Pebblestorm

(The picture is of a notebook that Honour Leigh, in the Superhero Program created.  Ain’t it cool?)

This past Wednesday morning I freaked out for a bit

Hey, it is relatively rare these days (especially since I began meditation regularly), but it happens once in awhile. I am human…

And when I say I freak-out moment, know what I mean?

It was one of the times where, for whatever reason, there’s an overwhelmed feeling and “holy s___” how will it all get done?

Some big things in the past week all coincided to hit me at once on Wednesday morning (this is pretty much the order they went through in my mind…): 

1) SUPERHEROES: Up, Up & Away! We completed the launch of the sold-out Unique Genius Superhero Program, and delivered the bulk of the first module of content, “Define Your Dream Business”.

• Some stats: ~7700 video views, 75 Superheroes in the program, a ~$25k launch (not bad for my first ever), and more than $2000 is being donated to Village Enterprise Fund.
• We didn’t yet take the videos down yet – still figuring out where to move them – but we’ll take them down the week of Sept 6th when I’m back online.

2) SKIN CANCER: I found out last Monday, via doctor call, that I have some skin cancer on the side of my nose which must be removed. It’s not dangerous, but still requires a “MOHS”surgery . I’ll know this coming Friday (9/3), when they do it, how much tissue they need to remove.

3) NEXT SEMINAR “U.G. ADVENTURE”: I also realized on Wednesday that it is only six weeks until the “Unique Genius Call To Adventure” Live 3-Day Event. It’ll be awesome, but I do have a bunch of work to do to prepare the materials and get the word out so that you can decide & make travel plans…You have often been a hero to others…do you secretly wish for a hero to come to your rescue? Are you ready to be the hero of your own story?

• SAVE THE DATE… October 15-17th, in the mountains outside of Los Angeles at www.PaliRetreat.com…more details coming in about a week.
• It is going to be fun, walking you through the (Super)Hero’s Journey and have you leave the event having created – while you’re there - something tangible around making money through your purpose and passions.

4) SALES BOOK: With the Unique Genius launch done, I turned my attention back to completing the draft of my sales book, “Predictable Revenue“. I’m behind on what I’d intended for a release date both because of the launch & need to replace my first editor.

5) SKIPPING TOWN: Of the coming six weeks, I’ll be offline for almost half the time. I wouldn’t want to make things easy on myself now, right?  I’m heading out today (Sunday) for “Enlightened Warrior Camp” – not exactly sure what we’re doing there, but several friends said it was one of the best adventures of their lives.

And yep I did this all to myself, this ‘traffic jam’.

But the freak-out didn’t last too long…

What I Did About It (In Order)

1) Meditation: I have access now to “peaceful mind on demand” through meditation.  Actually, since the Brian Johnson/PhilosophersNotes interview, I’ve meditated every single day – even if it was at 3am after working on the Unique Genius launch videos.

• How I started meditating: “A lifetime happiness and focus enhancer: Vipassana meditation”.
• I will also have a whole “Meditation 101″ chapter in the Superheroes Program.

2) Made lists: Wrote down everything I felt I needed to do, mostly to get it out of my brain so it stopped bouncing around in there.  Sometimes just writing stuff out snuffs the brain spazm.

3) I reminded myself that everything always works out. I never learned this lesson in the corporate world, but for some reason, I really ‘got it’ after starting PebbleStorm…because I began consciously creating my happiness. I can beat myself up and be hard on myself – know what I mean?  It’s easy to worry about how much money a project will make, or “will people show up” or value it.  But now, whenever I have an event, launch or create something, I’ve seen how it all comes together no matter what.  I KNOW that it will work out one way or the other.

• Everything is a learning opportunity, and there’s no way to ‘fail’ except by a) Not trying, b) Not learning from something, or c) Giving up.

• When I found out I had skin cancer (again, not serious as far as we know) this attitude also helped. I haven’t been worried about it, since I know it’ll work out fine…whatever happens.
  

4) Asked for help: Sometimes I forget how much support I have around me.  My inspiring girlfriend Jessica Henning (who is starting a company called Bond Girl Bootcamp in LA…more to come in Sept!),  my rockstar web woman Lisa Tarrant, and writer/crazy creative Sandie Samuells are three that came to my rescue.  Thank you all!  

• You have more support around you then you realize…but you have to ask for it.
• PS – anyone looking to intern on some awesome Unique Genius / business projects?  Email me!

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The Unique Genius Call To Adventure” Live 3-Day Event

It’s October 15-17th in the mountains outside Los Angeles (details aren’t up yet). When I went to check out the site (PaliRetreat.com), I had fun doing some impromptu video…

When was the last time you did archery? This is going to be a blast:

Related Posts

• I’m Feeling Confused & Overwhelmed (video)
• Using Rocks & Baby Steps To Dodge The Fear
• Lessons Learned From Feeling Funky

What Do Ya Want?

I haven’t done a longer “Aaron Update” post for awhile, but I always love sharing. If you want them more often, or about specific topics, let me know in the comments below.

I’ve received all kinds of questions about the Unique Genius Superhero Program… here you go!  Have any more?  Leave a comment at the bottom!

———————————

Q: How much time is required?

A: I would recommend at least an hour a week. It’s all recorded, so you can put down the program for awhile and come back to it anytime you want.

I will include some time management and organizational practices in the program.

Q: I have an abundance of gifts, but am not sure how to combine them and clearly brand/state/market these gifts and skills to an open and appreciative target audience.  Will the program help me do this?

A: Yes, most definitely, as you might have seen a sample of in the “5 Ways To Make Money On Purpose” Unique Genius Video on increasing your value.

Q: What if I don’t know my purpose or passions?

A: That’s what this program is for!

Q: I don’t know what I want to do.

A: That’s what this program is for!

Q: What if I don’t know what I’d be good at enough to charge money for?

A: That’s what this program is for!

Q: What if I already know my purpose?

A: Awesome – then you should have a head start on making money with it!  But – keep an open mind, because everyone always learns new stuff about their purpose and passions through this work too.

Q: I’ve tried other programs like this and nothing’s worked. How do I know it’ll work for me?

A: If you have a really important door that you want to unlock and you have a ring of keys, do you stop trying to unlock it because the first few (or dozens) of keys didn’t work? Or do you keep looking for the right key, knowing it’s out there somewhere?

