Little By Little, A Little Becomes A lot 166

If you are a loyal listener of Share the struggle podcast or you just happen to know me, then you probably already know that I'm a big fan of making goals. I'm an even bigger fan of achieving goals and I truly believe you can't hit what you can't see. You will not achieve it if you do not believe it. So for me, step one in believing and achieving those goals is writing those goals. Today, on share the struggle podcast, we're going to discuss a goal that has been lingering on my list year after year, a goal so important that my life depends on it. But year after year, I find myself putting pen to paper for the same damn goal, because year after year, I don't take it serious. Year after year, I don't Put all the effort it takes into achieving that goal. As important as I set that goal to be, as Important as that goal is for me, I Find all the excuses in the world. I prioritize different goals and, before you know it, another year passes and I haven't given it my best effort. This year, once again, I told myself this is the year, this is my year. You are not going to write this goal again next year. So, with some real determination, love, help and support for my wife. Specialists Dedicating the time. I am well on the way to not having to write that goal on my to-do list. And 2024, not no more. Let me tell you something Everybody's drug. The difference is some people choose to go through it and some choose to grow through it. The choice is completely yours. Which one you choose will have a very profound effect on the way you live your life. If you find strength in the struggle and this podcast is for you you have a relationship that is comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. Uncomfortable conversations challenge you, humble you and they build you. When you sprinkle a little time and distance on it, it all makes sense. Most disagreements, they stem from our own insecurities.

You are right where you need to be what it do, what it do hot dickity. Damn, am I so excited. I just can't hide it. Oh, I'm but the loose control and I think I like it. Oh, yeah, yeah to hot and hot tub. Hey, oh to hot and hot tub. Okay, I'm losing track y'all episode 166 and I'm back with your weekly fix.

Oh we you damn right. I said 166. That means 166 consecutive weeks of that awesomeness, that sure fired Sexualness is that a word? Or does that even make sense there? I don't know. But Y'all is sexy people, okay, and it just just comes out of me when I, when I hit record, I just close my beaded live balls and I start thinking about all you beautiful, sweet treat, sexy, loud, proud Americans out there listening and grinning and supporting and loving and learning and striving and burning. I don't know I'm losing it, but I'm excited. I'm so damn excited to be back with you guys yet again. 166 consecutive weeks, that's a hundred and 66 episodes in the books. We've been growing the show week after week. Our numbers change, but it's not the numbers that are important, it's the impressions, is the difference, it is the connection that we're making with so many of you. I've met so many new listeners on the road, handed out, you know, share the circle podcast stickers and having conversations. So I welcome all y'all new listeners to the show. I appreciate you. Come along, baby, let's help it blossom, help it grow, and you can find all things share the circle podcast related at www share the struggle podcast Dot com. And don't think I forgot about you out there, all my day ones. Put your finger up, put that finger up to the sky. If you're a day one ride or die. Should this work? A podcast, a loyal listener Mm-hmm, y'all know I love you. You damn right, I love you. I appreciate you and I thank you. Somebody else I appreciate thank you is the loyal sponsors of the show. Bnd flagpoles, home of the Titan telescoping flagpole, proudly made them in USA. Gift-giving season is upon us. Yes, it's happening, sweetheart. Oh, it's happening. It's coming back around. Happens every damn year. So if you're looking for that perfect patriotic gift to give to somebody, what better than a proudly made in USA Titan telescope in flagpole, courtesy of BND flagpoles dot com? They can set you up, you can show your patriotic awesomeness. You can find them at the Freiburg fair, as, which is where you can find me as well. I think they'll be there. I've been there every year that I've been there and I haven't reached back out, which, now that I bring it up, I should do that. I'm gonna check in with bud and dreamer and I'll find out if they're there and then I'll let y'all know if they're there. Okay, they better be, but I Myself, I'm getting geared up. I'm getting eager to get things rocking and rolling and head out to the Freiburg fair, the Granddaddy of them all. For all us manors that are out here, it's a. It's a main holiday. Okay, freiburg fair is a main holiday. People be calling out of work, people be, you know, pulling their kids out of school that might been in the school for two weeks. You know what? Get them out, get them out. We got a main trip on our hands here. People make sure, just shut shit down for Freiburg. It is what it is. I Mean we don't do a lot of stuff, so this, this is, this is big stuff for us, but it's real big stuff for the business, for the brand, for loud, proud American. The Freiburg fair is single-handedly kept us in business for the past few years and we are extremely eager to get to this season. To get to this year to wrap up our season, I should say doubling our display size, doubling down on inventory and all things that go with it. I am already working towards the Freiburg fair. The first day of the fair is October 1st and I'm already on it. It's already what I'm dedicating every single day to you. We have flipped the script and we're heading to Freiburg because we finished out the rest of our world tour, the Rest of the tour leading up to Freiburg. I can't even believe it. We've already done five fairs, a bunch of other events and Actually I might do one One day event coming up this weekend. But when I'm talking about this big tour that we've been on, I keep thinking about all the things that I've done that have led up to Freiburg, and I can't believe how quickly it has come upon us. I'm really blown away by that. 2023 has been a challenging year for you and me. I know it has, but the Loud Proud American brand is putting itself in the best position possible to achieve Higher numbers than we have ever achieved. So we're going at it hard and fast. We're gonna do everything we possibly can to make this year happen, to finish strong. So we will have more conversations about the Freiburg fair as Loud Proud American ramps up and gets ready to crush the fair. We're gonna have those conversations, but that is not what's on tap today. What's on tap today, america is taking something serious and Running headfirst at a goal that I am so damn tired of writing in my goal book every damn year. That is what's on tap today.

