Check out the “Mash Squat Every Day” E-Book with 4 twelve week programs for weightlifting, powerlifting, super total, and bodybuilding. Find out more below:
The 3-Day Mash Camp is happening at the Compound July 8-10. Max Out Friday and Dinner with the team on the 8th, seminar on the 9th, and meet seminar followed by a sanctioned meet on the 10th. Hopefully we will find some time to just talk and contemplate life. To find out more, check out the link below:
Tips for Real Success Inspired by Chris Moore
Last week my good buddy, Chris Moore, passed away. I believe that his early passing was a wake up call for his friends and followers. Sometimes entrepreneurs can get pumped and excited to get people motivated to take over the world. I have been to masterminds, and I listen to podcasts from other entrepreneurs. A common theme is to change the world or take over the world.
I am not saying that’s a bad thing. Maybe that is your purpose on this earth, or maybe that’s your passion. I will say that it’s not mine. I have talked to several of my friends in the industry, and there seems to be a common desire amongst most of us. That desire is to help as many people as possible without jeopardizing the relationships right in front of our faces with family and friends. That’s it really simple.
Last night I was talking to Zach Even-Esh. We were talking about Chris Moore. We both think more like Chris. We want to help people while maintaining the relationships before us. Zach mentioned that he used to do small masterminds, where they would train and perform activities during the day. Then at night they would sit around the fire and discuss business, life, and goals.
He said that a common theme was having an out of control business that consumed them. Most of them craved a simple life, but a beast of their own creation now controlled them. I totally understand. I have been there before. Let’s talk about this for just a second.
Here’s what happens. We fall in love with training, then we decide that there’s no better job in the world than training people and helping people. I have heard hundreds of people tell me that they started their business in their garage. The before they knew it, there garage was packed with people. Then they lease their first commercial space, and now they own a gym. The only bad thing is they never planned for this moment, and now their gym controls their life.
Here are some common sense ways to avoid this pitfall:
1. Define your values- this step is crucial. You need to define exactly what you value in life. For example, I value time with my family and friends. I also value helping as many people as possible. I want to spend quality time with God. These are just a few, but you get the idea.
Once you clearly define your values, the key is to use them when making decisions. If you have to sacrifice just one of them, then whatever you are considering is a bad idea. Basically values are decision-making parameters.
2. Think about the things that you love to do, and stick to those things. I love to write, podcast, and coach. Coaching and writing are my ways of disseminating the most information to all of you. Coaching is my one on one way of helping people. I love all of these things, but there is a balance that I must adhere to. If I do too much of either, then I will neglect the others. It’s a balance. If you find yourself getting weighed down with something that you don’t love, then find someone to do that activity. Your life will be more fruitful if you focus on the things that you are most passionate about.
3. Begin with the end in mind- this little phrase coined by the late Stephen Covey can be applied to all aspects of life. Let’s start with your business. What do you want it to look like five years from now? Once you’ve defined that, you need to start planning for it. When people just open a gym because they love coaching, most of the time they have put zero thought into the future. That’s exactly what I did, and it was a mistake.
If simplicity is your goal, then plan for it. Zach Even-Esh planned for it. He only coaches 2-3 hours in the evening. He modeled his business around only coaching young athletes, so obviously you can only coach them after school hours. So how is he able to make a living only coaching 3 hours per day? Here’s how:
• Get a building with low overhead.
• Train 100 athletes at a minimum of $150ea= $150,000/year
You could have a building that costs $3,000 per month and pay an assistant coach $30/hour, and you would still make a great living. The problem is that we try to cater to all kinds of people, so we never focus our attention.
Here’s the thing. If your end goal is a simple life of helping people and spending time with family, then start with this concept in mind. Don’t create this 80-hour per week monster, and dream of one day living a simple life. You are lying to yourself.
I am not saying that I have things perfected. There are a lot of things that I need to improve on, but my end goal is clear. I want more time with my family, and I want to do more of what I love and less of what I don’t. I work on these aspects every week, and every week my goal is to get better.
I would like to think that Chris Moore was headed in the right direction at the end of his beautiful life. It appeared that he was with family, and he was working on projects that would help people find that beautiful simplicity. Chris was a courageous man, and he wasn’t afraid to take leaps of faith. He left his secure job to join Barbell Shrugged. He talked to me several times before and after that moment. His bravery helped me to make several of my own decisions.
It’s crazy to think about life really. When we graduate college, we are running away from anything simple. We want danger and adventure, and we go stomping blindly into the night in search of our dreams. As we get older, the smoke clears, and we start to see that our fulfillment has been right in front of us the whole time. The smile on my wife’s face during our embrace, holding my son for the first time, or taking our first family vacation are the adventures that fill my soul with love and joy.
Look you can chase whatever goal and dream you want, but nothing will ever be more rewarding of fulfilling than the moments that I just explained. I have won world championships. I have been declared the pound for pound the strongest man on earth, and all of this is rubbish compared to holding my wife and loving my children.
Chris Moore impacted the world in a way that will last far beyond any our times on this earth. Isn’t that the goal? Last night I asked my wife what people would say about me when I was gone. Chris has left us with a standard. A standard we can only hope to reach.
His memorial service is this weekend June 19th. I have the honor of saying a few words. I pray for the strength to perform such a daunting task. She has asked for all of us to not send flowers, but instead please contribute to the fund set up in his honor: