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  • Do You Deserve Your Goals?

    For a moment, I’d like you to think of a time when you’ve felt disrespected, talked down to or felt that someone was treating you with a condescending tone.

    Maybe it was a co-worker, employer, friend, or a loved one.

    And I’d like you to think about how you felt at that moment.

    Did you feel insulted or betrayed?

    Did you tell yourself that you deserved better than that?

    I believe it can be a slippery slope with human behavior. The unfortunate thing is sometimes it’s those exact scenarios that elicit change.

    I think back to employers I’ve had who treated me with disrespect, especially when it was done in front of my staff or my peers. I remember how small it made me feel. I also remember that, in many ways, they got the desired result from me.

    I recall one manager who could (and would) rip me up one side and down the other. And as much as it embarrassed me and made me feel terrible, I would ultimately come around and do what he asked of me (in the short term.)

    Sometimes a degree of shame can make a difference in delivering desired results.

    But workplace efforts are different than weight loss efforts.

    It’s the rare person who can shame themselves to a life of happiness and better health.

    It’s the rare person who can berate their self image and turn into a person of adequate self-worth.

    So rare, that it’s probably not worth considering.

    And yet, this is the place so many people that I see decide to start from.

    They begin with a foundation of shame but hope and pray and kick and scream that maybe, just maybe, they’ll get the body they wanted.

    I’ve never seen this work.

    Ever.

    Let me rephrase that.

    I’ve seen people with low self esteem make progress with strength training and progress with weight loss. I see that frequently, if I’m being honest.

    What I don’t see is people who maintain their efforts or applaud their success who have this self-destructive emotional foundation they’ve set for themselves.

    And there will be more I have to say in future posts about why I think this foundation is set.

    But today, I’d just like you to reconsider your foundation.

    Because if you are hoping to motivate yourself through self-hatred or at the very least a place of self-deprecation, you’re going to find yourself in a perpetual state of unhealthy eating and unhealthy training.

    I’d like you to do something really uncomfortable.

    I want you to take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if you can be okay with that person.

    You don’t have to be over-flowing with body positivity and pride.

    You just have have to accept that this is your starting place.

    It’s a good place because this is the place that arguably has the most room to improve. And when you can see that there is room to improve you can shine your own light at the end of the tunnel instead of waiting for someone else to provide it.

    I find that many of the same people who have no tolerance for being disrespected by others have zero problem disrespecting themselves.

    They feed that low self-esteem with poor quality food or even too much of the high quality food, they self-medicate with things that don’t fill the void but blur it and temporarily cover it up, they treat themselves like shit when there’s no way in hell they’d let someone else treat them that way.

    The really clever ones will use exercise as a way to punish their indulgences and hope that enough HIIT classes will swoop down and unveil the happiness they’ve been begging for.

    And in case you haven’t guessed yet, I haven’t seen this work before either (certainly not long-term.)

    It’s that kind of person who looks in the mirror and says: “You don’t deserve better. You’re too fat/unworthy/unattractive/unkind, etc. You are doomed to stay right here and never make progress.”

    This person becomes the manifestation of those thoughts.

    Or as famed speaker Earl Nightingale once said: The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.

    That can be a scary thing. So when you’re planting those seeds, plant good ones.

    Here’s the thing: despite your lack of belief in yourself, I believe you do deserve better health, a more capable body, and a stronger positive self-image. I believe you can have those things without a degree of narcissism (which can be equally destructive.)

    Perhaps your original goals were unrealistic and thereby unattainable which makes each failure along the way more painful because it’s one more reminder that you didn’t achieve what you wanted.

    You can get closer to where you want to be…actions that only you can accomplish for you.

    But you will likely need support, which is where a trainer or like-minded community or friend can be of help.

    If you don’t feel worthy of your goals now, your ability to accomplish them is minimal.

    The best person to get you where you need to be is you, right now. You just have to believe in that person.

