Any business, like any relationship, has ups and downs. It’s the ups that keep you going through the downs. If there are too many downs then it’s time to get out.

Thankfully, there have been plenty of ups!

Recently, MyBodyTutor.com was featured in a segment on Good Morning America. The segment was about outside the box fitness solutions. It’s very flattering and really exciting to be recognized for your idea!

You can watch the segment by clicking here. (There will be an ad that you have to watch first)

MBT has a very different philosophy than the gazillion other diet/fitness/wellness companies out there. It goes against conventional wisdom because I’m not claiming you don’t know what to do! I don’t try to create an information advantage like a lawyer or a accountant or a web developer. I’m sick of seeing all of these diet programs out there claiming that they have the secret or magic formula.

In this day and age information advantages are disappearing rapidly. Any and all information is accessible 24/7/365! Being aware of this can really change the way you conduct business too.

So my premise has always been very simple:

*We all know what to do for the most part! We all know that eating McDonald’s and cookies all day is bad for us. Lack of knowledge isn’t the problem!

*We have become insanely good at rationalizing our lack of exercise and poor eating. It’s incredible the excuses we can sell ourselves on. As Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”

*As Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Getting in shape is about 3 things. Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently! That’s it!

*Unfortunately, the consistency part is very hard. Many people start programs. But most people don’t keep on going with them. Why? Well besides the excuses and the rationalizations Zig Ziglar said it best, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”

By keeping my clients honest with themselves and by keeping them consistent and motivated and inspired and guiding them on a daily basis I make it very hard for people to make excuses and very possible to stay consistent. In short: by providing daily and personal accountability it makes all of the difference in the world.

And that’s why my clients are so successful. Because I help them eat right meal by meal, workout by workout and day by day! Nothing sexy. But it’s ridiculously effective!

I know if I can help my clients stay consistent then they will absolutely see and feel the results they want! As Tom Seaver said, “In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.”

I wish they spoke a little bit more about that on GMA. Because we don’t know just tell you what to do. Anyone can do that. We actually make sure you do it!

But hey I’m not complaining!

MBT is doing very well thankfully, despite the economy! In fact, I hate to say it but the economy is actually helping my business.

I think it’s partly because everyone understands the transformative potential of eating right and exercising and everyone knows that exercising and eating right pays off big in their quality of life.

I think it’s partly because although MBT is the perfect compliment to a personal trainer, and as helpful as a personal trainer is, most people don’t need someone to hold their hand in the gym for $60-225 per session. But what people do need is someone to make sure they get to the gym.

I also think it’s because people are starting to realize that 70-80% of their results will come from what they do in between their workouts outside of a gym setting! You know those people you see in the gym with their trainers month after month looking no different than when they first started? Clearly, their diet is what’s holding them back.

And I think ultimately, it’s because MBT solves a huge problem. Businesses that solve problems have advantages over businesses that don’t in tough economic times.

As I’ve said, getting in shape is about 3 things. Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently!

Unfortunately, the consistency part is very hard and is a huge problem! Because it’s very easy to make excuses and it’s even easier to rationalize those excuses.

And I know if I solve that problem - and I believe I have better than anyone else in the world - success for my clients is inevitable!

As a client just wrote to me, “Thank you so much for your Daily Inspirations! I can’t tell how much they help push me in the right direction each morning. Also, it’s so easy to make excuses and just to know that I have you to answer to (so to speak) on the Daily Feedback each night really helps me stay on track. Thank you! I’m so excited for my new way of life!”

Once in a while, I’ll meet someone who doesn’t understand the value of MBT. They are hoping for the secret pill or the magic formula. 9 times out of 10 that same person will say, “Oh I know what to do! Eat xyz….!”

But of course - they aren’t doing it…consistently! And they aren’t in the shape they want to be in. And they hate how they look and feel. But hey, they know what to do!

This is why I’m so hesitant to write a book. We don’t need another book telling us what to do. We don’t need another book telling us why we should be eating right and exercising. What we need is a book that nudges and persuades us on why we should keep on going because that’s the hard part! And most people don’t want to actually change. They want to talk about changing which is very frustrating.

That’s why my wall is covered with before and after photos. That’s why writing a post like this where I can highlight a client who has truly changed her life is so much fun to write. To remind me that there are people who really do want to change how they look and feel.

