Once again the time of year is here for us all to be reminded of what we have to be thankful for.

I have a long list but I am going to narrow it down to what I am MOST thankful for… living in the greatest nation in the world that has allowed me to live my dreams.

This is the only nation on the planet where you are free to accomplish anything you dream about…

If you can dream it you can do it.

Where you go is entirely up to you and how hard you want to work…

 

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY DREAM…

What started as a dream slowly transformed into an idea.

That idea gave way to a project.

That project needed a combination of many special talents.

I was fortunate enough to find the people with the talents required.

I was even more fortunate and thankful to find the people with those talents that shared my passion for this project.

I am happy to share with you that this dream that became an idea and then a project is now a reality.

After 3 years of creating workouts, hours and hours of typing, 5 hour photo shoots, 700 pictures and hours of editing it is finally ready for the world to see and use.

I AM THANKFUL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS DREAM POSSIBLE…

It has been my great fortune to have a team of people who contributed their talents to this project.

It was not a solo effort.

Some parts of this project required talent.

Well fortunately I surrounded myself with the right people for this project.

I am thankful for them.

Many times over the years I have tackled many projects. Some have been great successes some have been huge failures.

It is easy to find people who want to be a part of something that is already successful.

However, finding people courageous enough to take a chance on your ideas when you are doing something ambitious and original, is no easy task.

There are plenty of “fair weather” friends out there. The same people who make fun of you when you talk about your dream are the same ones who loudly boast that they supported you all along.

If you fail or hit an obstacle these people “knew it would never work.”

I am thankful that I left those people behind years ago…

I am thankful that I chose the right group of people with special talents to help make my dream a reality. People who not only have a passion for what they do but also a great work ethic.

This project required many hours. The photo shoot for the exercise descriptions lasted over 5 hours and over 700 pictures were taken and edited.

Choosing the pictures to be used for each exercise demonstration took countless hours of sifting through hundreds of photo.

Writing the descriptions for over 140 exercises was time consuming and much more difficult than I had originally thought.

 

I am thankful for my team and all the hours of work they put in.

More importantly, I am thankful that I found a team of people who didn’t just try to do a good job.They each had a passion for this project and it showed in their work.

 

 

 

Every single person that was a part of this project gave 110% and went far beyond what I ever imagined or expected.

So when you read this book just keep in mind that this is not just another fitness book. This book is the completed work of many hard working people who all shared a passion for this project. No one gave up, no one had doubts and everyone saw it through to the end.

Although I have only named a few people in this post, the list of all my friends and co-workers who contributed to this project could fill a book. I hope they all know that for their help I am truly thankful.

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY GYM…

I have worked for several gyms and even owned a facility before, but World Class Fitness has definitely been my favorite. I started working there in 1997 and have loved every day of it. I never feel like it is my workplace, I feel more like it is a big playground filled with iron toys. I am very thankful for the support that both the members and staff have shown over the years.

This gym has an energy and personality that can not be duplicated. I have a long list of e-mails and messages from people who have moved and joined other facilities. The subject is always how much they missed  World Class Fitness.

I am thankful that World Class Fitness will be my home for many years to come.

I AM THANKFUL FOR ALL OF THE MEMBERS AND ALL OF MY CLIENTS…

I always tell young trainers that becoming a trainer is easy. The hardest part is finding people who believe in you enough to pay you month after month and year after year for your services. I have never felt that I worked for myself or a gym. I have always held true to the belief that I work for the people who walk through the doors of the gym every single day. I have had the great honor and pleasure of helping people reach their goals. If it were not for all of these great people, living my dream would not be possible.

I AM THANKFUL FOR ALL THOSE WHO TRIED TO CRUSH MY DREAMS…

Yes you read that right.

When you are trying to live your dreams be prepared. There will always be those who will try to crush your dreams, because they are too afraid to live theirs.

The ones who tried to crush my dreams believed they were throwing water on the fire that fueled my passion. Little did they know that they were pouring gasoline on that fire.

I’m not going to claim that I wasn’t always affected by them. They may have slowed me down at times.I used that negative energy as fuel. In the end all that they accomplished was increasing my resolve and determination.

I  once had an English teacher pull me aside to talk to me. She told me that if I thought I was going to make a living boxing and working out I was just a silly dreamer.

Well I hope she reads this…

That is exactly how I make my living today.

By the way teacher…

I wrote a book.

Click on the banner below and buy it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for reading,

BDJ