    The people that come through our doors, our RevFit family, I believe in them and we succeed together.

    The goals you want to achieve may have to be modified to fit your lifestyle and mental well-being at this stage in your life. It may go well beyond a scale number or a pant size.

    But make no mistake, you do deserve those goals.

    I promise.

    Below is just a handful of our RevFit family. I’d like to introduce you (left to right) to Pam, Brandon, Adam, Jaylen and Kelvin. They all came here with goals. They all deserve those goals. We’ll help them get there.

    “We Make Great People Greater”

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  • Revolutionary You! #210-Heather Robertson: Weighing In On WW and Kurbo

    Returning to the show for her third time (see episodes #108 and #172), Heather Robertson of Half Size Me joins me this week. This conversation was inspired from a couple of directions. She was a resource I utilized for a recent article of mine which you can read at www.jasonleenaarts.com/2019/08/27/weigh-watchers-has-almost-ruined-you and we both had similar opinions regarding the introduction of WW’s new Kurbo app. As someone I have immense respect and admiration for, this was another topic I knew I had to get Heather back on the show to discuss. Per the mention in this show, you can access Heather’s course at www.halfsizeme.com/family To learn more about Heather’s work, I can’t recommend her podcast, Half Size Me, enough. You can also learn more about her at www.halfsizeme.com To learn more about your host, check out www.jasonleenaarts.com and www.revfittherapy.com You can also like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us iTunes review.

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  • Yes, You Need To Detox (No, Not That Kind Of Detox.)

    When I hear clients express the desire to “detox” or, for the sake of this post, to do a “cleanse”, I try to always ask them “Why” they think they need it.

    The responses can vary. But it includes things like:

    “I think I need to kickstart my metabolism.”

    “I’ve been drinking too much and eating too much junk. I need to flush my system.”

    “I think it may be toxins that are keeping me from losing weight.”

    While the allure of these things sure is persuasive, it lacks a foundation in reality.

    Because somewhere intertwined in the desire to flush, kickstart and detoxify is some notion of “clean eating.”

    It’s as if we live in a dietary world where the line is drawn between dirty food and clean food, good food and bad food; this dichotomous relationship of what crosses our lips every day.

    But what I find in practice is that the same people who get romanticized by detoxes and cleanses inevitably end up right back in the same eating and drinking habits that led them to the desire to detox in the first place.

    In all the years I’ve been servicing clients, I’ve yet to meet the person who said: Well, what really solved my weight loss puzzle was the appropriate amount of detoxes that I administered on myself.

    I can’t forget the meme I saw on social media proclaim: Detox is white girl for diarrhea.

    I digress.

    Let’s work with the premise of detoxing because I do believe that there is value in the intention, even if I’d like you to consider it from a decidedly less marketable way.

    By definition, the verb detox means: “to abstain from or rid the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.”

    When we work from that definition, I think we can view detoxes from a new lens.

    What in your life is currently unhealthy?

    -Friendships

    -Diet

    -Social/love life

    -Marriage

    -Self Image

    -Activity Level

    Take inventory. Then ask yourself what you need to temporarily or permanently detox from.

    I want you to go full-Marie Kondo and start removing things that don’t add value or give you joy.

    Warning: this could get uncomfortable. More uncomfortable than diarrhea.

    And the results might look something like this:

    -If you’re trying to lose weight, remove/unfollow websites and social media pages that promote foods you have no control over. Tell your friends and family not to share those things with you. You would also be well served to empty your pantry, fridge and freezer of the same foods that you can’t moderate effectively.

    -If you’re struggling with self image, unfollow the profiles of people who make you feel like you need to compare yourself to them. This is rampant on Instagram where the line between fantasy and reality is so fantastically blurred that you almost have no idea what the definition of “normal” should be.

    -If you spend time around people who “push” food and alcohol on you, put some distance between yourself and these social occasions. It doesn’t mean never, it means less.