And that’s why getting recognized for my concept/idea in national media like Thrillist is so rewarding. Check out what Thrillist had to say about MyBodyTutor here. I must say it’s pretty cool being featured in a publication you read. And when they reached out to me I was, well…thrilled! (It also made the best of the best for the month of May!)

Part of helping people stay consistent is helping them overcome any issues that prevent them from staying consistent. Caroline knew it would take time. She understands that losing weight is all about consistency. That it’s repetitious. Doing the right things meal by meal. Workout by workout. Day by day!

And I guess that’s why this means so much. Because people are finally starting to realize there are no shortcuts. There are no get rich quick schemes. If you set out to get in shape in a way that you don’t see yourself doing 6 months, 1 year, 5 years from now why bother starting? It’s not sustainable!

Caroline is now a model. Look at her pictures! If you want to read her case study check it out here. Just like all of the other case studies featured on my website she’s brave and courageous for not only starting a journey to a better Caroline but for also sharing it with the world!

I think the ultimate paradox in life, and especially as an entrepreneur, is to never be complacent. But of course, the paradox is that if you’re never complacent how can you appreciate what you have?

I do believe happiness is a choice. Either choose to focus on what you do have. Or choose to focus on what you don’t have. Either way, it’s a choice.

Complacency is the evil antithesis of ambition. And I certainly don’t want to spend my life pursuing happiness. After all, that is flawed! Happiness is right here, right now.

In entrepreneurship the topic of more will forever be a hot one. More customers, more revenue, more profit, more clients, more inventory, more space and on and on. But when is enough, enough? Are you ever going to be satisfied? Are you ever not going to want more?

The problem with ambition is that the very thing that drives someone to want to do certain things makes them not appreciate those things once they achieve them. “What’s next? Now what? I want more!”

I think the word more applies to every aspect of our lives. How about the never ending game “Keeping up with the Joneses,” where the players who choose to play never win. Someone is always going to have the latest and greatest. And spending your entire life looking at what you don’t have doesn’t seem like much fun.

What is success?

Bertrand Russell said, “Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.”

I used to think success was having private planes and helicopters with ridiculous mansions and cars. But who cares how rich you are if you aren’t happy? I certainly don’t.

And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with having (or wanting) those things. I just question why you really do.

You always hear people saying I want to be successful. What does that even mean?

Do you want people to respect you? Do you want your kids to adore you? Do you want your spouse to be in love with you? Do you want to be able to say fuck you to people? Do you want power? Do you want influence? Do you want access? Do you want freedom?

It seems as though so many people (including myself) are obsessed with more and success - when in fact, what you ultimately want might be right in front of your face.

My brother in law always jokes that there’s two types of good. Good. And good for nothin’!

I think that applies to advice too. And I love helping people and a huge part of that is giving advice.

As the Chief Body Tutor of MyBodyTutor, I wear many hats. Part nutritionist, part personal trainer, part coach, part inspirer, part therapist, part bull secretion detector, and part trusted friend to name a few. I want to be able to help my clients on all sorts of issues they might face.

Many people believe that getting in shape will make them happy, and it will! But many also believe that it will solve all of their problems.

Working on ways to make yourself happier and actually trying to solve your problems will make it a lot easier to get in shape! Because you won’t be nearly as inclined to eat emotionally, mindlessly and habitually; a big part of what I help my clients overcome.

So I find myself in the position of being asked for advice on all sorts of topics.

Most people when they seek advice want to be told what they want to hear. (Although, I believe asking questions is the best form of advice as opposed to simply giving answers.)

Perfect example: Has anyone who is getting worked in their so called ‘relationship’ ever asked you for dating advice?

Say something to them like, “I think he isn’t good for you. Clearly, you’re unhappy and he hasn’t changed. I think you need to end it and move on with your life.”

9 times out of 10, you’ll get a response like, “But, he’s so nice and we have so much fun together.” Really? Then why are you always miserable?

This happens because you’re going against their ego. Just like the first step to getting in shape is admitting that you aren’t in shape, most people can’t accept that.

Gentleman, has a girl ever asked you if she looks fat? Run and hide.

There is no upside to answering this question. Answer with, “No. Not at all. You look great!” and you’ll get something like, “Why are you lying? Don’t lie. Tell me the truth!” Tell them the truth and all the running and hiding in the world won’t do you any good.

Besides, ladies do you really need someone to tell you if you look fat or not? Everyone knows their own problems.

It’s just a question of if you really want to admit them to yourself.

Which leads me to the next kind of advice. Good for nothing but your ego!