Q: How do I know it’ll work for me?

A: I don’t, but I can make it as simple, doable, effective as possible (and include a 90-Day Unconditional Happiness Guarantee).  And it’s worked for all kinds of other people already, as I’ve shared examples of in the Unique Genius videos.

If you’ve succeeded at anything in your life (whether in business, school, relationships, health…any area), you have the capability to succeed at this.

Q: What if I miss part of the course?  I’m going to be traveling for a few weeks during it.

A: The course is all online, and you get LIFETIME ACCESS so you can work on it at your own pace over months or event years

You won’t miss anything if you’re gone for a few weeks…except that there will be more awesome stuff posted for you when you’re ready to jump back into it.

Q: Admittedly I would love to “get rich quick” I think we all would. But over the years I have come to understand that “getting rich” is simply doing what you love. If you do what you love it is no longer work and as long as your needs are met you can hold on for the long haul and build it into the empire we desire.

A: I cheated here – yes this isn’t a question…I just thought this was an awesome comment from Sean Allen!

Q: How is the program delivered?

1. The core of it is in online training videos, similar to the “5 Ways To Make Money On Purpose” video.
2. Action guides & cheat-sheets with supplement the videos.
3. Weekly Q&A/Mentoring Calls for the first three months.

Do you have a payment plan option?

A: Yes, there is a 3-month payment plan option.

Q: Is this for new entrepreneurs only? I have been in business for several years already.

A: While the program is designed for and ideal for people who are new entrepreneurs, about 50%-75% of the program will apply to you if you already have a business and want to find more purpose & enjoyment in it – but that will be 100% of what you need to do so

I will break out in the course the topics “if you don’t have a business yet…” vs “If you already have a business…” to make it clear when there is content to ignore or when content is relevant.

Q: Does the program explain for example how to start a business, or is it just around finding your purpose?

A: The course will show you (the simple ways) of how to start a business, if you don’t have one already, and to start making money with it.

Q: I can’t afford the course right now.  Will you run the course again in the future?

A: Yes, next year I’ll run the program again, though I can’t say when or if it will be the same price or more or less.

Q: I’m worried about not being able to feed my family.  Is this course worth investing in?

A: Rather than this program, is there a full or part-time job you can get to create more conventional financial stability? This isn’t a ‘hail mary’ or get rich quick program.

Q: Is there some mechanism built in the program that will hold participants accountable?

A: No one can force you to do anything… but what I can do is:

• Make the information as simple and doable as possible
• Share it in bite-sized chunks
• Help you create a more compelling vision for yourself and your work, to inspire you to create some better habits!

Also, I will have some simple ways to encourage people to buddy up. The BEST way to create some accountability is with the buddy system.

Q: I’m someone with seemingly hundreds of interests and don’t have one real big interest or purpose, which seems to me a requirement to be successful with a program like yours. Will the program work for me?

A: First – if you really can’t focus at all because of “Shiny Object Syndrome”, you’ll have problems succeeding at anything, right? (Whether it’s my program or someone else’s).  So –

Second – you CAN most definitely find that “one thing” that underlies all your interests, as I talk about in Video #3: “7 Step Process To Discover Your Purpose”.

I have a ton of different interests, and my frustration in trying to do them all is what actually led me to create Unique Genius…so the program is most definitely designed for people like you who are tired of scattering their energy and want some RESULTS.

Q: Is the program just for people who want to start a coaching or writing business?

A: Heck no.  I categorize businesses into a few key types:

1. Teaching (experts, training, programs, coaching, speaking, authors)
2. Experiences (events, travel, experiential seminars)
3. People Services (time-based consulting, healing)
4. Online services (web-based services or products, online communities)
5. Products (digital or physical)

A Unique Genius business can be any kind.  (Actually, a Unique Genius business, once it evolves & grows, ends up including all five pieces.)

The teaching model is USUALLY the best place to BEGIN for people, because you can make money before you spend money, it forces you to get really clear on your value, and it can lead to any other kind of business in the future….but you for sure don’t have to begin there.

Q: I don’t have extra money for start-up costs for a new business.

A: Do you have a $100 – $150?  You don’t need more than that (though it doesn’t hurt to have more of course!)

Here’s a recent Wall Street Journal article with three examples of businesses that were started for less than $150: “WSJ: Start-Ups on a Shoestring”

Q: I’m concerned that If I make money from what I love, I won’t love it as much.

A valid concern…if you stay focused on bringing your passion into work but without creating a dependency on having to only make money through your passion, you can make money through your passion while still enjoying it.

Q: Can I make enough money from a Unique Genius business to replace the money I make now and more?

A: First, if you need to earn money now, I always recommend that you keep your job or do part-time consulting to create a stable financial situation while you incubate your Unique Genius business on the side, with even an hour or few hours of work a week.

You can replace and improve on your current income, though I can’t say how long it will take you – as fast as a year, or as long as several years.  It took me about three years to make more than my old corporate job.

The sooner you begin, the sooner you will do it!!

Q: I can’t compete in my line of work – how would Unique Genius help me?

A: If you feel that you can’t compete, it’s likely that you aren’t different from the competition, you aren’t unique.  One thing that makes you unique in all the world is your story, your values, your superpowers…your Unique Genius.  Get clear on that and competition will disappear.

Q: I’m worried about what people will think of my purpose and passions.  I’m hesitant to share my ideas with people, either family or coworkers.

A: This is just a phase.  AT FIRST it’s often challenging for most people to share what’s coming up for them through the Unique Genius process.  I went through this myself, worrying about what people would think, because it was SO different than anything I’d done or was known for.

I have two whole steps in the ‘7-Step Discover Your Purpose Process”, “Share & Listen” and “Accept”, that help you get through this phase as easily as possible.  Again, remember you’ll get through this phase.

Q: I have a fear that starting my own business will make me unhappy, either 1) because I fail and suffer embarrassment and ridicule or 2) because I succeed and I get trapped by a lot of unfulfilling work.

A: That’s a tough trap you’re boxed into – damned if you do, damned if you don’t.  I guess if you’re happy with what you have today, it doesn’t matter…but if you aren’t, here’s what I’d suggest.

You have to try something and experiment, or else you’ll never make progress and learn how to thread the needle of these fears.