Gotcha.

Alright, alright, alright, what up Loud, proud. Americans, you already know how fired up I get about forecasting my gear, about making goals, about having dreams, hopes and aspirations. Y'all already know we talk about it all the time. But old homeboy over here starts to feel real hypocritical when it gets to the end of the season, the start of a new year, and he was starting to think about those goals, those hopes, those dreams, those aspirations, those things that you want to believe and achieve. And I continue to write one of the same damn things on my list every single year. I had an episode this year but I went off on a rant about this goal. I don't remember which episode it is. I probably should have been a more prepared host and looked that shit up, but I went off on a rant about my health and how disappointed I had become in how far I let myself go. I actually had a few of you reach out to me and say, whoa, big dog, be a little easier on yourself. Okay, just take it easy. I get it, I get it. Maybe you let yourself go, but you don't need to beat the hell out of yourself. And a few of you reached out to me. One of those people that reached out to me, a loyal listener, mr Eric Russo, who is a, let's say, a physical fitness inspirado, an inspiration he always has been. I grew up with this cat, played football together. He's always been a Greek freak. That's not even Greek, okay, that's the physique we're talking about. And you know he's a personal trainer and all those good, great, amazing things and he's just a surefire, straight up, legit, successful dude, great family man and an awesome friend. So that's a little impromptu shout out for you, mr Eric Russo, but I still remember you reaching out to me and saying hey, man, don't be so hard on yourself. Day by day, bit by bit, like you know, take the steps and you'll see the difference. Don't beat yourself up about it. The actual quote, the line for line quote and positive message that I got from my brother, mr Eric Russo, was little by little, a little becomes a lot, and that's so damn true, man. And when we set ourselves on a goal, no matter what that goal is right, you can use this. Little by little, a little becomes a lot on anything that you're thinking about, right, Whatever that goal is for you. If it's a, you know, a financial goal, like I'm going to make this much money this year. If I think about that goal in the beginning of the year, whatever that end number is for you, it seems so far away, it seems so unattainable. I know in my days past right, and what I go call maybe like a previous life, because it feels like it was that far a long ago, working in sales as a sales consultant, getting my check every year, I would write down this is what I'm going to make this year. And at the beginning of the year, when you get that first check right, that first checking of the new year and it starts off at zeros and that first check, and when you're coming from sales in January selling motorcycles, harley-davidson's in New England, when maybe you didn't sell one all week, and you're just looking at that shitty ass joke of a base pay, when I have this goal, this X amount in my mind that I want to hit for selling motorcycles, and that first week's check shows the number that somewhere is around $275. Well, I can tell you Six Figures. Motherfucka seems a hell of a long ways away from $275, but little by little, a little becomes a lot, because by February, march, you start seeing a difference. When you get to April, may. All of a sudden you start crushing things. In June, july, that little by little becomes a lot and before you know it, you're getting closer to the goal you set for yourself. So when Eric hit me with this advice, talking about taking my health serious, and that he said to me I know you're going to attack this like a freight train towards your fitness goals. It gets overwhelming and you get lost because those first few pounds feel like those first few dollars and cents right, and sometimes those decisions don't make sense no pun intended because you feel like, hey, man, I'm removing all these things that make me feel good, I'm taking away all these things that I enjoy during difficult times. If you guys think about it right, how many times have I told you oh, guess what? Another event where the vehicle broke down, another event where we tracked that 50%? Here's another kick in the teeth, here's another kick in the dick. Oh yeah, that's a surefire dick kick. Thank you, america. Yes, a dick kick, love it. Thank you. Oh yeah, can you knock out my molar too, which it all adds up right? So, little by little, stress becomes a lot. No matter what this is we're looking at, if it's attacking a goal, or if it's stress, if it's frustration. Little by little, a little becomes a lot. So little by little, my stress and things add up and I find myself yet again not taking my health serious. And when you start looking at all these goals and all these hope streams and aspirations that I have for myself, the fact that every year I write the same goal down in my book and one of those goals is to be confident and comfortable in how I look it's not about this is how much weight I need to lose. It literally comes down to being comfortable and confident with how I look. Because I've lost my confidence, I've lost that feeling of being comfortable. And people say you gain weight because you're comfortable. Well, yes, maybe you're comfortable in a relationship, you're surrounding your life and you're just doing comfortable things, and maybe it feels more comfortable to be on the couch, or maybe it feels more comfortable to order Chinese or pizza for the third night. I understand that, but I lost comfort in who I am and how I look and how I feel. That, to me, was greater than the health side of it, which anybody out there. It's all about what moves the needle for you. It's all about what makes the difference for you. I can factor things in there. One of them would be the fear of being pre-diabetic. Now I haven't gone to a doctor and been told anytime recently that you are diabetic or you're pre-diabetic. I don't know why, because I don't go to the doctor. That's why no one's ever told me that. So there's fear in the back of my mind that when I do go to a doctor, when I do actually grow up and become an adult because I'm almost 41 fucking years old someone's going to tell me hey, fatty, you're diabetic. So that fear has been there. I don't want to be diabetic. No offense to anybody out there that is diabetic. I feel for you when I understand you're pain my dad's diabetic, so I understand that. I know for a lot of people and I'm not a medical professional here, so please don't come at me with any of these reasons. And such some people are diabetic and there's no doing of their own. It's not because they went out and made super shitty health choices like I have. They