    -Kill your television. Not literally. Put more time into your self-care (meal prep, journaling, going for a walk, going to bed earlier, taking a bath, etc.) There’s a reason we call it binge-watching, it’s not a positive thing. Those shows aren’t going anywhere any time soon. And yes, you’ll survive if you aren’t up to date on the water cooler conversation about whateverinthehellishappeningonthebachelor.

    And I’d like to add something else, something for you to at least ponder.

    In 1998, when I was admitted into rehab for some things I could not moderate in my own life, the topic came up about alcohol consumption.

    We were told that it wasn’t how much you drank that made you an alcoholic, it was your emotional relationship to alcohol. So, even if you drank once a week, if that drinking relationship was unhealthy, chances are there’s a situation that needs to be resolved.

    That’s something you can apply not just to alcohol but your relationship with food, toxic friendships, and your coping mechanisms. Apply it accordingly.

    Here’s the most important thing that I can hope to leave you with. It’s unlikely that your solution to detoxing will come in a box, a pill or a powder. If you don’t find a way to sort out the unhealthy things happening in your life, those better marketed band-aids will only provide a fancier way for you to have a bowel movement.

    That doesn’t sound like a solution to me.

    (Below is a recent picture of my son, Jackson, and I. We’d like to encourage you to work on the hard stuff so you have a better chance for success.)

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  • Revolutionary You! #209-Dr. Reid Wilson: On Anxiety

    I am honored to share time this week with Dr. Reid Wilson of Anxieties.com, author of “Stopping The Noise In Your Head” and co-author of “Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents.” I wanted to connect with him and bring him on the show to discuss the rise in anxiety today and some of the troubleshooting he likes to use for his patients and individuals suffering from a wide spectrum of anxiety disorders. You can learn more about Dr. Wilson via his website http://www.anxieties.com and by purchasing his books on Amazon. To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and http://www.revfittherapy.com You can also like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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  • Weight Watchers Has (Almost) Ruined You

    Weight Watchers (now branded as WW) has been around for over 50 years. And if you know even the slightest bit about the dieting industry, you’ll know that diet trends come and go in almost as rapid fashion as clothing styles.

    And much like how fashion trends recycle and become popular again years later, so do some of these dietary trends (*cough* low carb, *cough* keto, *cough* intermittent fasting.)

    How does WW remain top of mind for all of these dieting individuals who have failed time and again to lose weight or maintain weight loss?

    Well, they adapt. Just like fashion.

    We, as people, are fickle. We are also fairly impatient. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned coaching hundreds and hundreds of people to weight loss is that clients always want weight loss NOW.

    And I do have to give sincere credit to WW for keeping the fickle public in mind and still being a name worth mentioning when it comes to weight loss programs that actually work.

    I know people, right at this moment, who are succeeding on WW. To them, I say from the bottom of my heart, CONGRATULATIONS. Keep doing what you’re doing.

    This article isn’t really for them (although it kind of is.)

    This article is for everyone who has been psychologically screwed over by WW.

    Let me explain.

    I am one of a crowd of coaches in the health and wellness industry who feeds his family by a system of results that marries the concepts of calorie/food tracking, healthy habits and strength training.

    I sell no supplements: no powders, pills, wraps, etc. I have no affiliation to any MLM service/product.

    What I believe WW has done exceedingly well is take a rather complex concept like calorie counting and boiling it down to a point system.

    It’s a flawed point system but I have to admit that it is far easier to count 23 points than it is 1300 calories.

    And, no system (even mine) is 100% perfect and accurate.

    As we are individuals, we all respond differently to different systems.

    And WW knows this, which is why every few years, they change.

    Sometimes the changes are dramatic (like this newest 2019 version.) The belief is that as science and research change, so should their points system.

    I don’t disagree.

    Here’s the first part of my rub.

