I was the fat kid in high school.
Sure, I had friends. I was that guy who was always good for a laugh. I liked making people laugh, even at my own expense. It didn’t matter, as long as everyone was laughing.
The second half of my junior year that all changed. (not the “making people laugh” part; I still liked doing that. I’m talking about the “fat kid” part.)
It was a girl. And it was frustration.
I was lying on the couch (just where you would picture me, right?). And I had this thought.
“I am tired of this. I am going to change.”
In five months I lost 70 pounds. I am not sure where they went off to, but they were gone. And I finally had abs. And a lot of new “friends.” The girl never happened, but that’s ok. I was healthy.
This post is not about some fat kid losing weight, I’ll get to the point, don’t worry.
How did I do it? What was the magic pill? No, not a pill.
Maybe it was a new diet or workout routine that hit the market? Well, it was before Crossfit, P90X or the Paleo craze, so you can scratch those off the list.
Did I develop an eating disorder? I liked food way too much for that to happen.
It was, me waking up every day and saying the same thing:
“I’m tired of this. I am going to change.”
There was no magic pill, no new diet or workout routine.
It was determination. It was frustration. It was persistence.
I am very sensitive when I see anything having to do with a “quick-fix.”
“Lose 20 pounds by bedtime – while having your cake and eating your neighbors’ too!”
“Find your dream job by taking this test and applying to my course.”
“Get 20 leads, ready to spend money, by posting on Facebook.”
We are a society that is enamored with quick fixes. We want a pill to do all the WORK for us. We want one burst of effort to bring us all the clients we need.
I believe in results.
I lost 70 pounds in 5 months. I am a walking result (sitting result most of the time, until I get a standing desk).
But this result did not come overnight. It came by waking up each morning and moving forward with the plan, persisting through it and adjusting as needed.
When my clients ask me, “How many leads will I get through tweeting?” or “How much new business will I get in the first month of us working together?” …
They don’t usually like my candid response.
“Probably nothing.”
There is no quick-fix. A tweet probably won’t change your life or your business.
But a strategic plan filled with QUALITY content, where you put in the work, put in the hours, fail here and there, but keep on pressing forward – that won’t just bring you leads, that will change your life.
So what do you need to do to get results? It may be a healthier body, more clients for your business or some new superstar employees – whatever it is, follow these steps:
- Realize you are fat (have a problem)
- Have a motivation greater than a six-pack (it’s not about the dollars, you need your “Why?” – “What is your purpose?”)
- Study your body (Know your particular situation, it is unique to you)
- Create a strategic plan of action (You have goal, now put a plan in place that links to those goals)
- Wake up every day and tell yourself, “I’m tired of this, I am going to change.” (Do the work; Consistency is far better that one burst of effort.)
There is no quick-fix.
If it can be fixed quickly, it can also be destroyed quickly.
Having been married for five years, one kid, with another on the way, and sitting way more than I should, I lost the 6-pack. I’m still healthy, nowhere close to those high school days, and not at my optimal health.
I am going to change that.
I have the motivation, the persistence and willpower TODAY, to get it done.
And tomorrow I will wake up and tell myself the same thing.
“I am tired of this, I am going to change.”
Contact us to see how social media can work for your business, and start reaching new prospects and adding new revenue from online marketing.
Jason Hanson, Digital Marketing Manager
Jason is privileged to have worked with clients such as Jamba Juice, Sutter Health, Allstate Insurance, AAA, The Masters College and many local businesses. In this information-saturated digital age, Jason has a passion to help small businesses and non-profits get back to the basics of marketing and advertising – what do we need to say, how should it be said, and where do we need to say it.