just were born that way. It's just something that happens. I understand that. But a lot of people in this country, in America, are diabetic because of their health choices, because of the boxes of fudge rounds, because of the time we spent on the couch with cheese curls, because it's all the beers that we drink, the lack of time we spend in the gym, whatever that is. I fall under that category. And there was a time in my life where, if you listen to the show, you know all these stories already. But I was hospitalized because, basically, my intestines were exploding. Okay, I had diverticulitis, I had a leak in my intestines, I was turning septic, my intestines were leaking into my body. I nearly died over that. I wound up in the hospital, had God knows how much you know feet or inches cutting out of my intestines, intestines removed, colon detached, reattached, learned how to poo and digest all over again. My son B1. Okay, so I took my health extremely serious. After that I lost a bunch of weight. I felt great. I vowed to never wear a 3X ever again, which I've been a 3X for I don't know how long. Okay, so that was a bold statement and commitment on my half, and I actually remembered the day that I gave away my work shirts that were 3X to other coworkers, and I did it as a commitment to myself. Like, I'm going to give these to you, I'm not calling you fat, you know. I'm not saying that, I'm just saying for my health, I can't ever get back to that size because if I do, it could kill me. And I took things real serious. And then I changed my eating, my way of living, I made some drastic changes and I called it a diet. But that diet stayed for a few years and when we'd be out and would have a conversation about diets and I would, you know, say this is what the diet I'm on. Finally, one day, the wife said you're not on a diet, that's a lifestyle. Dude, this is a lifestyle. You're not on a diet anymore. We've made this commitment. This is what we're doing. This is your lifestyle. You haven't been on a diet for years and I was proud of myself and I'm going to find an excuse for myself, and it's the same excuse that I think many Americans found for themselves. And it's called fucking COVID, it's called a pandemic, it's called, you know, recession, inflation, unemployment, all those things. You start to snowball all those things and I'm going to tell you that I left everything that I knew the routine that I knew, the job, the career that I knew, the friends, the daily, just environment that I had. I put all that behind me, started my own business, working from home. Pandemic happens, world shuts down and basically every grocery store goes bare. All these things start to change. At that moment I made the decision that if I can't afford or I can't find the things that I used to eat, that I like to eat, that keep me healthy, I'm going to take whatever I can get, and whatever I could get happened to be a lot of bread, right, pasta potatoes, making all those meals with those as starters, as foundations, and those are the things that I originally cut out of my life Pasta potatoes, things like that, right Bread. And here I am putting all those things back in. And then, while I'm at it, let's double down on sweets and comfort food, because I'm locked in the house and no one can see me anyway, so it doesn't matter what the fuck I look like. And before you know it, I got so far behind on myself and my priorities and my health that I felt like it was a sinking ship. So for the past few years I've been writing that same goal in my book be comfortable and confident in who I am and how I look and how I feel. So, yes, I can validate things with. You don't want to be diabetic, you don't want to have a heart attack, you don't want to die young. You haven't even started a family. But the one thing that hits every day is not being okay looking in the mirror, but hits different every day. Which drives that goal different for me in a whole new way is not liking what I see in the mirror. And if you go back and listen to the episode where I kind of had a meltdown with me going to the gym and I actually had some episodes on here where the wife and I started going to the gym and that feeling that I felt when I saw myself in the mirror and that I realized at that moment that I've been training myself to not look in mirrors, to avoid mirrors, because it reminded myself of my disappointment and how much I let myself go. So we started this health journey this year and I'm not coming on here beating the holy health book to you. I'm not a professional, I'm not an expert, I'm not the solution, I'm not the reason. I'm not on here telling each and every one of you this is what you've got to do, this is how you've got to do it. All I'm telling you is, little by little, a little becomes a lot and eventually you've got to take things serious. And if you really want to make something happen, if you really want to take that one goal that's on your list and get it off your list and not have to write it down again, it could be your health, it could be anything, but for me it's crazy how serious the health thing has become for me. Yet the fact that I continue to write it down year after year because I prioritize everything else. I prioritize financial goals, I prioritize vacation goals, family goals over myself, but ultimately, if I don't take care of myself, the rest of those goals aren't possible. What difference does it make if I book a vacation if I have a heart attack and don't make it? What difference does it make if I have a financial goal for my business but I'm too fat and out of shape to get up and chase it? This all revolves around me finding this goal and attacking it because I knew it would make a difference. But I've been denying it for so many years because I knew how much hard work and effort went into attacking this goal. So what I'm about to tell you about my health experience. For you, it may be health. For you, it may be finances. For you, it may be something totally different. I just hope that the mental aspects and approach and commitment can help you to find that goal, because you know what folks, october's not here yet. We're in September. Eventually we're going to have October, november, december. You got three months. What did you write down at the beginning of 2023 that would haunt you again in 2024? What goal do you not want to have to write anymore? What is something you set out for yourself that you realize you have not been attacking, you have not made a difference on? You are going to set yourself up for that day of disappointment when you write it down on the book and you're going to write it down and not take it serious because you're going to say to yourself I've been writing this shit for six years, for five years, whatever it is, so I'm going to write this shit again next year. What is that goal for you? What is that thing for