Even if you do something and it doesn’t work out as you wish, you will at least have learned more about what works and doesn’t work for you.  You can do this without making big commitments, in baby steps.

And besides, I’ve already written the book “CEOFlow: Turn Your Employees Into Mini-CEOs”… I know that I (and you) can’t get trapped by work or having employees!

Q: I’m concerned that I’m going to miss a step, most specifically as it relates to any kind of licensing needed / taxes / etc…all the legal stuff.

A: Those ‘business mechanics’ are tricky if you start with a business that deals with physical products, or a store… but if you begin with an information or teaching business, you don’t have to worry about 90% of that stuff!

Q: I have a very clear picture of the life I want to live but am having a hard time breaking the limiting beliefs I have to achieve my goals.

A: Everyone has limiting beliefs – I have had them, and still do   Much of the course is actually about breaking limiting beliefs – as you may have seen in the “How To Start A Business That Can’t Fail” video.

I had a ton of limiting beliefs that held me back before I started PebbleStorm & Unique Genius.  There’s no reason you can’t break ‘em with some help from myself, the guest trainers & encouragement from other PebbleStormers.

Q: I don’t have any skills, gifts or passions that are valuable, in terms of being able to get paid for them.

A: This is what the course is for – to help you recognize the skills, gifts & passions that you have but are buried or that you don’t recognize in yourself.  This is a common and natural phase to begin at, because you take yourself for granted.  The irony with superpowers is that they’re often too natural to you (like breathing) for you to notice J

If you’re at ‘ground zero’ with no idea or confidence in your gifts, you can still unlock your Unique Genius.  It takes commitment, baby steps and patience, because part of what you’ll be doing is changing your mindset and habits.

I’ll bet though that you’ll surprise yourself at how quickly in the course you’ll get some clarity & see where to mine your value!

Q: I want some more personal, 1-1 help from you.  What are my options?

If you want some private help, there are three options:

1. There is an ‘add-on’ Gold Level to the Superhero course that includes a Unique Genius Mastermind and 3-Day Live Unique Genius Experience Event
   
2. If you already have a business, you could join the Feed Your Freedom Mastermind (the follow up course to Unique Genius) which is all about making more money while keeping your freedom
3. Private, 1-1 Coaching

If you want more help than just in the Unique Genius Superhero Program, contact me through www.PebbleStorm.com/coaching to set up a session so we can get to know each other.

Q: Is the Program more than just the worksheets, items from the blog, “package” into the modules? I realize the bonuses are different, but the true core of the Program…?  Besides the calls, are the exercises more in depth than the blog?

Yes, definitely.

See Even More Q&A In The Comments

Check the comments below, because there are already 10+ more detailed questions and answers there.

To Find Out About Or Register…

The Unique Genius Superhero Program

Do You Have A Question?

Leave a comment below or email us at info – at – pebblestorm – dot – com.

Best,

Aaron Ross

Do you find yourself wanting the perfect answer BEFORE you make a decision or commitment?

Casey Berman is a friend in San Francisco and one of the first folks to go through my Unique Genius Process.  He’s a mergers and acquisitions advisor “by day”, and joined the Unique Genius program last year to get help in starting a business that he could enjoy and that would give him more financial & time independence (especially since he’s married with children and has limited time).   When Casey began the process, he even already had a fledgling business with his wife he was ready to work on: “KidFriendlySF.com: Local Spots That Cater To Tots”.

But as Casey started to explore what he could be really passionate and purposeful about, a whole new & surprising Unique Genius business popped out of him! (Which I see happens all the time.)

See, Casey went to law school, then graduated & realized along the way that practicing law just wasn’t for him. It could pay the bills, but it wasn’t fulfilling and he just didn’t want to do it.  (Though giving up those sunk costs of time and money invested in school was tough…)

When he was going through the Unique Genius Process, one day it hit him from outta nowhere: “Leave Law Behind” would help lawyers take their lives back… as he had done with his own.

And he could design Leave Law Behind to work the way he wanted, in alignment with his life, values & how he wanted to make money.

Within a few weeks, Casey not only started the business, but had made his first $2000.

(I’m twisting Casey’s arm to include, as an extra gift in the Unique Genius Superhero Program, the exact steps he used to do this, including emails used and the casual & fun event he held).

The same surprising thing happened to me. If you had asked me about three years ago (before July 2007) what I’d be doing with my life, I would never have guessed that I’d be helping people make money through enjoyment. NEVER NEVER NEVER! I would have still thought I was going to start another software company!

This process consistently creates surprising results; but results or business ideas that are obvious in hindsight.

TWO LESSONS…

1) Clarity, confidence & results come AFTER you make a commitment.

Before we knew knew how it was going to happen, Casey and I (and every other Unique Genius client…) committed to starting a business that aligned with our life values and would lead to sustainable financial independence, and THEN the clarity, confidence & results came.

Whether it’s in business, health or relationships…results follow commitment.

2) Some big surprises can be in store for you.

You may not want what you think you want! Stay open to the idea that there could be something totally surprising and awesome to you beyond what you think you’re going to do.

Thanks for listening, I hope you learned something of value from this

Aaron

[Update: the "Ask Aaron Anything" call recording is posted below]

I believe, in my soul, that the way we work needs to change, and that people only use 10-33% of their potential in work, today. If even that!

(Seen the Unique Genius videos yet?)

After working with hundreds of people, I KNOW that you have hidden talents and powers that can be turned into work you love, that makes you plenty of money… and that you can start finding it with only baby steps investments of time. I know this is possible… so the question is, WHY HAVEN’T YOU DONE IT YET…?

After 5,000 video views and a couple of hundred comments, I think I understand what you care about:

• You want a clear notion of how you can “get paid to be yourself’ by combining your passions, interests and talents into a single, easy to start business, AND make a great income at it.
• You want to get clear on what’s uniquely powerful about you – what can give you an unfair advantage?  What’s your shortest path to success?
• You want to be able to do this in bite-sized, achievable steps, so that it feels simple and FUN (not overwhelming)!
• You want to be able to start making this real without making drastic or risky changes in your life, even if you’re short on time or money.  Yay!