    WW historically has offered a support group. This has tremendous upside as having a community can be exponentially helpful when it comes to sustainable weight loss. I see this with my own closed community as well.

    And within the support and the designated weigh ins, people learn how to “game the system.” A crafty enough person can play around with laxatives, diuretics, water, carbs and a host of other variables to “win” at weight loss on a given week and appear victorious in front of their community.

    I’m not immune to those things and I know why they work. This does not teach someone how to eat. It teaches them how to play a game. And while I don’t believe for a moment that WW endorses this behavior these are the things that tend to happen when weight loss becomes a contest or a place where people feel the need to one-up others in their weight loss journey.

    Another unintended consequence of WW is that there is now an emotional component to eating. This is something I’ve seen carry back to my first years of owning this business (since 2009.)

    A person could take their given WW points and treat any day where they are below their points as a “Good” day. Conversely, any day where the same person was over by even one point is a “Bad” day.

    Wrong. It’s just a day.

    I’ve given speeches over the years where I’ve said half in jest, that WW is the perfect diet for Catholics because it’s riddled with guilt. That’s not a knock on Catholics. My father was Catholic and he was an exceptional human being. But if you’re Catholic, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

    And since we’re on the topic of faith, this opens another door that WW has failed the public with. A nearly blind faith that a person’s worth is determined by their point system. And that if every other diet has failed them, then they go running back to their beloved point system.

    Which is why so many people who have been such ardent followers of WW over the years felt so betrayed by the newest changes to the system. Many found that their points were reduced.

    This is concerning.

    It’s like being told you’re being given a reduction in pay for the same amount of work. It feels like a slap in the face.

    What WW got right with the new point system is a focus on lean sources of proteins and vegetables. What they got wrong is they gave these foods a value of zero points.

    This is concerning.

    Every food has a calorie. And every calorie counts (right down to the unmeasured, unsweetened creamer you eyeball into your 4 cups of coffee each day.)

    When you take a person who is near their allotted points and you to tell them that grilled chicken has no points (but 4 ounces DOES have 170 calories) what exactly are you showing them? Well, you’re setting them up to be in caloric maintenance or caloric surplus. That means NO WEIGHT LOSS.

    Should I mention the fact that the same piece of grilled chicken has gone through phases of being 2 points and 4 points as well? The same 170 calories??

    Let me slice this a slightly different way.

    Let’s say I’ve been led to believe (not incorrectly) that I should be focusing on lean proteins and fruits and veggies for the majority of my diet. How could I construct a day’s worth of eating?

    Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with spinach, side of unsweetened Greek yogurt and a banana. Total points: zero. Total calories: approx 350-425 calories

    Lunch: Grilled chicken salad (4 oz chicken, lettuce, beets, tomatoes) and a side of blueberries/blackberries. Total points: zero. Total calories: approx 300-350 calories

    Dinner: Baked salmon (4 oz) with a side of asparagus and corn. Total points: zero. Total calories: approx 300 calories.

    What you see is an individual who played by the WW rules and has a zero point day with a “healthy” assortment of food but accumulated anywhere from 950-1075 calories.

    What if they’re allotted 18 total points to play with for extra food??

    What if it takes this person 1200-1400 calories a day to lose weight?

    Do you know what that spells? S-C-R-E-W-E-D.

    WW has not been able to solve the law of thermodynamics for it’s clients. No amount of anecdotal evidence can change laws of physics. If it could, we all would be making up the rules every time the game didn’t go our direction.

    With almost frightening accuracy, I can tell you there is a strong correlation between a client’s inability to lose weight with how many times they have been in the WW headlock. They deny calories. They deny physics. And in turn, they are denied sustainable results.

    This breaks my heart.

    Because what I really want, and what this country undoubtedly needs from a company that has survived over 50 years in the diet industry is to do GOOD.

    Which brings me to the icing on the cake for WW.

    The newly launched Kurbo app for kids.

