EVERYONE out there is out to make a profit. Keep this in mind. Some are better marketers than others and have mastered the art of selling. My goal is to build a business based primarily on honest, real referrals. No tactics and overselling. I am also so tired of seeing perfect physiques on social media selling products with the promise that this is all it takes or will make your transformation so much easier. It won’t.
Here are some quick key things I have learned (and paid dearly for this knowledge) that I hope you can learn from.
Fitness professionals with PERFECT BODIES
Here is your reality check: Those perfect bodies that you drool over on the internet have a few things in common that you may not have.
- They are young and genetically gifted to have a certain muscular development. Yes, some don’t have to work so hard to get that booty or massive arms. Most are ‘mesomorphs’, which means their muscular development comes easier. And as you get older (me!), its harder to gain muscle and retain it. Most older fitness pros work on maintenance more than anything. Don’t believe me? Just google some older fitness stars from past like Cory Everson or even Arnold. Our bodies are changing as we get older. You can still look fantastic, but you’ll have to work harder and lower your expectations. Recovery time is longer, you have to eat a lot cleaner and you just can’t do as much as you used to. Give your body a break. There’s a saying that says “You can have performance or longevity. You can’t have both”. Why? Because high performance takes a toll on your body.
- Eating is a FULL-TIME job for them. Yes, they work out as well but nutrition macros, timing and quantity are key for those perfect frames. And its hard to do. These are the people that get one cheat meal a week, can’t spontaneously eat out and weigh/measure or have learned portions for everything they eat.
- The photos are usually taken after weeks of prep work. Now there are some unicorns out there that look great all the time. But I don’t work off exceptions. I work off the rules. Look at some of your favorite fitness pros off season. They look kinda soft in comparison. Thats because its almost impossible to look photo-op perfect all the time. One of my favorite fitness pros is Ashley Horner. I have seen her eBook photos (amazing) and some Instagram photos she has sent where she wasn’t as cut and doesn’t look as dazzling. Its normal and be grateful that they have the same struggles as you and I.
- Stick to your specific goals (ie dropping body fat from 30% to 25% in 3 months) instead of trying to look like somebody else. You never will and you will be just disappointed and probably broke after buying so much crap from them. Look your best self so other can be inspired by YOU!
Foodie and Cooking sites
Do you honestly think your favorite Instagram foodie post person or cookbook author cook this way everyday? Think again. These are again photo prep shots that take time.
- I own 100,000 cookbooks. I have made maybe 10 recipes from them. Why? Because who has time to plan, buy weird ingredients from Amazon or 16 different markets and then time to cook for 3 hours? Not me!
- Here are few books that I use a lot because they are fast and real: One Pot Paleo Pressure Cooker Perfection (*you will need a pressure cooker but trust me, you will want one if you have limited time to cook) Whole 30 Cookbook NomNomPaleo The Best Simple Recipes
- Unless you have a professional chef in your house or someone whose job is to only cook all day, most people do just like you and I do: cook these recipes for special occasions and stick to the simple, quick recipes for real-time. Its okay to cook your famous 30 minute lasagna that tastes great but looks really pathetic if you took a pic. And eating a salad filled with whatever you have in the fridge is fine too. Just give yourself a break already.
Business and Entrepreneurs
I follow a lot of business podcasters and entrepreneurs. And they all have the same thing in common: they will get your attention, draw you in and then sell you something! So here are some tips:
- A lot of these people give away priceless information FOR FREE. So take advantage of these gifts and stop when the sales pitch starts. You could literally go in debt buying eBooks, webinars, courses etc. Start with the free information and go from there. Need more in-depth knowledge? Try free courses on Coursera.com or sign up for Udemy’s email list to take advantage of $10 courses (normally $200) that pop up. Reality check: you won’t read/watch all these stuff you want to buy from these marketers. And they are master sellers too. I have purchased courses which have fallen short or still sit in my in-box.
- Go to Smartpassiveincome.com and download his free eBooks and podcasts. He is giving away a ton of information FOR FREE. Download the pdf transcriptions/show notes and learn from that too. SideHustle.com is also a great one for free resources. I also love Chalene Johnson’s podcast. She gives you updates on social media and marketing tips FOR FREE.
The key takeaways are this. Give yourself a break. You can’t cook picture perfect meals every day (nobody can unless its their full-time job), perfect figures come at a price or are genetic abnormalities and don’t buy every little gadget someone sells you because you think it’ll be the magic product. Hard work, real life and realistic expectations are what you should shoot for.
*I will end with this: go BIG in your dreams and goals! But make them YOUR specific personal goals. For me, I want to build a solid business based on honesty and results within one year. And I am not afraid of failures. I also want to build my idea of a perfect physique (more muscle, nice butt) in one year to help others with their goals. And when I am successful, I will have more freedom to donate my time and money to charities I believe in that struggle. My end goal is not to get rich, its to help others. Period.
Janine's Journal 