And you have some concerns and questions…

• As someone with “Shiny Object Syndrome”, it seems like you keep scattering your energy and nothing ever really takes off.  But you want to be able to do all those cool ideas!
• Perhaps you’ve been unsuccessful at it in the past, and are discouraged.
• You have responsibilities and bills to pay. You’re unsure if you can find your passion and turn it into income without leaving your secure paycheck.
• You have some conscious fears or hesitations that hold you back, and aren’t sure how to move forward.
• Perhaps you don’t even know what you’re passionate about, or good at and don’t know where to begin figuring it out!

Does any of that sound like you?

If so, I’m putting together something for you (something that’s changed my life and will change yours), but I need you do 1 of 2 things (or both if you want to

1) EMAIL ME (my address is [my first name at pebblestorm dot com] or on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/motoceo) your biggest fear or frustration about doing something you love with your life and making plenty of money at it, and/or…

2) Attend The “ASK AARON ANYTHING CALL”
… an open Question & Answer call.  I’ll be hanging out on the line, taking ANY question you have about Unique Genius (or ANYTHING)…you don’t need to register, just show up!  I’ll stay on as long as you have questions.

[UPDATE: Here's the recording]

Or Click here to download…

I really love talking with people about this stuff.  Good thing, since I’ve built my business around it, heh.  I’ll share more of the details of the thing I’ve been working on later this week, but first I want to get a chance to talk or email live with you, so please email me at [my first name at pebblestorm dot com] to share your questions or biggest frustrations with me…

Can’t wait to hear from you! 

Aaron Ross

The Unique Genius Superheroes Interview Series is about ordinary people who have created successful businesses around their purpose.

I love Amy Applebaum!  She is the force behind Amy Applebaum Inc. and “The Release Your Inner Millionairess” program designed to create life changing breakthroughs in her clients, mostly early stage women entrepreneurs.

Amy’s helped hundreds of thousands of female entrepreneurs across the globe and has been on ABC News, CNN, TLC, LX New York and Martha Stewart.

In 2009, Amy made a big evolution in her business to achieve Unique Genius Superhero status, and in the interview we talk about that change as well as other big work transitions over the past 15+ years that have led her here.

A great quote from this interview: “It’s ok to be afraid, just do it anyway”.

We covered…

• How Amy turned getting fired into freedom
• How Amy started her first company placing vending machines, and how her first disaster led her to changing her approach and making the business successful
• How Amy went from 1-1 life coaching to a business expert helping entrepreneurs all over the world
• How to make the most of your advisors & team
• Why having fun in work is so important & relevant
• How Amy gets out of a poopy mood

And more, of course!

Listen To Or Download The Interview

Want to download the interview?
Click here to download…

More About Amy Applebaum

• www.AmyApplebaum.com
• Amy’s Blog
• A Machu Picchu Unique Genius Superhero interview of Jodi Nelson, a client of Amy’s

About Unique Genius

Want to learn how to discover your purpose and answer the question “what do I want to do with my life?”  And learn how to combine all your interests, ideas and passions into a single successful business?  Find out more at www.UniqueGenius.com.

What Was Your Favorite Part Of The Interview?

Please leave a comment!

Subscribe For Free To PebbleStorm Updates By Email

Have you caught the Unique Genius videos?  (You can see the full overview at www.UniqueGenius.com).

Now Unique Genius is your purpose, translated into a successful, exciting business.  So this free series of videos teaches you two mainly about the two most important starting points:

1. How to discover your purpose (or mission), and answer the question “What do I want to do with my life?”

2. Learn how to turn all your ideas, interests and passions into a single successful business.

Some comments include:

• “I watched the video this morning and got totally inspired. I have a fire lit under my ass!”
• “Aaron!!! THIS IS MAGNIFICENT and BRILLIANT. I love the video. It’s very authentic and genuine. I can’t wait to share it to my network. Keep lighting those fires!!”
• “One of the best videos and communication of both the problem, aspirations, and the steps toward making things happen”

In the video, learn:

• How to start a business that can’t fail
• 16 myths of what it takes to start a successful business
• 6 common mistakes people make in turning this purpose into (lots of) income
• A Unique Genius exercise
• Lessons from some PAINFUL life & business mistakes I’ve made, and how you can learn from & apply them yourself

The video’s based on what I’ve learned from starting two kinds of businesses:
1) A conventional start-up: Spending $5 Million & working full-time for two years
2) A Unique Genius business: Spending $20-$100 and working part-time (4 hours a week) for two years

Forgetting fulfillment, freedom & happiness for a moment, which type do you think made more money?

This will be controversial to many of you because it’s so counter to what you’ve been taught by conventional experts.

(Forget market research & business plans? Enjoyment? Babysteps? Patience?!?)

I’d love to hear your questions & “skepticisms” (yes, I’m allowed to create words!) in the comments section of the video.

Register here to watch Unique Genius Video #2:

The Unique Genius Superheroes Interview Series is about ordinary people who have discovered their purpose and turned it into a successful business.

Let me just say, this interview was awesome.  Even a client of mine said “the Brian Johnson interview was stupid good. I really liked the way he lives his life and enjoyed the interaction between the two of you. There is much in common.  Thanks for making the time for this. Best, Eliot.” And thanks Eliot for suggesting I interview him!

By the way, even if you don’t listen to the interview, take this bit of advice to heart: when Brian was 24 and “a train wreck” (his words), all he could do was follow his “single little bit of bliss” (wanting to to coach little league baseball).  That eventually led to the idea, growth and $13 million sale of his first company.

So what is your little bit of bliss, however small, that you’re not following because it’s not “practical”?

A little about Brian:

Brian lived for a year in Bali as part of figuring out what he wanted to do and coming up with PhilosophersNotes.com. Brian, like myself, comes from a technology-entrepreneurship background, but left it behind to start a Unique Genius business.

In his first venture, as a 24-year-old law-school-dropout-turned-CEO, Brian led the creation of eteamz – the world’s largest amateur sports site that was sold for over $13 million of stock and cash to The Active Network, Inc. in 2000 (and it still profitably serves more than 3 million team players in 120 countries around the world).  So the guy knows some stuff

Also, Brian will be a guest expert trainer in my upcoming Discover Your Unique Genius program.  When you listen to the interview, you’ll understand why I invited him to participate.