you In three months? We can attack it. Little by little becomes a lot. In three months you can make a damn bit of difference. How about the fact that, just how you write that goal, the impact and the feeling on that goal, how different it will be for you in 2024 when you realize I've been chasing this wholeheartedly for three months. I've made a commitment, I've made a difference, I've made an impact. You can literally just write at that goal and change it to continue to attack this goal. Continue makes a hell of a lot of difference to me when I'm starting a new year, because continue means I have been doing it. You understand, I haven't been neglecting it. It hasn't been a lack of effort. It hasn't been something that I dismissed completely. I am doing it Continuing that goal, continuing to chase that goal. When you've made attempts at that goal, progress at that goal, it makes it a whole lot different. This year we decided health needs to happen. It needs to be serious. My wife is the one that said I'm tired of this. The way you feel is the way I feel. We're going to chase this goal. She signed us up for the gym before the new year. We started going to the gym. We're busting ass to and everything we can at the gym. You guys have heard these other stories of us at the gym. I felt like I was getting a lot stronger, but I wasn't losing as much weight as I had hoped for. Eventually, over time, through the gym, I managed to kind of fast forward this up for you. I managed to lose 20 pounds at the gym. I gained some muscle, I gained some strength and I lost 20 pounds All in all. Pretty damn good I was making. We were making changes to our diet, but we were still having those excuse days. We still found ourselves ordering Chinese food too much, craving pizza, the multiple nights of ice cream for dinner as opposed to having dinner. So we found ourselves in a position where we were basically going to the gym just to maintain the size we were at, because what we were doing after we leave the gym, the things we are putting back into our bodies was, basically, we're moving all the positive things we were doing at the gym. Then, if you guys remember, if you're a loyal listener, you know I had an incident where my horse accordion my chest yeah, he turned me into an accordion. No, I was gonna squeeze box. Daddy doesn't sleep at night that's the only thing I could think of with a accordion reference. But I Thought I broke my sternum. Thankfully I didn't, took me out of the gym for quite some time and then our season started, and fast forward to us being on the road. Fast forward to me being fair after fair, after fair. And it's tough, man. It's real tough when you're out of fair and you know, let's say, you have to open up your, your, your vendor spot at 9 in the morning and some fair as you're there until 9 at night or 10 o'clock at night. Then you're gonna go back to the tent and you're gonna eat healthy or you're gonna cook a meal. That's pretty damn tough. Even if I am making a meal, can you think about the fact that I'm gonna go back to camp at 10 o'clock at night and cook a fucking t-bone and then pass out? That's not good either, right? So it's much easier when you're at the fair to have that fried dough, to have that pizza, that cheeseburger, that sausage sob, the chicken tenders, the french fries, whatever it is right. So those are the choices that I was making and I knew those were the choices I was making and I knew when I was headed and all the progress I made at the gym, it wasn't happening because it's gone, because now I'm not on the, I'm not home to work out, I'm on the road and temptation is there. And I had a few moments and if you guys listen to my recap About the Osby Valley Fair when I did the farmers Olympics, where my wife so gracefully signed me up for the farmers Olympics, there was some redneck hillbilly there, which I'm a redneck hillbilly, so I can say those certain types of things. This one was an asshole and and he basically said to me hey, fatty, are you gonna do this game, or I'd like to see you try? And he made these comments about beat, about me being fat, and I was so taken back by it Because I don't recall the last time a grown-ass man looked me in the eyes and called me fatty, um, that it sat with me and it bothered me and I had to use every bit of a strain. I had to not knock him out, but those words stuck with me and the visual that I created for myself. Right, you guys heard me talk about not wanting to be around mirrors. Now I want you to Fast forward to the middle of the summer, the sage july at that fair, for example, and it's 90 degrees out and 6,000 percent humidity and I'm pouring sweat and I'm overweight and I'm struggling and I have a hard time breathing, I'm having a hard time moving and if I'm cashing you out or I'm doing something and I'm just pouring sweat, all I can think about is what your impression of me might be and most people aren't coming in having any kind of negative impression about me, but myself internally. That's how I'm feeling internally. I'm cashing you out and I'm thinking, wow, you must be staring at how much I'm sweating or how heavy I'm breathing. You must be, you know, looking at me and judging me while I eat a fried dough and all these things are beating me up inside, right. All these things are happening and those are all Negative thoughts. But if you can reframe those negative thoughts and use those as motivation and use those as a reason to cut things from your life, then use them right. It doesn't matter if it's a positive motivation or a negative motivation or a negative motivation. Some people move the needle more with a negative motivation Like, for example, you're going to be diabetic and you're going to die. There's one reason right. Maybe that's a reason to help you make a decision or it's. You just don't have confidence anymore. You don't like the way you look anymore. You don't want to travel because you're embarrassed to fit in an airplane. You don't want to go out because you don't like the way you look. You don't want to be in that setting where you're going to have your photo taken. Those little things. Whatever that motivation is, whatever that reason is, use it. It's different for all of us, right? I try to take all those things and put them into a melting pot. Now, the wife and I, we always have these conversations and we're extremely transparent and open with each other about how we're feeling and and how you know we look and how we're thinking. And one night we were watching the seven little johnson's. And the seven little johnson's is a tv show about seven little people. The mother and father is Trent and Amber, and they have five kids and all of them are little people, right, and it's a great show. It's an awesome show. I'd recommend it if anybody has never seen it. It's super cool show to watch seven little johnson's. I want to