yourself you’d not achieve this level. It’s impossible.

“Have to,” also known as "obligation," is one of the four levels of motivation, on the path to Mastery, that I detail in my book, Strength for Life. This is the level from which most people first engage in fitness and transformation.

The good news it’s the motive that gets you going but it’s not the motivation that can keep you going. It wears out quickly and wears you out too.

"Have to" results in more “have to”'s and next soon you “have to” hire a lion trainer to get your ass out of bed.

The sort of amazing human expression that Shawn White show arises from a higher place, a “want to” energy. I “want to” fly, is fueled by feedback, reward both intrinsic and extrinsic (from the outside). 

"Want to" is an expression of self, an energy you can not contain. And the more you express, the more you revel in “want to” the more quickly you move to the ultimate freedom, “Mastery.”

Mastery is the instantaneous expression of excellence. It’s where you cease “doing” and start “being” the thing, be it snowboarding or strength training. It’s the ultimate freedom for you no longer rely on carrot and cattle prods to get you moving.

"Want to" get out of the “have to?”

Find the thing you most want, animate the energy that gets you moving—no right or wrong. At one time it may have been getting the girl or guy. Perhaps it’s a “want to” win a contest, a “want to” compete, “want to” impress, “want to” achieve.

One tip, shallow as it may be, usually the transformation best happens in a public domain for that which is done in secret, is well, secret. And that means it’s usually things we “want to” keep that way.

Find something you “want to” brag about.

How Passion Fuels Your Fitness and Financial Freedom

Nothing makes life more intensely enjoyable than the presence of Passion and nothing more dull and difficult than its absence.

This hit me today as I was reading a terrific Blog about “what makes a premium brand.” In response to a recent tour of an inspired company, blogging juggernaut, Chris Brogan says, something I’ve long known true, “You can’t fake passion.”

Chris Brogan’s quote was: “What I came away with was…a very strong sense that you can’t fake the level of passion that they put into their brand. It’s not advertising. It’s not a slapped on after-effect. It’s built in… brand is human passion… bottled and shipped.”

A profound and universal truth this is. Think about it…

You can’t fake passion in art, in speaking, in relationship, in sex, in acting, in life. Just the same, you can’t fake passion in your work—and real Passion is coveted and demands a premium

Actors don’t fake it—the great ones receive big money because they aren’t faking passion but rather accessing it on demand. They feel it. It’s passion we covet in our athletes, in our performers at every level. Ever seen music done without passion? Probably not since Milli Vanilli. Pretty painful. 

Yet Fake Passion is Everywhere

The fact that you can’t fake passion doesn’t prevent people from trying—early and often. Fake passion is all over the place—especially on TV. A notorious source of passion faked is infomercials. That news anchor worthy big-tooth smile and orgasmic energy over a toaster oven is over-the-top.

And really, how many people actually believe Chuck Norris is truly passionate about that sliding gym thingy? 

Not me. It’s clearly a profit gig. Not wrong, just is.

On stage or on the field, passion is much easier to spot—to experience—than in less “live” things like a book or a meal. For “live” performances demand little from you and I—we can remain passive. On the other hand, the written word requires you to read as a meal requires your involvement. Still, it’s common to hear people refer to “tasting the chef’s passion for food” in a meal.

Passion Drives Performance and Results

My passion for helping people live fuller, stronger, freer and more vibrant lives is manifested in everything I do, from the books or articles I write to the Full Strength Premium Nutrition Shake.

The Risk of Healthy Living... See, I told you so.

I belong to the international group called, EO, which conveniently stands for Entrepreneurs Organization. You may have heard of it in it's previous life as Y-EO, when we were all Young enough to carry that title. Fortunately for me, and many of my peers, they figured out that entrepreneurism is not something one out grows with age.

As a part of this cool, rather elite, group of entrepreneurs around the globe, I get invited to some great events, most live... some virtual.

Well, today I received an invite to a health summit of sort. "Okay. Cool... Health." I'm thinking when I open up the invite. 

