I listened to mainstream fitness advice and did everything ‘right’. I used to workout at the gym almost religiously for close to 2 years. 5 days per week and working out for 60-75 mins each session. Plus 1 hour of kickboxing per week. I worked out hard, putting in tons of effort. Going to failure for almost every set. Hitting every muscle group minimum twice per week. And for what? Almost 2 years of working out hard, and I was still skinny-fat. I had improved my strength, sure. But I didn’t look much different. Maybe a little less fat, and a little more muscle. But nothing impressive. Eventually when I started getting ill a few times within the space of 2 or 3 months I finally put the pieces together. This way of working out wasn’t sustainable for me. And it led to fatigue, burnout, and low energy. I wasn’t giving my body a chance to recover from my workouts. So I started to ask myself if the gym was actually serving me. What did I actually want to achieve with my workouts? I knew I didn’t want to be a huge bodybuilder. I just want a healthy and strong body that moves well, looks good, with functional strength, to be pain free, stay fit as I get older, and actually enjoy my workouts without being a slave to the gym. I realised that I could achieve all of those things working out in the comfort of my own home. That’s when I decided to change things up completely. I quit the gym and started doing purely bodyweight workouts at home. I quickly found this fit my lifestyle better as I was saving around 2.5 hours per week (30 mins daily) from no longer travelling to/from the gym. I could now do my workouts whenever I wanted throughout the day while working from home. This meant I didn’t have to commit to a 1 hour block of time to do my workout, which further saved me time. All in all I was saving between 5-6 hours per week. Time that I could now spend on other things I enjoy, or working on my business, and progressing in other areas of my life. It became a no brainer to me working out this way long term. So I invested in a pull-up station, a weighted vest, and a kettlebell.

@Rex Loyer and I just got back from a 5-day “workation” / retreat. We stayed in a glamping tent in a retreat property out in the woods, and focused on getting some things done for Focus Founders. What was meant to be a productive time together ended up being something totally different. Rather than getting a lot done, I found myself riddled with anxiety half the time, and struggling to focus the other half. I got less done than if we’d just stayed home. However, I got something else while I was there… A realization. The seeds of transformation. Part of our mission with Focus Founders is to create a business not out of a need for money or out of the manic “must get things done” energy, but rather from a place of love and joy. Both Rex and I are perfectly capable of building a business that makes a lot of money. We’ve done so several times before. Focus Founders is different. Yes, we plan to grow it to make a lot of money… But the real experiment here (which is going really well, I might add) is how can we build a business purely from a place of love and joy? And not out of need, or forcing ourselves to get things done? And this week, I have unlocked even more of the puzzle. One of the pieces of the puzzle is building on top of your natural gifts. The talents you were born with, or really enjoy cultivating. For me, some of my gifts are authenticity, enthusiasm, and deep compassion. And so I bring these gifts into this business in every way I can. But it’s not just business where our gifts can shine. I woke up this morning and a burning question hit my mind. It was one of those moments where the universe just strikes you with something you need to know. The question was this: How can I bring my gifts into the world today? You see, something I learned this week is that when I am in my power, my light shines brighter. And when my light shines brighter, I have more to give to others. But stepping into my power is a choice. And it takes conscious intention.

Hello new friends! I'm Josh Holland, and I stumbled across here while building my own Skool (the suggested communities on the side), and it felt like the right place to jump in! I've always figured I had a level of ADHD, but was never diagnosed for it. I designed systems for myself and spent a lot of time on personal growth to keep my brain at least consistently focused on positive and things that moved my life in the direction of my goals. Lots of "If this, then" habits, rules and structure, lots of breadcrumbs (I have workout gear of some sort in nearly every room of the house and two pull up bars in different areas so I can't possibly forget), and used the hyperfocus part to become a full time music producer, guitarist, drummer, bassist, and vocalist to high levels. I became aware that I almost certainly have it last year when my dad had a stroke, and my system to maintain 20 things a day broke when adding his needs to the mix. I'm getting closer and closer to balance again, and he's been recovering well, but after watching a few Dr K videos where he interviewed creators with ADHD it resonated completely with what I've dealt with. I've been self employed for over 7 years, but that also means that I haven't had health insurance in that long since it's insanely expensive when you're not in a group, so I can't say 100% that I do, but between that and dumping my brain into Claude AI, it's also nearly certain based on my life stories and how I work and process. And if you couldn't tell already... brevity is not a strength. 🤣

The Myth of Sisyphus is an essay written by philosopher Albert Camus and discusses the human condition in parallel to the greek myth of a curse placed on the mythological figure Sisyphus. In the myth, a decietful and conniving king named Sisyphus tricks the gods and is punished to push a boulder up a hill everyday. When it gets to the top it falls back down and he is forced to repeat this cycle for eternity. In Camus' essay he uses this myth as a comparison to everyday life. Every day we wake up and repeat the same few things everyday sleep and then repeat and this can be seen a lot in businesses during their early stages. Alex Hormozi calls these the "unscaleables" and heavily emphasizes their importance but that doesnt take away how painfully repetitive and unrewarding some of these task are. This story came to mind today during a conversation me and @Brian Diep and @Josh Holland had regarding a video that discusses this topic and more. In the youtube video on The Diary of A Ceo, with Alex O'Connor, Dr. K and Greg Koukl, they discuss the human condition and what things like religion, psychedelics, therapy, etc, do to aid, or harm, this experience. Around the 1 hour mark they make it to an interesting spot where they discuss finding happiness in the monotony of life. How finding joy in pushing boulders or folding paperclips everyday is possible, and how doing things simply because you love to do them makes pushing these "boulders" or folding "paperclips" so much easier. Thats my yap sesh for the day. I do want to ask tho: What is you boulder or paperclip in life, and do you love them? What are some things you do to make pushing the same boulder everyday easier? And lastly, Can you imagine Sisyphus being happy with such a curse? Also i will link the video and time stamp in the comments. I highly encourage you to listen to at least this part if not the whole video. Its a wonderful experience!

As the time changes, the sun sets earlier, and the temperature drops, many of us start feeling the changing of the season in our bodies and minds. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons. For me, that means that every winter, starting right about now, I tend to have a harder time. My energy levels drop, I lose my appetite, and I feel a near-constant low-grade anxiety. Some years it is harder than others. Last year, for me, it was pretty rough. In honor of mental health awareness, I wanted to share some things that have helped me with my SAD in the hopes that it may help anyone here who suffers from it: 1. A good therapist, and a journal. Journaling is one of my best allies against seasonal depression. It helps me combat negative thoughts, understand when I'm falling into bad patterns, and overall keep an awareness on where my limited energy is going. And a good therapist takes that a step further. 2. Plenty of exercise & time spent outside. In the winter, it's even more important to maintain a regular exercise schedule. This can be as simple as regular walks outside, going for runs, taking up classes, or getting an accountability buddy to go to the gym with. 3. Vitamin D supplements and a phototherapy lamp. With less sunlight, people with SAD tend to have less than ideal levels of vitamin D. A phototherapy lamp before 8 AM and supplements can help a lot. 4. Regular hangouts with friends. It can be hard to want to go out and spend time with friends, but isolating makes SAD symptoms worse. Try to schedule a regular weekly hangout that's always in your calendar, so it's not as easy to skip out on. Overall, just remember that you are not alone and that SAD symptoms will go away. It may not always feel like that in the moment, but it's always been true for me. If you're feeling SAD, feel free to reach out to the community here! And come to our virtual co-working sessions to get some social time in! We'll also be hosting more in-person and virtual events throughout the winter to encourage community and togetherness.