find Trent and hang out and crush beers with them, but the point I'm making here is Trent was making a decision to change his life, to get back to being in shape to Do these things, because he was worried about his health and he was taking his his health serious. And him and his wife booked him a nutritionist. And they do these assessments where they regulate your breathing and and figure out how many calories you're burning, and make a tailored, catered diet plan and regimen for you that's personalized for you to help you. So Ali watched this episode with me and she knew I was inspired by it and she was. She took it upon herself to go ahead and sign us up. Yes, she booked us an appointment and said listen, I know this is what you need. I know this is what we need. I know that Having something tailored to us, something personalized for us, is what we need. We're two total different people. I'm a 350 pound dude Okay, my diet plan, my exercise plan in hers drastically different. So she signed us up and this is completely out of the comfort zone for me. I want you guys to understand that we talk about these goals. We write for ourselves. One of the big things is getting out of that comfort zone and that growth happens outside of our comfort zones. We need to get off the couch, put down the Fritos and the fudge rounds and figure the fuck out. So, going to this, this meeting, going to these health appointments, having my blood pressure down and my blood drawn, getting set up to a breathing machine, being weighed in, having my fat percentage, my body percentage, all analyzed, all Really uncomfortable things for somebody that does not like seeing himself in the goddamn mirror. Okay, so I put myself in this situation, in this position, hoping to grow. So the wife and I start this diet plan and and a spoiler the first week of the diet is all meat, no vegetables, no fruit, no, nothing. I have to drink 160 fluid ounces of water and they have this method of counting protein calories, which is something I've never heard of before in my life. I've counted protein but not protein calories. Yada, yada, yada. They give us this plan, all these supplements, go home, stick to it. So the wife and I go home under the best that we possibly can to attack this plan and suffer through the first week and we both go in for our appointment and, to my memory, I think we both lost one pound, one Ever, 11 pound after starving ourselves and making all these changes, both beyond discouraged. Neither one of us really understand the plan. Both of us are are beaten and and and really thinking about giving in at this point. We made all these changes, all these sacrifices. We're getting no results. The nutritionist we met with that day basically laughed at us that we didn't know what the hell we were doing. Well, maybe did a better job explaining it to us. We would, uh, you know, maybe do a little better. But they were expecting drastic weight loss for us and we didn't produce that. So they said, hey, we want you to start week one all over nothing but meat and water. Here you go, figure it out. Now I can't speak to my wife's journey and to, um, her accomplishments. That's because I'm so proud of my wife, because, as I'm recording this message this episode podcast number 166 she is currently at a new gym taking a workout class For the very first time. So we go together to the ymca. She's also been Doing some, some yoga classes, but she's at a whole new class. She literally went there by herself tonight. All new people, all strangers, not knowing what she's signing up for, not knowing what she's getting into. You want to talk about jumping out of your comfort zone? She's taking her health serious. And here she is, signed up for her class and took her a little ass on out to do it. So I'm eagerly awaiting her to come home and give me the recap of telling me how it went and if she loved it or hated it or all those things. But I'm so proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone and going ahead and putting herself in that uncomfortable position and and chasing those dreams. So I'm not going to speak on anything else when it comes to her journey and those things, because I'm sure she's going to want to come on here and share those things with you. But I hit a milestone moment today and I want to share that with you. So, with that being said, let's go back to that day. They say, hey, you're going to get back to week one, go on out there and have some fun. I left for another fair. Okay, I went to the top some fair, which was a struggle. You guys know we have, you know we're rained out one day. Uh, you know, the alternator on the truck died. It was, it was a very uh difficult fair right, finished it down 50%. So there was some. There was some real challenges there, some some real easy opportunities for me to to cheat, easy Opportunities for me to be vulnerable, to give in, and I didn't. I got a little fridge in my tent and at that tent what I did was I stacked that sucker up full of meat. So when I was hungry, I was eating beef jerky. When I was hungry, I was eating sandwich meat, I was having cheese, I was having water. I was having my feelings, I was raking protein shakes, I was cutting back, I was doing everything I possibly could. So I made the tough decision. I made the difficult commitment to my hopes, my dreams, my health. This has been going on for a few weeks. I think we started our diet back in july, um, right around the time of that fair. I think it was right after that fair where I was basically, you know, criticized for being being a fatty. Right, having a grown man tell me I'm I'm a real fatty, fat tukis. So since july We've been on this diet plan and we've been taken to serious. I've been at multiple fairs. I did the topsome fair. I did the windsor fair, which was a very long, fantastic fair. I just got home from the litchfield fair. At some of these fairs you're set up next to All these food stands, right, some fairs unfortunately, I know that I'm not right in in line of sight, but all the ones they're right next to me and what I'm going to say is I've done a great job. I've done a great job sticking to the plan. There's been times when I've been super hungry and I had to make a decision. I had to order something from a fair vendor, but in this instance it's the chicken tenders right, it's the chicken. No fries. It's no fried dough, it's a sausage with the onions and peppers, but no sub-roll right, it's making the best possible decision that I possibly can at these fairs to survive. What I'm going to tell you is that today I had another weigh-in. This could have been a lot more dramatic if I went to you guys and pulled up my schedule and told you every time I weighed in and what the results are and all those things. But I'm too damn excited because for the first time in probably six or seven years, your boy is under 300 pounds.