Things we discussed:

• How Brian dropped out of law school at age 24, terrified & “a train wreck”… and then by following his “single little bit of bliss” (wanting to to coach little league baseball) led to the idea, growth and $13 million sale of his first company.
• Why Brian feels that raising money from investors – which he’s done twice, almost $10 million worth – is overrated (and why I agree!)
• Why taking a 10-day silent vipassana meditation course, and starting to meditate, was one of the most significant things Brian’s ever done for himself (although it almost drove him crazy).
• Brian’s two main sources of stress, and how he manages them.
• What kind of environment and activities lead to the idea and vision of PhilosophersNotes.com
• What led Brian to realize that “he’s just not that into business” and what he REALLY cares about.

And so…

Listen To Or Download The Interview

Want to download the interview?
Click here to download…

More About Brian Johnson & Philosophers Notes

• www.PhilosophersNotes.com
• www,OptimalLiving101.com

Books & Sites Mentioned That We Both Recommend

• John Wooden & Steve Jamison’s “Wooden” (one of the best – if not the best – management books I’ve ever read)
• Gay Hendricks’ “The Big Leap”
• Tim Ferriss’ The 4 Hour Workweek
• Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
• David Daeda’s The Way of the Superior Man
• Vipassana Meditation: www.Dhamma.org, and my post about my 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat: “A lifetime focus & happiness enhancer: Vipassana meditation”
  .

About Unique Genius

Want to learn how to discover your purpose and answer the question “what do I want to do with my life?”  And learn how to combine all your interests, ideas and passions into a single successful business?  Find out more at www.UniqueGenius.com.

What Was Your Favorite Part Of The Interview?

Please leave a comment!

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Look, if you’re going to do a video interview, it’s pretty hard to beat doing one at the top of Macchu Picchu.  Jodi Nelson started an amazing Unique Genius business called “Play It Forward Adventures“, integrating adventure travel with service work. She’s truly mashing her passions!

We talk about what she was doing before she started it, how she began, where the ideas came from, how her coach made a big difference, and what’s going on this year for her (her 4th year)…

The trip was awesome – we spent:

• A couple of days in Lima & Cusco,
• About three days volunteering in a local village school (building tables and chairs, planting trees, playing with kids),
• Three days trekking in the Andes, and
• A day in Machu Picchu.

The people on the trip were fantastic!  It was just awesome all around

Pictures of the Macchu Picchu trip on Facebook:

Peru & Machu Picchu Trip Pictures on Facebook

If this link doesn’t work, you can also just look them up on my Facebook profile www.Facebook.com/MotoCEO

How Would You Combine Your Passions Into A Business?

Leave a comment and let me know!

Forget for a minute the idea of figuring out and creating incredibly fulfilling work you enjoy.

Let’s say you’re in a career that you may or may not like, but either way you have to make some money to pay the bills.  Let’s say the thought of actually enjoying work is probably more along the lines of “once I have enough money, then I’ll figure out what I want to do with my life and I’ll do what I want.”

Do you think the career track will create financial freedom for you?  How free is your boss, or theirs?  How many people do you know that have achieved financial independence by working for other people?

Even the Silicon Valley equity and stock options system is, except for the founders, more of a white-collar lottery than an actual path to financial freedom.

You will never achieve financial independence through working for others – you must start your own business.

At some point you’re going to have to start your own business. Just having your own business isn’t some golden ticket to wealth, but it’s a hell of a lot more likely you’ll get there than by clocking a job. I’m not saying you should quit your job – you need the income!  But at least make a plan to start your own business.

If starting a business feels like a “big leap” or a big risk – it doesn’t have to be.  So many people still believe it takes a lot of time (per week) and money and energy to start a successful business…

…but what if it doesn’t?

What if you could start your own business without much money or time per week on it, in which competition didn’t matter, and you felt fulfilled by the work?

What if there is a way to discover your purpose and answer the question “What do I want to do with my life?”

And a way to combine all your ideas, interests and passions into a single successful business?

Upcoming Unique Genius Education & Training

My purpose is to help more and more people ‘make money through enjoyment’ by discovering your purpose and turning it into a successful business.  Part of this includes democratizing entrepreneurship, to make it easier and more practical for anyone to start a business with confidence.

I have some complimentary training videos (part of a prelude to a full Unique Genius course) coming in about a week to get you started on envisioning how this is possible.

The videos and course are for you even if you don’t have extra time because of a current job or family.  Being busy can make it that much harder to figure out what you want to do with your life or work, and then stay on track. So I’m designing the content into bite-sized chunks that you can study and apply at your own pace.

You’ll want to study the videos, if…

• You know that you are ‘meant for more’: to make more money, to make more of a difference in the world, and to have more fulfillment and enjoyment in work.
• You want to be able to work on what you want, when you want, from where you want and with whom you want.
• You want to align your interests, passions and values with your work, and become MORE successful because of it! You don’t have to make less money doing what you love.

I’m looking forward to getting these videos done and sharing them!

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The Unique Genius Superheroes Interview Series is about ordinary people who have created businesses they love around their purpose. They’ve found ways to combine enjoyment, money and meaning in their work.

Here are some of the topics we covered…

• How he started his first business part-time (while working in medical sales), and turned it into a $8,000-$10,000 per month business before jumping ship to work full time on it
• The 2×2 matrix he uses to plan moving into new markets or building new products
• How Yanik’s money motivation shifted with success (away from Rolex watches and cars)
• The two things that REALLY matter in life
• How he manages his time with multiple businesses and a family

And more, of course! This interview was longer than usual, because we had such a good time and covered so many interesting areas

Listen To Or Download The Interview

Want to download the interview?
Click here to download…

More about Yanik Silver

• www.YanikSilver.com
• www.InternetLifeStyle.com/blog
• www.MaverickBusinessAdventures.com

Some of his blog posts that I highly recommend starting with or that we mentioned in the interview:

• 5 Unusual Ways To Motivate Yourself“
• GREAT example of laying out a company’s values and vision: “2012: A Maverick Space Odyssey, Painted Picture and Lessons Learned” blog post
• Example of PDA (“Public Display of Action”) Yanik used to get himself to launch a new company: “Maverick Business Adventures – A Startup Journal“
• About money and motivation: “Do Your Wants Create Your Ultimate Success?”   – you can see the early influence of my PebbleStorm diagrams

What of these resonated with you? Let me know!

About Unique Genius

There’s a process to discovering your purpose and turning it into a business you love. Find out the latest at www.UniqueGenius.com.