    Now, we (as coaches) no longer have to JUST fear that WW clients will drag their children to WW meetings and start them on diets. Now, there’s an app to facilitate and encourage eating disorders at arguably the most impressionable age of a child.

    Shame on you, WW. Shame on you.

    As a parent, this also breaks my heart.

    I understand the need for technology because I do ask my clients to embrace it if they’re willing. But to ask it of our children so they can lose weight? No, thank you.

    Because I will tell you what I see. I see people who come to my business and they have been dieting for decades. Many of these people have cycled in and out of WW for much of their dieting “career” and they still haven’t been saved.

    And I’m not standing on a soapbox. I haven’t solved the riddle. And neither have my fellow coaches who preach from the same pulpit.

    We’re pleading with our clients to learn another way. A way that isn’t WW. And it isn’t because WW failed everyone. They didn’t. They bobbed and weaved just like a great boxer to stay relevant in the diet conversation.

    What WW stands for isn’t wrong per se. But the legions of people who have valiantly followed them who have not succeeded are still unwilling/unable to let go of the WW machine.

    And I’m tired of watching good people suffer because they were not taught effective eating skills.

    Dieting is not, and will never be, easy.

    And if you are someone who has been betrayed by the next modification of WW and are hoping and praying they don’t let you down again when they change again (and they will change), know that there are other skills that have to be developed.

    No one wins in weight loss by shaming themselves to the finish line.

    I offer some simple solutions.

    -You can follow the WW point system if you so desire. I would encourage you to double-track and cross reference those foods within a food tracking app like MyFitnessPal, MyPlate, Lose It., etc. Make sure your accurate details have been logged: age, height, weight, gender and level of daily activity.

    -Use exercise as a tool to get you to your goal but NOT the most effective or efficient way to get your desired weight off. It is too difficult for the average person to accurately know how many calories they burn during exercise and too many use extra energy expenditure as an excuse to over-consume food.

    -Remove shame from your journey. Embrace the person you are as the best person you can be at this given moment. Accept that this person can still be sharpened, polished and improved on. We are ALL works in progress.

    -Teach your children to eat for different goals. Teach them to eat to fuel effort. Teach them to be strong, teach them to be capable, teach them how to be worthy in the skin they’re in.

    WW, you need to up your game. The rest of us are trying to pick up the pieces you left behind. And we’re holding you responsible for damaging the psyche of millions of people over the last 5 decades who did not succeed in the program that you cannot consistently stand behind.

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  • Revolutionary You! #208: Richard Bennett: Lessons From The “King”

    He has been a client of mine for over four years and if you’ve been following me, you already know him as we affectionately call him “King Richard.” My 79 year young friend and client joins me this week to talk about his experience working with us and what motivates him to continue seeking progress every time he’s here. To learn more about your host, check out www.jasonleenaarts.com and www.revfittherapy.com You can also like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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  • Rock The Body You’ve Got

    I don’t mince any words about always being a smaller framed guy. By most people’s estimation, I would still at 43 years of age qualify as underweight.

    But I feel good and, for the most part, I move well and I’m pretty happy with that.

    When I was in my 20’s, knee deep in drugs, I weighed about 10 pounds less than I do now. And even though I was thinner (which might be hard for some to believe), I wore much larger clothing.

    Part of that was a sign of the times.

    You see, in my 20’s, part of what spearheaded my drug addiction was the local rave scene. If anyone remembers what clothing was like back in the late 90’s, it was…baggy.

    I had my pairs of JNCO jeans that had pant openings nearly as wide as my waist. I wore shirts that said “Small” but they damn near looked like curtains on me. There was no way you were going to get me to wear fitted clothing back then.

    It was my hope and desire that by wearing less fitted, baggier clothing that I would appear larger in frame than what I actually was.

    I’d like you to think about that for a moment.

    Over the years of working with both male and female clients, I’ve seen and continue to see a certain trend.