This is when you tell the a person exactly what they want to hear as opposed to what they need to hear. “Yes, you look awesome! And yes, he’s absolutely head over heels in love with you!”

My wonderful mom would always preface advice with asking if I wanted her to tell me what I wanted to hear or what I needed to hear.

And sometimes, I do want to be told what I want to hear. But most of the time, I brace myself, and am prepared to hear something that might go against my ego.

Because that’s the only way I’ll grow.

And the only way to get really good advice is to decide before you ask, what kind of advice you want to hear.

Good. Or good for nothin’!

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[Some great comments over at BrazenCareerist.com!]

Ego, as I’ve written about before, is simply the story you tell yourself about yourself.

If the story you tell yourself about yourself is that you’re a worthless piece of shit and you don’t deserve success (whatever success means to you) then you’ll probably never obtain success. On the other hand, if you believe your destined for greatness, your chances for ‘greatness’ certainly increase.

I believe that having a healthy ego is critical for success. In fact, I don’t know one ‘successful’ person who doesn’t think somewhat highly of themselves.

As I wrote in this post, if you don’t expect things of yourself before you can do them, then you will never, ever, do them.

So the question then becomes how do I get a healthy ego?

Well, expecting things of yourself comes from self confidence. And I believe the best way to gain self confidence is to actually do the things you really want to do.

I see this week after week with new clients. Sometimes even after the first few days, but usually after the first week or so, they’ll always tell me how amazing they feel. Besides the consistent healthy eating and exercise, I know a huge part of that comes from my clients keeping the promises that they make to themselves.

But ego can also hurt us greatly. Going back to my definition of ego (the story you tell yourself about yourself) if someone says anything that conflicts with your story, you’re most likely going to be upset because they are attacking your perceived sense of self.

But the problem with those who have enormous egos is that they’ll go to great lengths to protect and defend it. Too bad they can’t just let go of their ego for a second. If you really think about it, it’s amazing how many tiffs are simply about people defending their ego.

Do you care what people think of you?

Or do you care what you think about yourself more?

I think the answer to this question is whether or not you’re more extrinsically or intrinsically motivated.

After all, it’s nice to have positive things being said about you. But if you’re striving for remarkable in your life - negatives things will be said too. Not everyone will love you.

How much do you believe in yourself? Well, if you don’t believe in yourself you can have other people boost your ego. But the problem with relying on other people to constantly boost your ego is that you become in need of praise constantly.

Having both is ideal; however, it’s important to not rely too much on external praise.

Your ego can also limit your opportunities. Maybe you think your God’s gift to the world. Maybe you think you can do everything by yourself.

It’s the people with robust egos that aren’t nearly as self-aware as they should be that you should watch out for. How well do you know yourself? Can you laugh at yourself?

It’s amazing how often I see ego getting in the way of people getting into shape. The first step to getting in the shape you want to be is admitting to yourself that you aren’t (yet)!

The second step is realizing that you might need some help. Some people can’t even get past the first step. Many will never get past the second.

Ultimately, I believe you must have a healthy ego in order to succeed but it’s important to not let your ego get in your way. I also believe everyone cares how others view them. However, it’s those who care more about what they think about themselves than what others think about them that have the greatest chance for success.

First off, writing a bestselling book has nothing to do with writing. In fact, I can confidently say my writing is better than 99% of the health and fitness books out there.

Not because I’m such a great writer but because they’re all co-written. And co-written books (famous person’s name with…) are products. Not books!

They are created quickly to take advantage of the popularity of that ‘famous’ person.

Smart move indeed, as that’s obviously what people want.

See, most people want to talk about being healthy and fit, how they’re going to start exercising next Monday, about the ‘latest’ fad diet or exercise contraption, and how they’re going to really stick with it this time and finally lose that weight!

But, sadly and unfortunately, most people don’t want to actually do any of those things!

Talking about it with your friends and family makes you feel better. It creates a sense of forward motion. We’ve all done it. We do it with all the things we don’t want to do.

I’ve read countless ‘diet’ books. And I still go to Border’s and spend hours reading, all while shaking my head in amazement. I’m not amazed at the ‘famous’ people for putting their names on a book and selling it. I’m amazed at all of the people who constantly fool themselves by buying these books!

And although I get a kick out of reading the same book over and over in between different covers, I get the biggest kick out of reading the reviews.