What Was Your Favorite Part Of The Interview?

Please leave a comment!

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I’ve been doing a whole series of Unique Genius Superhero Interviews (including some new ones coming in the next several weeks of people like Yanik Silver, George Kao, Clay Collins & Amy Applebaum), but now it was my turn to be interviewed, this time by Ali Berlin.

Ali Berlin (a life coach in San Francisco with a Saturday morning radio show) interviewed me recently about topics like:

• Why I started PebbleStorm
• Where the inspiration came from
• How and why I broke away from the corporate world
• the inspiration for Unique Genius,
• tips and advice on finding your own Unique Genius (even if you have a full-time job and family and have little free time and energy)

The interview is a great first introduction to my own story and what PebbleStorm and Unique Genius is all about…including some practical tips

Listen To Or Download The Audio Interview

Or Download The Interview

Ali Berlin’s Original Post

On AliBerlin.com: “Make Money Through Enjoyment with Aaron Ross”

Have More Questions For Me?

Leave a comment and I’ll answer them!

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What’s it like to be in the PebbleStorm community? What’s my ‘perfect world’ vision?  Here’s how I’ve painted & sketched it…

I did the above painting while at a cool walk-in painting studio in Santa Monica called PaintLab, at an event my friend Elliot Lemberger put together.

Sketched Version

More PebbleStorm Art

You can see that many of the individual components of the painting (like the rainbow, treasure chest, tree, sun…) started as individual sketches.  You can see ‘em in the “Art Of PebbleStorm/CEOFlow” past blog post.

What’s Your Dream World/Work/Life?

Your dream work gets more real the more specific you describe it to yourself and others, and the more you declare it to the world. You can do this through writing, drawing, video or any other number of ways.

Here’s my original “Small Pebble, Big Wave” Self-Manifesto that remapped my mind and was the beginning of the vision for PebbleStorm. I did it before the sketches started coming to me.

Want to make your vision more concrete? Leave a comment below about 1-3 things that describe your dream business (or life)…declare it to yourself, me and the world!

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The Unique Genius Superheroes Interview Series is about ordinary people who have created businesses they love around their purpose. They’ve found ways to combine enjoyment, money and meaning in their work!

If you think all the productivity & life direction advice sounds the same out there (except for mine, of course), meet Jonathan Mead, founder of Illuminated Mind & Body (or just “Illuminated Mind”).

Jon’s a really interesting guy who has fun turning “success/life advice” on its head with attention-grabbing blog posts such as “If It’s A Good Idea, Don’t Do It“, “The Best Way To Solve A Problem: Give Up“, and “The Lie Of The Four Hour Workweek“.

Jon’s a precocious 24-year old entrepreneur, author, blogger, martial artist, general seeker adventure and husband who bailed on his 9-5 job in 2009 once he could support himself on his Illuminated Mind business. It’s not yet making him rich – it’s under six figures (for now) – but he supports himself on it and he’s living and working his purpose. And the money will keep coming & growing as he keeps this up.  He’s “got it”.

Jonathan started simply – as a part-time blogger  – and his unique take on topics and no-nonsense writing style…if you’re turned off by the terms ‘ass-kicking’ & ‘kicking ass’, stay away

Here are some of the topics we covered…

• How Jon juggled creating Illuminated Mind while working full time and being married
• What Jon sacrificed to start and grow Illuminated Mind
• How he got to making about $4k per month working part time (before he quit his job)
• Two methods Jon uses to be hyper-productive
• The REAL value of blogging (it’s not all about building an audience)
• How to make success or a goal “inevitable”
• An unforeseen challenges of being his own boss

And more, of course!

Listen To Or Download The Interview

Want to download the interview?
Click here to download…

More About Jonathan Mead

• www.IlluminatedMind.net
• Bodyweight Renegade
• Follow Jon on Twitter

Here is the Steve Pavlina post that he refers to in the interview: 10 Reasons To Not Get A Job

More About Unique Genius

There’s a process to discovering your purpose and turning it into a business you love. Find out the latest at www.UniqueGenius.com.

What Was Your Favorite Part Of The Interview?

Please leave a comment!

Do you hold other people up on pedestals?  Do you think you should always be clear and happy, and feel guilty when you aren’t?  Everyone is human, and perfect in their imperfections.

I can feel confused. I can be overwhelmed.  I get anxious.  I feel all the same stuff you do. The fear comes up…but I don’t let it stop me from moving forward, even if ‘forward’ is a babystep.

Babysteps, no matter how small, are one of my main “get unstuck” practices. I LOVE babysteps!

Here’s a two minute video of me sharing about what I did when I was feeling totally overwhelmed last week:

What I Created

In the video I share the next step that gave me a real sense of relief.  Below is the landing page I drafted in Powerpoint.

If you haven’t done one before, or anything like it, it might look like a lot of work.  It wasn’t – I’d already written much of this content up in different places, or in my Unique Genius webinars and invitations.  For me, the challenge was removing content to leave behind the least, best stuff (click on it to enlarge it):

Related Posts

• Using Rocks & Babysteps To Overcome The Fear
• Fear is Natural – Just Get Started

Do you worry about being transparent with clients and friends? It’s much easier to be this way and BE YOURSELF…rather than putting on a mask of perfection.

What Do You Do When You Feel Like This?

Please leave a comment, I and others would love to hear from you and get your advice!

The Unique Genius Superheroes Interview Series is about ordinary people who have created businesses they love around their purpose. They’ve found ways to combine enjoyment, money and meaning in their work.

Interested in learning more about someone who wants to “infect 1 billion people with the possibility virus”? Meet Michael Bungay Stanier.

Michael is the founder of Box of Crayons, a company that works with organizations around the world to help them “do less Good Work and more Great Work”. Michael was the 2006 Canadian Coach of the Year & is the author of Do More Great Work.

I found him last year, after he released the viral video “The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun” and loved his work and the style he brings to it!  Michael’s “Do More Great Work” has a lot in common with my own Unique Genius work.