Here's what it says, verbatim:

On 21 April 2009 at 1:00 p.m. EDT, EO members have an exclusive opportunity to learn from Susan Locke, M.D., the medical director for the Healthnetwork Foundation. Susan will facilitate a Webinar on the importance of health screening for prevention and early detection of disease.

Dr. Locke will outline ways to modify your lifestyle to decrease your risk of developing cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. She will also discuss the importance of scheduled diagnostic tests as a means to detect subtle health issues before they become severe health issues. 

Well, gee... That all sounds nice, right?

I think it's wise to detect a disease early and I'm big on prevention. But what caught my attention was just how "disease centric" the entire thing is. It is precisely the way modern, western medicine has arisen and the way we've all been taught to think, in terms of managing or avoiding disease.

It's as if disease is a big steel pole and we're all on a rope spinning around it. It's only a matter of time before that rope gets short and we go "bonk."

This is precisely the focus of Chapter One in Strength for Life, the dangerous dance with health, which most people define precisely the way Webster's does, "the absence of disease."

As a result we have a life centered around and driven by illness vs. health and as a result health becomes--literally--the absence of illness rather than the presence of vibrancy, of life, of energy, of joy.

And don't think this is simple semantics--it's a lot more than that. I'm talking to you about the way we really work, the stuff that is really driving you towards or away from... you can not be compelled towards a vision of health when it's defined in your psyche as "not being sick."

That's a "running from" not a "running towards" goal.

I encourage you, as I do everyone I meet, to reassess what health means to you. Define what it feels like, looks like and how amazing you want to live. Be intentional about it. And

The vision and word I point to is, "Strength."Not simply a physical capacity...

Strength is an abundance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy--the capacity to make a contribution in this life and world. It's inclusive of health and so much more...

Here's to your Life @ Full Strength! 

The Strong Forge on Fueled by Belief, Passion…

In this lifetime you will come across an infinite number of easy roads, you will be offered millions of short-cuts, easy ways… there’s always another one promising you a way around the real hard work that stands between you and your vision or dream.

And guess what? You got it… take any of them and you’ll find yourself back to square one eventually, hopefully wiser, certainly more exhausted.

In order to achieve anything worthy of your valuable time on earth you will find passion and purpose indispensable co-pilots. Only when you’ve found a vision, have a purpose and are filled with passion will you have a chance in hell of making it through the long road to a worthy achievement.

When I built the world’s first and only true premium nutrition shake I never fantasized that there would be anything easy about sharing it with others. I recognized in a time when MRP’s and numerous average nutrition shakes have become an interchangeable commodity and people have learned to buy price alone, that creating a off the scale top-end passion driven product was anything but a wise business move.

The Mechanics of Motivation

It’s 6 am… another late night, last thing I want to do is press a couple hundred pounds off my chest a few dozen times... not top of my list at the moment. No thanks!

Do you know the feeling? I tell you, I did this morning.

If you’ve been training for any length of time, you know there are times when you can’t be stopped and times when you can get going…

What’s the difference? Why is it so easy at times and so damned difficult to train others?

That really is the question… and you know, there really are some answers.

I’ve got good reason to think know a lot of the answers – both from years of experience and considerable studying in the area… Then of course there’s the obvious “movers” like Bill’s Body for LIFE. But even with something that works, like that, there’s a personal element to what makes it work so well for some and not so for others.

Alas, it’s not more of my answers I crave it's yours... I need your wisdom!

I want to know what makes you start strong, stay strong and keep going strong... That’s why I’m launching this: The WORLD’S Largest Real-World Study of Fitness Motivation.

The premise is simple… really.

My plan is to get 10,000, 20,000 up to 100,000 people to share their most powerful, most effective motivation tip or technique and then, using a lot of smart people and a scientific data collection engine, determine the 21 Most Effective Techniques For Creating And Sustaining Unstoppable Motivation.

With this wisdom I know you can become an unstoppable force for your fitness.

What do you think? Are you up for making your contribution to the study?

Go here now and share your insight – do it now, while the bonus is still good.

Check it out –  you’ll appreciate the reward.

Please Tell me: What Moves You?