In my opinion, the measurement of a good book is if it changes you for good. Who cares if you ‘see the world differently’ for the 5 hours after you’re finished reading it? The real question is if it changes how do you things indefinitely.

Like I tell my clients, I could care less if someone loses weight and then gains it all back. My goal is to help change my clients. I want to help them get and stay fit!

But most people are searching for that hidden secret and don’t want to work for it.

You want the secret? Here it is! Free of charge for the entire world to read and share: Eat right. Exercise and do those two things consistently!

If you can do those 3 things you’ll be in great shape. No question about it. Of course, that’s so much easier said than done and exactly why I started my company.

Do we really need more tactics? Do you really not know that fast food isn’t good for you? I’m sick and tired of all of these books telling you what you already know. We all know what to do (for the most part)!

That’s not the problem! The problem is that we don’t do it! Or, we don’t stick with it! And that’s the key to successful ‘dieting’!

And even though I hate the word diet, because that means it’s not permanent, it’s the truth. If you start something and feel you won’t be able to do it in 6 months, 1, 3, 5 years from now IT WON’T WORK!

It will not be sustainable. And you’ll find yourself being one of the 95% of people that quit.

The trick is of course to let go of your ego and admit you might need help, start something that is sustainable…and…wait for it…keep going!

And that’s exactly what my book would be mostly about. To nudge, push, and persuade you on why you should keep going! (Because if your thoughts don’t change, you’ll never change!)

Not so much the tactics. Sure my clients enjoy my tips and tricks and lifestyle. But I’m the first one to say they aren’t revolutionary.

I’m also the first one to say that the only way to change how you look and feel is to change what you do. However, many people don’t want to actually change.

They want to talk about changing. And make themselves feel like they’re changing.

But not actually change.

My nephew, Landon Jay Uvenio!

It must have been no later than 4:15 in the morning when my mom woke me up abruptly. “Let’s go! Wake up!! We’re going to Disney World!!!” she said excitingly. “But what about our bags, Mommy?!” “They’re all packed and ready to go!”

I was 5 years old at the time and my mom always tried to fill my (and my sisters) life with plenty of adventure.

Like the time we walked to the local deli for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. What was usually a 10 minute car ride felt like 5 hours by foot!

My mom has an amazing sense of humor. She dressed me up as a Chassidic Rabbi for my first Halloween in pre-school. When I was less than 3 months old, my grandparents in Florida met me for the first time in a Superman costume. Apparently, I was a big hit on the plane!

But my mom is not only fun and games. Although she’s one of the most creative people I know, she’s definitely the most hardworking! She has taken on all sorts of jobs and businesses throughout the years, all while working full time as a high school English teacher, to make our life better. And remarkably, as late as she would come home, she always insisted we eat dinner together and would first start cooking.

Her businesses ranged from a house keeper placement agency to Home Grown Poems to a SAT tutoring business to her current business of selling aviation apparel. While each of them has brought many memories, none will ever surpass the time my sister and I, along with my mom, sang lyrics to a woman who had hired her to ghost write a song.

My mom has always loved animals. Or more so bears! Our beloved George, a black 230 pound Newfoundland, is our biggest yet. She fell in love with the breed when a bear was roaming around my neighbor’s lawn and they called her to take care of it. Of course, my mom walked right up to it with no fear and looked at the collar to find the bear’s owner and the rest was history…we were getting a Newfoundland!

My mom is a teacher at heart though. Whether it’s teaching our dogs tricks or inspiring her students, I’ll never forget when her high school, Grady, was in the state finals at Madison Square Garden. As I was a little boy, who only dreamed of playing at MSG one day professionally, it was quite intimidating. But nothing was more intimidating than what seemed like 1000’s of students stomping and screaming, “Ms. Gilbert! Ms. Gilbert! Ms. Gilbert!” as they rolled out a red carpet for my mom that led to our seats!

However, not of all her students were always inspired. I’ll never forget when my mom came in the house absolutely drenched after Howard had pushed her into the pool as she was trying to sweep around it.

As my mom was absolutely furious, and my sister and I were rolling on the floor laughing, her huge heart eventually forgave our English Sheepdog.

In fact, it’s her huge heart that inspired Terence Winter. Terry, her former student, credits his success to my mom. And as Terry has clearly reached the top of his game having been a writer/executive producer for the Sopranos and now working with Leonardo DiCaprio, and Martin Scorsese on the ‘Wolf of Wall Street’, I hope my mom feels like she’s at the top of hers!