Oh man, look at him. Oh, Hercules, oh baby, oh, I want to scan. Oh man, I'm so proud of you. Oh, look at you. Look at you, your pants be fitting better. Oh, look at you, yeah, I just want to get a piece of you. Look at you. Oh, your muscles showing. Oh, I'm so proud of you. Yeah, yes, yeah, yes, oh.

Okay, that's weird. All right, it's very, very easy and very quick for me to jump into my Eddie Murphy not a professor in presentations and it was a great opportunity to use it. But I want to tell you guys I weighed in today. Your boy came in out of a luscious 296.

Hello, hey, what up girl, what you doing girl.

Sorry, I don't know why that's my reaction. 296. There's some of you motherfuckers out there saying that's two and three times me. Yeah, I get it okay, but I'm big bone baby. Which one would do Lose bone weight? Get yourself out of here. 296. I'm telling you, I pretty damn pumped about this. I'm pretty fired up about this because it's literally been six or seven years I don't know the math at the top of my head since I've literally been under 300 pounds. It goes all the way back to when I had my intestines cut out and I decided to make a life change, to try to do things different and live different. That's the last time that I weighed under 300 pounds. So I'm going to tell you this Since starting with the nutritionist, I've officially dropped 30 pounds. I've dropped over 30 pounds since starting with the nutritionist. The hard work we were putting in at the gym when we were still making bad food choices, I managed to lose about 20 pounds doing that 20 or 25 pounds. I'm going to try to go back and find the actual time or day when maybe I wrote down exactly what I was, but I can tell you that I was at least 350 pounds in the wintertime when the wife signed us up for the gym 350. I'm at 296. I've lost over 50 pounds in 2023. The fucking year for me. Mother Trucker Damn. You might be hearing it, you might be feeling it. I'm pretty damn proud. I'm pretty damn excited. 296. I set a goal for myself that I basically had this number and that goal number for me for weight is 285. Because I know that I remember what I felt like when I was 285 and I'm completely happy at 285 and that's what I told the nutritionist. That's where I want to head towards. I'm going to try to get to 285 and if I start working out and hitting the weights and my weight goes back up, I don't care what that number is. I don't care if that number goes back to 295 or back to 305. If it's healthy muscle and it makes me feel good and I'm comfortable and I'm confident and I'm healthy, I don't care what it is. But I know right now I still have a lot of weight to lose. I know that I needed to lose the minimum of 50 pounds. I went in there and said I want to be at 285 because I don't want to come back up for air when I tie my shoes. I was getting winded climbing the stairs. I was getting winded doing simple things and, above and beyond, how I felt is how I felt about how I looked, how I felt about me. I lost confidence and that changed me. I can tell you those other goals on your list when you take your health serious, they seem that much more possible because having the health commitment I'm talking to those of you out there right now that want to lose weight, those of you out there that want to quit something in your life to better yourself, whether it's alcohol, whether it's drugs, whether it's bad food choices, whatever it is when you make that decision because I know all of those can feel like an addiction all of those decisions are difficult decisions and it's a hard road. It's a difficult road but when you accomplish one of those roads, when you walk one of those roads, those other goals, those other tasks seem a little bit easier. Because this shit is hard, because you make that decision every damn day. You commit to that goal. Every day you don't pick up that drink or you don't pick up that fork every damn day. You understand what I'm saying. There's a difficult decision that comes with that goal every day, when you choose to walk that road for your health. Those choices come due every day. That rent is due every day. So many of our goals we check on monthly. So many of our goals we might check on weekly, annually. Whatever With your health, that rent is due every day. You check that goal every damn day. I am so proud of where I'm at. I might regret this episode if I fall off the track, fall right off the wagon and in two weeks I'm back to 325, because when you're a boy like me, when you're big like me, when you're thick like me, that shit happens quick. But the point is, right now I'm going to celebrate it. Right now I'm going to celebrate the small victories. We talked about it many, many times. If you want to win the war, you got to celebrate the victories, because if you win enough of those battles, eventually you're going to win the war. If you start stacking small victories, it all adds up Today. For me, this is a big ass victory 296. Your boy started this year at 350. My goals when I write them in 2024, it's going to look a hell of a lot different than it did this year. Am I comfortable and confident in who I am? Do I feel like I'm twisted steel and sex appeal. No, am I pleased? Am I happy with the changes, with the direction? Am I feeling accomplished? Am I starting to realize that little by little, I'm getting a lot? You're damn right, because 50 is a lot. You understand what I'm saying. 