This blog post is going to be a little personal and a little vulnerable, but I think it needs to be done. Some of you may read this article and get super motivated to make positive changes. Some will read this and completely hate me for it... if you fall in this second category, you probably need to do some self-reflection!
In The Beginning...
Before I was thrusted into starting my own video production business, I was punching a clock in the pharmaceutical industry. Before that I worked every job imaginable, mostly leading to quitting or being fired for poor work ethics. I did it all, from supermarket stock boy to bartender to rapper/audio engineer and everything in between. There were a lot of construction jobs scattered throughout my younger work days. But from 2009-2022 I worked in big pharma. I was a vaccine manufacturing technician and ultimately ended that career during covid days as a Manager Associate Scientist. That career abruptly ended... a story for another time.
Why does this even matter? Well, I think it's important to understand I am just like you and you will see a theme with my messaging.... "If I can do it, so can you!"
I never really thought I would become a business owner. I was just punching the clock, running the routine, day in and day out. I have been up and down with my fitness journey and nutrition journey, but another common theme with me has been a lack of discipline!!!
Mindset, Fitness, Business... It All Requires Discipline!
Discipline. A word that seems to have lost all meaning. "Who is going to carry the boats?" (A David Goggins quote). Let's define this word before I share my story. Discipline is simply this: doing the hard thing when you don't want to do it. Whether its business, fitness, nutrition, etc. This can apply to all areas of life, you just need to apply it!
"Discipline is doing the hard thing, when you don't want to do it."
Here is where I get a little vulnerable.
In late September 2023, I called a long time friend of mine, Jorge Cabrera (IG: @_jorgelcarbrera) who also recently battled his own discipline issues and without beating around the bush... I was complaining. I hated who I had become, I hated who I saw in the mirror, I hated how I felt, how I looked, the message I was sending to my son and the lack of interest from my wife. WOW! That was hard to write and admit, but again it must be done!
Below you will see what I looked like in October 2023 and you can pretty much see how I felt. I was disappointed in myself. I let myself go and nobody told me. Now most people don't like to be fat shamed but I need some shaming in my life for me to make changes. The ultimate fat shaming came from my young son. He grabbed my stomach, jiggled it and said "Dad, You have the chunky stuff." That hurt. I knew it was time to make a change.
Now by this time, I had been running my business full time since the end of 2022. I was learning to get help where needed, I found God, joined a video business coaching program, leaned on some mentors for advice, but I was getting fatter and fatter.
Back to Jorge. "Let me help you man." It was that simple and that's where it began...
Sacrifices Must Be Made
The journey begins. I knew, in order to level up my business and take it where I envisioned it, I would need to level up myself first. I had to show myself and those around me that I am the guy who does what He says He does. Discipline was something that I lacked and I was starting to realize that motivation is fleeting. It's not sustainable for long term changes.
Jorge let me cry for a while about my problems and then simply said "Let me help you man." I agreed and we started planning what that help looked like. I was always in and out of the gym (mostly out), but even at my best, I never got a grip on my nutrition. I learned over the course of the next 5 months or so, nutrition is probably the most important part of this journey.
Jorge helped me dial in my macros, got me set up in the #1stPhorm app where I would track my workouts, food consumption and also have another line of accountability with him as my in app advisor. He can essentially see everything I log and could call me out when I log a full tombstone pizza for Friday night! Weekly weigh-ins, photo updates and mindset calls helped track my progress. It took a lot of discipline and accountability to be honest with myself and with Jorge.
I made good progress from October to December, but in January I decided to take another crack at #75Hard. A mental discipline program, meant for people like me... the un-disciplined. I worked hard, hitting my targets every week and finally had to fail the program at Day 50 when I broke my tailbone ice skating! Yikes! That really set me back.
What I Learned
I learned a lot about myself on this fitness/discipline journey, which is ongoing and will never end. I learned that I could do what I set out to do and even more than that. I learned how tracking my food could give me a different perspective on what I thought was "healthy eating". I learned to lean on an expert when I needed to. We don't have to do everything on our own.
Most importantly, I learned that no one is coming to save me. I was the only one who could do the work needed to make the lifestyle changes I wanted to see. I learned that I could be happy with who I was and finally had a clear plan on how to get there!
This journey has translated to a more successful business, because I will put in the work - even when I don't want to. The people I work with to create awesome video projects for, also know I am someone who will do the work... it's clear when I walk in the room. I am finally seen as someone who is disciplined.
Note: This journey hasn't been perfect. I have fell off the wagon multiple times and don't hit it out of the park 100% of the time, but having someone like Jorge to keep me accountable has made a huge difference.
If you are interested in hiring Jorge as your fitness/discipline coach, you can find him at:
IG: @_jorgelcarbrera
I am taking another shot at #75Hard and I am now at about 178lbs, with my next weight goal of 175 lbs. I've never seen bottom abs... wondering what that looks like. One this is for certain...
I am never going back to who I used to be and IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU! Trust me!!