She has two kids that absolutely respect, love and adore her to death, a grandson on the way (very much on the way!), a dog that looks forward to being spoiled by her, a loving second-husband, an incredible sister, and a wonderful tight group of loyal friends and family.

I think of the morning she woke us up at 4:15 sometimes, and it makes me think of all the selfless, amazing, giving things my mom did while my sister and I were growing up, and that she still does today.

So, as her birthday is tomorrow the 25th, and in effort to keep this short because I can go on and on with countless memories and so many things I’m grateful for, I’ll end off simply, as my mom would like it, and exactly how my mom has signed every one of her cards to date.

I love your guts!

Xoxoxo

-Ad

Life is ultimately about 3 actionable questions: Where you live, what you do with it and who you share it with.

If you’re lucky in love and you meet your ‘partner’ in life at a very early age (say high school – college) you may feel as though you’re done and ready to focus on what you want to do.

I think we’re all wired to tolerate a certain level of risk. But even more so, how we’re raised impacts this tremendously. If your parents are conservative, chances are you’ll be too. If your parents bet the farm – you probably would too.

Let’s say you meet an amazing person. She/he has everything you could ever want. And you’re really happy with them. You’re extremely content! But you’re in high school or college. Or maybe just a few years out of college when you meet them.

This person becomes all you ever know. But just because you’re extremely close and comfortable with one another does that mean this person is for you?

How could you be 1000% certain when it comes to your significant other especially when you meet at such a young age?

And to be clear, I’m not saying you aren’t happy. But what if you could be even happier? You’ll never know. Or will you?

The person who thinks the grass is always greener would probably make an insanely hard decision and want to test the waters.

The more conservative person would probably fight through their thoughts and doubts and make the best of it.

Clearly, they are both risky but one is riskier.

You’d think single people are able to take more risks than married people. I’m curious to know whether someone who holds out for marriage until say their late 20’s or 30’s is a much bigger risk taker than the person who gets married in their early to mid 20’s.

Would a married person make different business decisions than a single person? Could the person who waited until later in life to get married be a lot more patient?

Most corporate bios include if the person is married and has children. Is it because marriage is a sign of stability?

But maybe getting married early can be a sign of impatience and being highly risk adverse?

In places where marriage happens at a young age is economic development the slowest? According to this link it is.

Could it be that places with an early age of marriage have less entrepreneurs?

Could your soul mate from college or high school be impeding your growth professionally?

[Some interesting comments over at BrazenCareerist.com]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the chicken or the egg debate. Well sort of.

It seems as though we all have our own chicken or the egg debate. Whether it’s with your fitness goals, business goals, career goals or anything else that you’re pursuing.

What came first the results or the effort?

It seems as though we’re all obsessed with results. We work our tails off only for results. We make healthy choices only for results. We run an extra 5 minutes only for results. We make a sacrifice worth making only for results. We stay late at work only for results.

But when the results don’t happen when we want them to occur, the first thing we want to change is the amount of effort we put forth.

It’s interesting. However, the amount of effort you put forth absolutely has a direct impact on the results you’ll get.

And yet when we see results we become even more motivated and are willing to put forth more effort!

It seems as though results can either make or break the effort dial. See results and you’ll turn up the dial. Don’t see results when you want to and you’ll turn it down.

Here is what I can assure you of:

When it comes to your health and fitness goals, your body never lies. You can think you’re fooling yourself. But in the end your body always tells the truth.

Whether it’s in the first 25 seconds of the game or the last 25 seconds every basket counts towards the final score. Individually each basket may not seem like it matters much but collectively they matter immensely!

The amount of effort you put forth really does matter. Whether it’s running for an extra 5 minutes, working an hour longer on your dream, or sending that extra email it all counts!

Results will happen. Your body has no choice but to work its magic when you’re eating right and exercising consistently! Want results quicker? Turn up the effort dial.

Is your business slowing down a bit? Turn up the effort dial!

Is your career not progressing as quickly as you want it to? Turn up the effort dial!

There are a lot of things we can’t control. Our peers, our genetics, and our economic environment to name a few.

But the one thing we can all control is the amount of effort we put forth when it comes to pursuing things worth pursuing!

And usually when we need the most amount of effort we wind up putting forth the least amount of effort. It’s very easy to get discouraged when we don’t see results when we expect to. But if you turn up the effort dial results will happen!

Stop playing the chicken or the egg game!

Instead start playing the effort one.