50 is a lot. That first weigh-in when I lost one pound that little by little got me to 50, because you count all those ones to get to 50. You understand me, son. I went into the weigh-in. I went into the one after the one where I was so discouraged and beaten and abused and I lost 12 or 13 pounds. On that weigh-in the doctor was like oh, wow, wow, big weight loss, big, big weight loss. He was all excited. Then I did it again. He told me man, I just want to let you know that I've dealt with a lot of people in my time doing this and a lot of big people. You're the fastest person I've ever worked with to lose 20 pounds. I've never seen somebody lose 20 pounds faster. But it gets more and more difficult as you go and I understand that. But today I celebrate the victory of 296. I just want to put this out there to everybody out there that has all these goals, because I have great positive conversations with so many of you and so many of you share the same health goal as me and we share mutual business goals and I want you to understand this Some of those business goals that you have for yourself. They're so much more attainable when you take care of yourself, when you attack the goal that is yourself, because I'm much more equipped for the early mornings and the late nights. I'm much more equipped for the long hours. I'm much more equipped for the disappointment. I'm much more equipped for the ups and downs and let downs, because I feel better about who I am and how I look and how I feel, and it puts me in a more positive state of mind, a better mental focus, and I realize when my rent on this goal is due every damn day. Those other goals better get out the way, because if I can tackle this, I can tackle that. You understand me. If you're out there listening and you've been waiting to attack your health, do it, hit it. I'm here to help man. I'm here to answer any questions possible. I'm not the savior, I'm not the saving grace, I'm just a smile on this face. You understand what I'm saying I've made a difference in my life and I feel it. Shit ain't perfect. I make bad choices and bad decisions like a moment's a weakness, but I do the best I can. Little by little, I do the best I can and it's making a difference and it's paying off for me and I'm excited for the changes in me and I want that for any of you that are battling those same demons. You understand we got three more months October, november, december. Make it happen, make a difference, make a change when you write 2024, you're going to be looking for so much more on that goal sheet when you attack it. Now. I beg of you, I pray for you, I hope for you to make the difference, to make the commitment. I feel so damn amazing about what we have accomplished. It ain't been easy. It's been a hard road traveled, but I'm blessed and I'm thankful and I learned some things about myself and about attacking goals and I learned that so many of these goals that we have for ourselves, we can't attack them all by ourselves. You understand, if I didn't have my wife by my side, committed to the same goal, if I didn't have my wife encouraging me, pushing me, I wouldn't be here If I didn't have my wife go out and sign me up for the gym, I wouldn't be here. If my wife didn't sign me up for a nutritionist, I wouldn't be here. If she wasn't going to the same nutritionists having the same conversations. We wouldn't be here While being on the fair circuit and our great friends Matt and Sarah from Ledgeway Farms. They jumped back on their diet. Matt's on this crush, in this keto plan. Those guys are dropping weight and looking great and there's a sense of accountability and responsibility to each other and ourselves. So find somebody right, whatever that goal is for you, find some accountability, find some resources and find some help. If I didn't have professionals helping me to learn what to eat, I'd be spinning my wheels the same way I already was If I didn't have the equipment, the facilities, the opportunities. All these things add up Resources, accountability. You understand what I'm saying. All those things are common ingredients, common keys for you and me to achieve anything we want to achieve, whatever that goal is. Seek help, find help. Crush goals. You understand what I'm saying.

Oh, well, well, well. What do we have here?

Hey guys, sorry I was late. I was getting buff. Wanna feel my muscles. Ooh, oh, oh, heck please look at you. Oh heck please.

oh, I was just talking about you.

Well, that's rude.

Let me lower my microphone. Hang on Bear with me.

Folks Drop this down 12 inches hey don't pick on the short kids, All right, so spoiler alert when you weren't here.

I let everybody know where you were at and I told them you were jumping out of your comfort zone and you were doing something different. And you're getting vulnerable and you're getting physical. So how about you tell the people what your first night was like, and I'll listen along? You can take the microphone. This rest of the show is yours. You have it.

The whole show. This is all mine. Oh boy, y'all are in for a treat. Well y'all. I just got back from a booty boot camp. Lord knows, lainey Wilson and I, we got enough booty to go around. So I went to TGK, which is a local basketball arena, I guess it's called, and they have a couple of personal trainers over there that teach this booty boot camp. And let me just tell you, my booty hurts. Oh dang, does not you say that again. My booty hurts. That's what she said. Good God, not that type of booty hurts. It just took me a solid two minutes to get up my stairs because I'm weak in the knees.

I thought you were weak in the knees because you saw me after losing all that weight. You know what I mean. That's kind of what I was thinking when the reason was.

Y'all. I have to go to this booty boot camp because I'm not losing weight like this guy over here. Okay, I'm only down 11 pounds, unlike this guy Just tipping the charts doing good things, and I am not.

I think you're doing great things, do you?