Here are some of the topics we covered…

• The 3 things you need to do more great work (and less good work)
• How Michael secured a part-time contract to support himself for a whole year while he got started
• How long it took him to “stumble along” to get clarity on his own Great Work (Unique Genius)
• Michael’s “portfolio approach” of having a mix of paying projects + visionary projects
• How his “8 principles of fun” movie helped him skyrocket him (after nobody cared for it)
• How Michael organizes his environment & days to maximize his Great Work
• Michael’s support systems he’s established to help him succeed & get through rough spots

And more, of course

Listen To Or Download The Interview

Want to download the interview?
Click here to download…

More About Michael Bungay Stanier

* You can buy “Do More Great Work” Book On Amazon
* www.DoMoreGreatWork.com
* Box Of Crayons (His consulting company)

About Unique Genius

There’s a process to discovering your purpose and turning it into a business you love. Find out the latest at www.UniqueGenius.com.

What Was Your Favorite Part Of The Interview?

Please leave a comment!

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The Unique Genius Superheroes Interview Series is about ordinary people who have created businesses they love around their purpose.

Everyone has a purpose (or “calling”), and there are always ways to turn your purpose, any purpose, into a business you love. It’s easier to live your purpose daily when you do it for work!

Chip Conley is the founder & CEO of Joie de Vivre, the largest boutique hotel group in California. He’s also the bestselling author of “Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow”.

Chip’s found his calling twice in his life, and I was fascinated to find out if there were patterns between the two.

At 26, Chip left a highly successful career in commercial real estate to become a rebellious boutique hotel entrepreneur, and create a successful business through inspired employees.  In the past few years, Chip’s recent calling to teach companies & people how to become more successful is manifesting through his books and a PeakOrganizations.com seminars business.

One of the many things that I admire about Chip Conley is how he created a corporate culture of success at Joie de Vivre by focusing on his employees, and helping them find their own meaning at work. Chip believes that the success of a company depends highly on the emotional well being of the employees. Enjoyment at work creates happier employees, who create happier customers which leads to higher revenue growth & lower service costs!

Here’s some of what we covered in the interview:

• The differences between a job, career & calling
• How he’s found TWO callings in his life
• How, before Chip was famous, he convinced Richard Branson to write a foreword to one of his books
• How to create a corporate culture of recognition that juices employee morale & motivation
• And more!

Chip also gives us a couple of examples of the “Emotional Equations” that are the basis of an upcoming book.

Listen To Or Download The Interview

Want to download the interview?
Click here to download…

More About Chip Conley

• ChipConley.com
• PeakOrganizations.com “Transforming the Way Business Is Done”
• On Amazon: Chip’s “PEAK” book

About Unique Genius

There’s a process to discovering your purpose and turning it into a business. Find out the latest at www.UniqueGenius.com.

What Was Your Favorite Part Of The Interview?

Please leave a comment!

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The Unique Genius Superheroes Interview Series is about ordinary people who have created businesses they love around their purpose. I recently had the privilege of interviewing Marc Allen, an internationally renowned author and president and publisher of the multi-million dollar company New World Library.

I wanted to interview Marc for two reasons:

1) Marc Allen and I think almost exactly alike! In many ways his writings follow similar principles to PebbleStorm, including (“Visionary Business,” “The Millionaire Course,” and “The Type-Z Guide to Success: A Lazy Person’s Manifesto to Wealth and Fulfillment.”)

2) Marc loves writing books that have an impact in the world and change peoples lives, and part of his work includes guidance on helping people find their purpose.

While much of the interview delves into both how he found his purpose and it led him to financial independence, we covered a lot of related ground, including:

• What happened on the morning of his 30th bday that shifted the direction of his life 180 degrees.
• How his “Ideal Scene” practice works (it was his single most important tool he used to change his core beliefs around life, work and money).
• How he avoided bankruptcy at 35 and turned his finances around.
• Why, in creating and building his multi-million dollar company, he never worked at it more than 30 hours per week.
• His take on the three things a business needs to succeed.
• Why he shares 50% of his profits with employees (I’m going to have to do a follow up CEOFlow interview with him!)
• How being generous is the smart way to be selfish
  .

Listen To Or Download The Interview

Want to download the interview?
Click here to download the interview…

More About Marc

You can find out more about Marc at www.MarcAllen.com and www.NewWorldLibrary.com.

Thank you George Kao for the introduction to Marc!

Coming Soon…

There’s a process to discovering your purpose. Register for a sneak peak of it at www.UniqueGenius.com.

Of course, once you find purpose, how do you turn it into a business you love?  That’s what the upcoming “Feed Your Freedom Mastermind” will be about, a six-month group coaching program that will be announced soon.  Click here for more details.

What Did You Learn From This Interview?

Please leave a comment!

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If I could share only one thing with you to make the biggest impact on your success, it would be to have you look closely at the people you spend your time with. You are a reflection of them and their attitudes and values – for good, numbness or toxicity – rub off on you!

After spending time with friends, family or coworkers – do you feel energized, powerful and inspired – or drained and exhausted?

The people you spend time with are like the soil to the dreams, business and life seeds you’re planting.

Optimistic, supportive, accepting people will help your Unique Genius bloom (along with your income, enjoyment and freedom).

Pessimistic, discouraging and judgmental people (including the ones we love) will crush your dreams, energy and success – or at least make it feel like you’re moving through molasses.

Valerie Young left a particularly insightful comment on why the people we love can be so discouraging: “The people who are least likely to support our dreams are the people who love us the most. Why? Because they love us. And taking chances like following a dream is scary to them and they want you to be safe.”

So:

• Which of your close friends, coworkers or family members are energy vampires that leave you drained? How can you limit your exposure to toxic or discouraging energy?
• Which of them are inspirational and encouraging, and how can you spend more time with them?

It’s important to know this, because it has an enormouse affect on your own chances of enjoyment and success.

Don’t let people kill your dreams!!  Spend time with people that will support you, no matter how crazy you want to be

Dear Parents…

Parents are usually the first dream killers people experience in life (luckily, mine weren’t).

Did your parents support your aspirations, or discourage you from dreaming?  Please encourage your children’s dreams of what they want to be or do – even if those dreams aren’t ‘practical’.

A Quick PebbleStorm People Exercise

Here’s a simple worksheet (a sample from more upcoming www.UniqueGenius.com materials) you can look through and print:

PebbleStorm People Exercise

Do You Agree? What’s Worked For You?

Has changing who you spend time with affected your business?

Sometimes it’s hard cutting off or limiting energy vampires – what’s succeeded for you?

Please leave a comment!

