One day I received a Zoom request for a meeting. It was from Carol.

Carol is from Kenya. Turns out, he found my book (from an Advance event) in a thrift store in my hometown...

“I followed the link listed in the front of the book. There, I saw the videos were free— entire workshops… free.”

He reached out to his friend Philip, who still lives in Kenya.

Philip registered for the free course and watched the entire workshop overnight.

“Finish it,” he told Carol. “It’s really good. Finish it.”

They did— and that’s when they reached out…

In this talk I continue reflecting on what I'm learning from the #75Hard Challenge. WIth just two days to go...

(See the previous talk for lessons 1-5)

#6 = You don’t always “feel like it.”

Sometimes the motivation to do it comes in the actual doing…

Sounds odd, I know. We often think we NEED to get motivated first, and then we can step it up, get going, etc…

Then there’s this…

C.S. Lewis, the famed author of the Chronicles of Narnia said that even when he didn’t feel like praying, he just knelt and prayed…

… it was in those times, he wrote, that the supernatural kicked in, God showed up, and he most felt like it…

We often wait to feel it— anything— before we move, don’t we…?

I’ve learned… some of my best workouts (a la in the #GarageFit gym here at the #Hilltop) happen on those days I don’t actually WANT to get up and get moving…

Then, I rationalize…

What else am I gonna do with the next bit of time? Just lay here in the bed…?

Nah…

So I get up, and get moving…

And those are the days that seem to be the best day.

Can’t explain it, it just works…

Then there are the days I don’t feel like writing, but I do…

Or I don’t feel like having that convo, but we step in and push anyway….

And the days I don’t feel like…

… ah, you know what I’m saying.

Sure, sometimes we’re motivated. And that’s great.

But many times… some of the best things happen when we’re not. And we just show up and step into it anyway.

Because a lot of time the motivation to do the thing comes in the actual doing…

🚌🚌🚌

#7 Propensity = to “do it now”

Two workouts a day is a lot.

So is reading 10 pages a day— on top of everything else going on.

And so is drinking the water…

After a few days, I realized that if I put anything off, I was just wasting valuable time that I could be using to DO THE THING that I was going to END UP DOING ANYWAY… just a few moments down the line.

So, I would tell myself, “There’s nothing to do but do it…”

Besides, hitting the snooze button in the morning feels good for a moment— but I’m not better rested 10 or 20 minutes later than I was the first time the alarm went off…

I carried this mentality to other things, too.

I realized that many times I would punt a phone call off one day (in my day-timer) to another day. Mind you, it wasn’t a hard call to make— not difficult conversation involved. It was just, well, I was “mentally tired.”

Turns out, I discovered I spend MORE time writing and rewriting my “to do” list (inking the call or email or task to the next day) than it would require to just DO THE THING!

So, I began developing a “take action now” mindset. Here’s what I mean:

👉 If the task requires less time to do than to write down (i.e., reply to the email, text message, etc.), I just do it right then.

👉 if I’ve already bumped it a few times, I ask myself WHY— and evaluate it if actually needs to be done. No sense in postponing something that could be done NOW, nor putting off something that could just be permanently erased.

#8 = Not just what you give, but what you get…

This one sounds odd, so let me flesh it out a bit…

The #75Hard challenge— and any exercise / personal development process— becomes more about what you GET than what you GIVE..

I get it. A lot of us are busy. And we don’t know when / where / how we’d fit anything else in…

I (generally) wake up around 5:30- 6:00am, take time to exercise, then read, then write… all on my own…

… that 2-hour (or more) window always seems “selfish” when I’ve got a lot going on…

But…

I realize that—

🚀 if I don’t take that time, it just evaporates. It’s not like I use it on anything else…

🚀 What happens in that time radically affects everything else— and everyone else— in my small world.

🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌

And that leads me into the next observation…

#9 = The morning routine sets up the entire day.

I talk about the extensively in video #13 of the Advance Planner Workshop (www.Jenkins.tv/AP). The way I begin my day MARKS THE TONE for the entire day.

(Sure, you can overcome a bad start, but… why risk it?)

Look back at #8…

That morning time…

If I don’t TAKE IT, it’s not like I can “make it up” later.

A few days, I missed the early workout. So, I “made it up” in the middle of the afternoon— and found myself running in the heat of the day. Though I still enjoyed the time, it wasn’t the same. There’s something unique and unhurried about the early hours, something precious about a long pause before anyone else is awake…

… when there’s no talking…

… and I’m just alone.

The mental space which the margin of time offers was shocking. I processed more ideas and crafted more plans WITHOUT trying during that time than any other part of the day. And, it was during those long runs (with no headphones) that my mind began making connections on its own— unforced— about pieces of projects that needed to come together.

#10 = Cross the goal line— and keep going 🏁

Several people asked me if I ever thought about quitting. The answer…

“Yes.”