Thank you so much, but I don't.

So I told the people that you had to get uncomfortable and do something all by yourself for the very first time. Yeah, that was intimidating. Yeah, I'm gonna try to get the dog to stop freaking out and you tell the people what it was like, kind of what you were feeling and how things went.

Well, I have a hard time doing things on my own. I hate to eat alone, I hate to do everything alone. Let's just be honest, I'm like a puppy. I need companionship. So today I took the time to go to TGK and I want to give a shout out to my brother, zach, for giving me this information about this amazing training program for me to go to at a local gym that he uses TGK, as I said. So, yeah, I had to step outside of my comfort zone. I did not bring a friend, which 90% of the time, if I'm gonna join something new, I bring my husband because he's my best friend, but this time I did not. I'm gonna all by myself. And as I was driving there, I said to my best friend what if they don't like me? What if I can't make any friends? And well, I made some friends. I was not the first day for just me, it was the first day for someone else too, and it was a very small class, very intimate five people. And then, as I'm driving to the gym, I have to call my brother and let him know hey, bud, I'm about to do this, I'm going to the gym that you told me to. And he gave me a little pep talk. You're gonna do great things. You can do this. Don't compare yourself to anybody else and you're gonna do good things. It was very nice. It was a very nice pep talk. I mean there was more to it, but that's none of your business, just just buzz off. Okay, me and my brother. I got the people to say you need to come back Heart to heart me and my brother. But that's really about it. I don't really know what else to say. Guys, it was good, it was a good workout. I am weak because I got to go to work out. I got a good sweating for the last hour and it felt good. I don't know about you, but when you go to the gym and you get a good workout, I just feel good. I know I'm gonna sleep good tonight. I'm gonna sleep hard. So no fungal business, watch it, I'm gonna go right to sleep.

I knew there was a downfall to working out.

No, this is gonna be my new hobby. I don't have a hobby.

Well, I got a hobby for you D. Anyways, you guys, you all knew that was coming. You knew that was gonna happen. But a few minutes ago, before the wife even showed up, we were going over ways to attack our goals and we talked about a few things. Accountability, we talked about having support, having somebody there for you, right, and what did she say? She gets on the microphone unprompted, hasn't been home this whole time and says it's a gym that her brother recommended. She reaches out and talks to him on the way there. There's that accountability, there's that resource, there's that push, there's that support. Whatever goal, it is that we're all out there chasing them. Whatever that goal is that you don't want to continue to write down your goal book this year. Find a resource, find accountability, find support, find a friend, share it with somebody, man, and see the possibilities that could happen. So thanks for coming home and driving home today's message without even knowing it.

No problem, you want to feel my muscles?

Yes, yeah. Can you get naked first, because I can't get a proper feel on between that American made cotton. You know what I?

mean, feel my muscles, oh, look at that. Oh, that's hercules. Look at that. Oh, look at that. By the way, they're bulging. Look at them. Walk that way. I'll stare at you, booty. You tell you what it is. Oh, girls, let me tell you what. Yeah, I'm about to get my cardio on.

Well, y'all this has been a positive message. Hopefully you're getting a little positive vibe from the liberties over here and I just want to say to you, while you're looking at me, I wouldn't have this weight loss, I wouldn't be on this journey if it wasn't for your push. I'd be writing the same damn message in my gold book next year. Next year it's going to look a little different. I'm still going to have some health things in there, but I made a hell of a lot of progress right and I'm doing some things for myself, and that's because of you. You're doing a great job. I'm really proud of you. Oh, thanks, do I get a scratch and sniff gold star or something I just farted in my pants? That is gross. That's a scratch and sniff. I'm not scratching that. Move it, move along, sweaty Eddie. I don't need no. All right y'all Okay, thank you enough. 166 consecutive weeks. I appreciate you. If you are day one, put your fingers up. If this is your first day, welcome. I love you. I hope y'all got something out of today's message. Whatever that goal is for you, you got three months to make a goddamn difference. You hear me Three months to make a difference. I love you.

Kevin, keep trucking, brother, you're doing a good job.

Yeah, keep on pumping that cardio. Speaking of Kevin, I want to let you know I got an email this week that said Share the Circle podcast received a voicemail. I didn't even need to see the to open it to know who that voicemail came from. It was KB. Of course it was you, damn right, it was Kevin. Step one we've received voicemail. Step two I got to learn how to find it and where to play it, but when I figure that out, I'll talk to you about it next week. Until then, thank you for supporting our American dream and I go, wash your broken hands. Your building savage. That's it and that's all BiggieSmiles. If you found value in today's show, please return the favor and leave a positive review. Share it with someone that is important to you. Hit, subscribe and help us grow our tribe. Are you interested in sponsoring the show? Maybe you're looking to be a guest on the show? Find all that you need to know about the show at sharethestrugglepodcastcom. Subscribe to Grow Our Tribe on Apple Podcasts, spotify, google Podcasts, amazon Music, iheart Radio and all other major platforms, and don't forget to like and share our official Facebook page at Share the Struggle Podcast If you're a loud, proud American and you find yourself just wanting more. You can find me on YouTube, on Facebook or the face page, as my mama calls it Just search Loud, proud American.

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