The Unique Genius Superheroes Interview Series is about ordinary people who have created businesses they love around their purpose. Tricia McEntee didn’t create Esalen, but after she found her own purpose, she was promoted to the CEO role there.

Esalen Institute is an amazing retreat spot on the California coast, in Big Sur. It’s gorgeous and a place that holds all kinds of personal development workshops. If you’re from California, you’ve likely heard of it and how influential it’s been in the development of new ideas.  If you haven’t heard of Esalen, chances are you will in the coming years!

When I met Tricia McEntee, she was kind enough to share her story on camera (<5 minutes) about how she found her purpose in 2009:

Tricia’s Steps To Finding Clarity

1. She was frustrated with work and wanted to make a bigger difference, creating a strong desire to find more of herself to give.
2. She played, opening herself up.
3. She spent time questioning, studying purpose and inspirational leadership at a workshop.
4. She had a ‘trigger event’ to activate her purpose: a serious conversation with the chairman of the Esalen board about her future was scheduled.
5. In preparing for the meeting, she was inspired over a weekend to create a collage of her passions and interests (activating it)…and as she completed it, her purpose came to her in about a minute!

How Did Finding Her Purpose Help Her Succeed?

1) She felt clarity in life and in how she could contribute in a bigger way to her own and Esalen’s future.
2) Four months later they promoted her from CFO to it to CEO when the position suddenly became available.

I’d bet that if Tricia hadn’t found this clarity of purpose it’s unlikely the CEO role wouldn’t have been offered to her…or at least that quickly.

Coming Soon…

There’s a process to discovering your purpose. Register for a sneak peak of it at www.UniqueGenius.com.

Of course, once you find purpose, how do you turn it into a business you love?  That’s what the upcoming “Feed Your Freedom Mastermind” will be about, a six-month group coaching program that will be announced soon.  Click here for more details.

How Did You Find Your Purpose?

Leave a Comment!

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The My 10-Step Personal Success Routine post has been one of my most popular.  This post builds on it with the idea of designing your week.

A b2b sales consulting client of mine is FreedomSpeaks/CitySourced, and Kurt Daradics (“KurtyD”) is the CEO. KurtyD’s a great guy – he’s very purpose-driven and has a lot of character.  Not to mention he also does improv comedy

We recently sat down for a private session to help him make progress on building his sales machine.  Interestingly, one of the things that he took away wasn’t about sales process – but about how designing your week can be a huge help in staying focused, balanced and productive.

KurtyD’s suffering from success – CitySourced is getting great press, leads, attention, funding, etc…and he’s working on amping his own organizational game to keep up.

Here’s an excerpt from his post “Fight The Resistance“:

“Lord knows I’ve been busy, but even though we’re seeing traction, I still don’t feel like I’m really getting that much done, sorta spinning my wheels.  Even lately I’ve been feeling a bit paralyzed and at the end of the day my focus and concentration has been toast. I’m terribly behind on some personal correspondence and taking care of personal business. The start up has officially consumed my life.

I was starting to get a bit concerned and burned out, and regardless that my diet has been good, I’m getting enough sleep and exercise, I still wasn’t performing at my peak.  Also, I truly sense that we’re on the right about to break through and deliver some major game changing technology, and that little voice inside my head that tries to tell me I ‘don’t deserve it’ or that I ’should go back to bed” has been really trying to throw me under the bus. Seth Godin calls this voice “the resistance“. That little voice has been really confusing me lately, reminding me of all the things that need to be done, and it’s been causing me some anxiety and tempting me to work from a place of desperation rather than inspiration.

Today I had a cool breakthrough. My pal and coach Aaron Ross aka @MotoCeo really helped me break  some things down. Aaron has been helping us think through our sales process and we’re currently getting ready to launch our sales efforts using Salesforce.com, where Aaron used to be Sr. Director of Sales.

Aaron showed me how he manages his calendar and as cliche as this may sound, this was a big ‘aha’ for me, and something I’m implementing immediately.

• His Mondays are for planning and thinking about the “non-urgent & important”.
• Tues are for new clients calls and meetings.
• Weds are reserved for existing accounts and clients.
• Thurs is a ‘catch all’ day. [Aaron: I normally use these days for one-off coaching sessions/workshops]
  
• Friday is errands, bookkeeping and some ‘catch all’. [Aaron: clean the clutter, get organized for next week]
  

Aaron helped me focus on the fact that if I want my business to catch a fire that I really need to get the “magnifying glass” positioned in the right place and hold it steady so that it burns the leaf, that’s the spark that catches fire.

I have a strong sense that the calendar trick is to work really well for me. For example, the tools I need and documents I have open for new sales calls is much different that what I need for existing clients. By batching the work in a focused fashion I can dive deeper and batch all the work. Then I can deliver a list to my asst or project manager in a bunch, rather than piecemeal through out the week, which delivers better process and efficiency to my team and saves them time too.”

Thanks Kurt for sharing!

Other Tips & A Screenshot Of My Calendar

I block out time for my Personal Success Routine (“PSR”), meditation, exercise, etc. first, and then schedule work time around those blocks.  In the shot below, that time is all the aqua color.  You can see the morning blocks for my PSR.  (Side note: the 10-Step PSR I wrote about in 2009 has been mostly out the window for awhile, since I got into a serious relationship.  But – what’s cool is we are creating a new “Mutual/Couples PSR”. I promise to share it when it stops evolving.)

I use Google Calendar and have multiple calendars to color-code my work.  I don’t get too fancy/complicated. I use a few basics:

• Aqua is “personal time” like exercise, meditation.
• Purple is client time (prospective or current).
• Red is “get stuff done” – usually I’m on computer creating something.  ‘Pay the bills’ would also fit into this.
• Yellow is Team/Visioning time (with partners/employees).
• Green is travel (not on this screenshot).

(Click on the image to expand it)

If You Want An Exercise Routine That Makes It Easy To Get Your Butt Kicked

You see my Tuesday and Thursday mornings are blocked out for CrossFit / exercise.  If you’re looking for a badass exercise routine that will get you in shape without a huge amount of time, check out CrossFit.  I started a month ago and it’s awesome! I like that it’s done in small groups (this is key for me), there’s lots of variety, and it’s tough.

How Do You Design Your Week?

Leave a comment and share the wealth!

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