With about a month to go, though… I began to think about what’s next AFTER #75Hard…

I realized, for me, the key = to keep going. On something. Somehow.

🏈🏈🏈

A few years ago there was a pandemic of college football players DROPPING the ball before the goal line…

… they did ALL the work go getting to the end zone, then began celebrating too early, effectively dropping the ball as they raised their hands in celebration.

It happened MULTIPLE times…

🏈🏈🏈

We do that too— in life. We “drop the ball” rather than bursting through.

Or we achieve something…

But instead of continuing— even if a different or limited capacity— we just stop.

🛑 Ever hit the weight loss goal and then stopped, then gained it back?

🛑 Ever trained for the “couch to 5-K,” run it, and then lost the progress?

🛑 Every made massive strides in marriage, parenting, finances, whatever… but then just quit moving once you hit the goal…?

For sure, you don’t have to “double down” once you hit the goal, but it makes sense to USE the momentum you’ve acquired, and allow it to propel you forward. Somehow…

🚀🚀🚀🚀

++++++++++++

Links

ESPN- goal line drops = https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/11844727

Download the free Advance Planner = www.Jenkins.tv/FreePlannerPDF

This summer, I did— and am still doing— the #75Hard challenge…

It works like this—

✅ Follow a meal plan of your choice

✅ No cheat days

✅ No alcohol

✅ Two 45-minute workouts each day— one of which must be outside

✅ Take a progress picture each day

✅ Read 10 pages per day (audiobooks don’t count)

✅ Drink 1 gallon of water

That’s it— and it’s supposed to be more of a #MentalChallenge than a #PhysicalChallenge…

⭐️

As of the recording of this talk, I’m 61 days in… so, the light is at the end of the tunnel, for sure. And, so far, here’s what I’ve learned…

(Think of this as my Top 10 lessons. I’ll communicate them in an order that makes sense to me— though not necessarily the order of importance…)

Here’s the first…

#1 = Sometimes, the reason(s) you think you CANNOT do something are precisely the reason(s) why you SHOULD wholeheartedly jump in…

I almost didn’t do the challenge…

… because we’re in the middle of summer…

… because we’re in the middle of launching the new #1B7 project and I’m working crazy hours

… because we’re about to go the lake with friends and the diet will be hard

… because we have MORE friends coming over tonight and I’ll probably want to open up the TWO new bottles of bourbon a friend sent…

… because…

… because…

You get it. There are always reasons why it’s NOT A GOOD TIME.

⭐️

But when it comes to #SelfImprovement, it’s always the #RightTime and #RightPlace, isn’t it?

I mean, think about— really think hard— the reasons we push stuff off, and punt the great actions that lead to the best results down the field…

Those are usually the very reasons we should just jump in, aren’t they?

#2 = Most things in life aren’t “all or nothing.”

Around the 3rd day of the challenge, I began recording my thoughts + reflections as I rounded the hill in front of the house. This is generally where I walk to cool down…

(And, I began posting those short vids to social media, including a new TikTok account… @AndrewEJenkins)

That first week, something struck me—

#75Hard is an “all or nothing” proposition. You either make it all the way, or you fail and you must start over. That is, if you don’t drink the water, if you don’t make the workouts, if you don’t read the pages… if you forget to take your progress pic that day…

… then your gain for the entire journey thus far is considered NOTHING and you begin over at Day 1.

That’s the rule.

And, of course, it makes total sense in a challenge like this.

But most things in life aren’t that way. Yet, oddly enough, we tend to treat them that way.

👉 We mess-up the diet at one meal during the middle of the week, so we toss the entire week out the window.

👉 We lose our temper during an exchange, so we assume we’ll never get our anger under control.

👉 We rank the budget, so we assume we’re not good at managing money…

👉 blah, blah, blah…

It’s easy to treat life as if it’s “all or nothing.” But, life isn’t that way.

Proverbs tells us the righteous fail… and they get right back up (Proverbs 24:16).

(On a social media post I shared a few weeks ago, I said it like this: “Think progress, not perfection… and direction, not distance.”)

#3 = Your time will pass anyway— whether or not you choose to do something with it is up to you…

🗓🗓🗓

One of the biggest obstacles we have... is our perception of TIME, and how much of it we have, or how long the dream will take, how much time might pass for healing comes, before we're able to launch into our next mission, discover our purpose... or whatever it is...

We don't like waiting...

Or, waiting (sometimes) intimidates us.

But, regardless of how long it takes to move from where you are to where you want to be, remember... that time is going to pass anyway. Might as well do something productive with it...

+++

Somebody told me that your checkbook reveals what’s important to you. That is, follow the trail of where your money goes and we can see what truly matters…

Same is true of TIME.

It’s easy to say we value certain things, but… when we turn and look at where the time was invested, the calendar SOMETIMES tells a different story, right?