    Often, when people don’t feel good about their appearance, they wear baggier clothing so that the “details” of their physique are not as apparent.

    The problem, that I think a lot of people miss, is that wearing less fitted clothing CAN make you look larger than you are.

    And I understand part of the reasoning, a less confident person doesn’t feel like wearing clothes that accentuate their frame.

    I know that among many of the things I had to work on back then, it was a degree of self-confidence. And as I’ve gotten older (and hopefully slightly wiser), I also found that when I bought clothes that made me feel good, not hidden, I felt exponentially better about myself.

    In this day and age, we’re presented with several different movements. One of which  proclaims “Health At Every Size” and one that promotes overall body acceptance. I believe both have merit even if I don’t agree with every nuance of those movements.

    But from what I see at RevFit, a more confident person is a more capable person, a more willing person, and a more driven person. Sure, these things can be taken to extremes like anything in health and wellness.

    I watch what happens as my clients transition from less confident beginners to seasoned veterans and there are both psychological and physical changes that take place.

    They’re stronger, more focused, sometimes more ambitious and they have a renewed sense of self-awareness that I believe comes from a foundation of saying: This is my body. It’s both flawed and beautiful. And every day, I work harder to improve it.

    When this foundation is established, I see a welcome change in wardrobe. Clothing now “fits” and bodies become embraced by this psychological shift.

    This doesn’t mean you need to rush out and raid the Lululemon store. Those clothes are expensive and not for every budget. But it does mean you should look for things that make you feel comfortable, allow for good movement, and should probably include colors that naturally flatter you so that when you look in the mirror you can say: “I’m ready.”

    You don’t have to be thin to be happy. Thinness does not equate to happiness.

    But I believe that if you want self-improvement, start with a vision of yourself: flawed but beautiful (Fellas: if you don’t want to use the term beautiful, try handsome.) And as I’ve heard the saying go: Dress for the job you want, not the job you’ve got. Maybe there’s something to that.

    The woman you see below is our very own Pam. She’s down 40lbs which is a greater loss than the goal she came to us with. True to the inspiration of this post, Pam’s confidence in herself changed as she has evolved with us. Her wardrobe changed not just in size but in style. She carries herself differently. She moves differently. She is not the woman she was when she started. And we love what she has become.

    That’s a mindset thing.

    Rock the body you’ve got until you get the body you want.

    “We Make Great People Greater”

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  • Revolutionary You! #207-Stacy Dockins: “Embodied Posture”

    I almost shock myself in saying this but throughout the tenure of the show, I’ve never had an episode dedicated to the topic of yoga. I am honored this week to break that trend with my guest, Stacy Dockins. Not only does she own yoga studios in Texas but she has recently released a fantastic book called “Embodied Posture” that celebrates yoga more from the anatomical and biomechanical perspective. This book is recommended for any yoga practitioner or yoga enthusiast who is looking to gain a better understanding of how the body moves through yoga poses and understanding what they should be feeling. You can learn more about Stacy at http://www.stacydockins.com where you can also purchase her book. You can also follow her on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/txyogastacy To learn more about your host, check out http://www.jasonleenaarts.com and http://www.revfittherapy.com You can also like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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  • What Will You Do With The Time You Have Left?

    A strange thing happened when my Dad passed away.

    For the first time in my life, I looked at the age he was when we lost him (59) and the age I was at the time (35) and started to count down the years.

    It was unfair and probably unreasonable for me to do so.

    The likelihood that I will pass from the same cancer that took my Dad from us is not likely.

    But all the same, I started to look at my life from the viewpoint of: What if my days are numbered more so than I realize? What if I only make it to 59? What am I going to do with my life for the next 24 years?

    And now, the gap has closed and I still think about it. I’ll be 44 this year, Dad would be celebrating his 68th birthday in just a few days (August 18.)

    What am I going to do with my life for the next 15 years?

    Some people take the viewpoint that they are going to experience all of the joys, the thrills, the excitement that life can offer.

    I feel like I got enough of those thrills in my 20’s (otherwise known as my ‘lost decade’.)

    And, for me, it’s how I am going to inspire enough people to change their lives with the time I have left? Whether it’s 5 years, 15 years or 42.5 years…

    I watch people just spin their wheels, agonizingly accomplishing nothing with their health, with their lives, with their ambitions. It’s like they’re tied ball-and-chain to a past they can’t let go of and they keep forgetting that the key to unchain themselves is within arm’s reach.

    Literally within sight.

    Literally within grasp.

    And they don’t take it. They just stay with the familiar.

    No matter how painful or depressing it is.

    I have struggled for more than eight years since my father passed to write this.

    Every time I feel like I’m ready, I tell myself “No, not yet. It’s not time. You’re not ready.”

    But then come back to that same series of questions ultimately ending with “If not now, when?”

    And it’s the question I pose to you.

    To me, I don’t care what you need to change. I care THAT you change. You don’t have to be a client of mine. You just have to make the decision.

    I think that if you have been fortunate enough to have lived longer on this earth than my father did, you were given a gift. A gift that every day you get another breath. Are you wasting it?

    I think that if you are nowhere near the age he was when he passed, you have the same gift. Every day, you get another breath. Are you wasting it?

    I have struggled to write this for eight years because I didn’t know how it all would be interpreted. I have struggled with a lot of other things too: self doubt, moral failings, poor decisions, the seemingly endless cycle of not knowing how to fill the shoes he left behind.

    After my father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, we were given nine months left with him. Nine months where I saw some of the most beautiful and poignant sides of him and nine months where I saw a man who was the pinnacle of strength and poise in my life be reduced to a shell of himself by a miserable fucking disease. And if you haven’t heard the sentiment…fuck cancer.

    I don’t take a lot of moments to stand on a soapbox and beg more from you.

    I’m doing it now.

    Because if you won’t ask better of yourself, who will?

    And if you’re waiting for the perfect time to do better, stop waiting. Do…something.

    The picture you see below is among my most treasured. If you are reading this and you recognize this picture, it’s because it was at my father’s calling hours.

    Dad was admitted into the hospital shortly after Valentine’s Day 2011. He would remain in the hospital for almost one month to the day. My mother and I would go to see him every day. Every chance we got, we would bring Jackson with us. Jackson had just turned three and it was around this time that he received his official diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum.

    Jackson didn’t mind being in the hospital room with my Dad. But he didn’t want to be near the hospital bed. It broke my heart because I knew how much it would mean to my Dad to be close to his grandson. My father loved being an Opa. Seeing him fulfill that role were some of the best times of my life. Not surprisingly, he was as great of a grandfather as he was a father.

    The doctors released my father to come home and have his remaining days with us. On Sunday, March 20 Jackson was at the house with us. Dad was resting in the bed. Jackson went into the bedroom and climbed into the bed next to my father. That’s when I took this picture. It’s one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking things I own.

    Dad passed away on Wednesday, March 23.

    When I ask you what you will do with the time you have left, I don’t mean to browbeat.

    I just want you to look at the gift you’re given, the life you’re given, and I want you do better.

    I don’t want you to waste any more time.

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  • Revolutionary You! #206-Marci Nevin: The Best Version Of Yourself For Yourself

    It has taken way too long for me to get the great Marci Nevin on the show. I resolved that issue this week! Marci and I get to chat about mindset traps and ways we tend to sabotage our own best efforts. We also talk about ways to get out of some of the self-talk pitfalls to see better success towards our goals. You can learn more about Marci’s work by following her on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/marcinevin  and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/marcinevinfitness  You can find out more about your host at http://www.jasonleenaarts.com  and http://www.revfittherapy.com  You can also like our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/revolutionaryou  Download, subscribe, share with your friends and please take a moment to leave us an iTunes review.

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