+++

Push ahead.

In a few days, weeks, whenever you’ll look back in the rear view mirror and be glad you did 🤙🤙🤙

#4 = You can’t do most things all in one sitting…

… so break those goals down into manageable pieces.

🤷‍♂️

One of aspects of the #75Hard Challenge is “drink a gallon of water each day.”

(In fact, I found this to be one of the most difficult parts of the daily list.)

Unless you plan it— or have plan of attack— there’s no way to make it happen. If you wait until 3pm in the afternoon to begin, it’s not gonna happen. Or, if you still have half a gallon to go after 8pm… it’s gonna be a struggle…

So, I found smaller water bottle and broke the gallon down…

128 ounces (a gallon) = 8 of my 16 ounce bottles.

I use rubber bands on the bottle— and move them down— when I drink one.

And, I pace it…

I try to hit 2 before the morning coffee (easy, b/c I drink those before, during, and after exercising… so they go quick…). At least two more before lunch….

… and then finish before drinking anything else (i.e., no afternoon coffee, if at all, before the water is complete).

🤔

Breaking down the big goal makes ANY goal easy.

Pay off $40,000 in student loans? Break it down… how much are you going to pay AHEAD this month…

Lose 30 pounds? I’ve done it… and did it by targeting just 2 pounds per week.

Reading the entire Bible? It’s 10 pages a day for about 4 months…

Making $100K in a year… the same. Incrementally figure out how much you need to increase your income— just a bit— to make the reach.

🔥

You can’t do ANY of it in one sitting. So, often we just assume it CANNOT be done…

But, nothing in life works that way. It all takes time. And consistency.

And the the payoff comes.

#5 = The messy middle… sometimes you need to look back AND look forward at the same time…

I remember hitting day 38. That meant, halfway through THAT day, I was halfway there…

It was what you call the “messy middle”— that phase where I’m too far out from the shore to turn around. And I can’t quit.

But I still have a LONG way to go…

… in fact, I’m only halfway there…

Leads me to this.

👉 Sometimes you need to look back and celebrate how far you’ve come.

👉 If you’re always looking forward, it’s easy to get discouraged. It’s tempting to ponder HOW MUCH FARTHER you’ve got to go until you land the job, reconcile the relationship, move into healing, take care of…

… you get the idea.

That’s why, sometimes- no, a lot of the time- you need to pause. Turn around. And celebrate…

The GAINS you make often seem imperceivable in the moment…

The extra workout.

The shunning the sweets.

The getting up early to push ahead on your dream.

The phone calls, conversations, whatever…

Even though they don’t always SEEM valuable in the moment, they each have something working for them— namely, the momentum and amplification of the other, almost unnoticeable activities…

So, don’t just look at the gap between where you are and where you want to be.,..

Look at the gain.

Notice how far you’ve come.

+++++++++++++++++

Advance Planner = www.Jenkins.tv/FreePlannerPDF 

My friend Amanda has pink hair… and has lost (almost) half her body weight in the past 2.5 years.

After a series of “no wins” in life, she looked at the person in the mirror. Though she couldn’t blame everything going on in her life on her, she could manage the person in that mirror— and take full responsibility for them.

“I began a diet plan that month,” she told me. “And I committed to sticking to it for just 30 days.”

That was it.

A lot of times people assume we’ve got to eat the entire elephant. Or even commit to eating it.

But, as everyone also knows, “You eat an elephant one bite at a time.”

And, you can always just eat that one bite and THEN decide if you want to go for more…

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

She continued her journey.

Part of the “continue” meant doing a 5-K that same month. And, by “doing” I mean finishing. That is, she walked the entire thing…

Which brought another observation— sometimes you just need to commit to starting and finishing something— even if you DO walk the entire time, even if you DO go the slow way…

SLOW still gets you there, right?



🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁

The “thing” Amanda is now part of is called TRANSFORMATION— a healthy movement people undertake to move from obese to fit…

Her journey includes marathons and pole fitness, which we discuss a bit in this talk.

And it includes a brighter outlook that has affected work relationships, taken an already-good marriage to the next level, and caused to her see things differently…

“There are so many things that I just tolerated before,” she said. “I was sick and didn’t even know how good I could feel.”

In other words, she’s created a new normal, a better level of LIFE.

And—

“This has affected so much more than just the time I spent investing in myself…”



🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

I get it.

I (generally) wake up around 5:30- 6:00am, take time to exercise, then read, then write… all on my own…

… that 2-hour (or more) window always seems “selfish” when I’ve got a lot going on…

But…

I realize that—

🚀 if I don’t take that time, it just evaporates. It’s not like I use it on anything else…

🚀 What happens in that time radically affects everything else— and everyone else— in my small world.

🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌

In this talk Amanda reminded me of a few things she’s observed on her journey…

✅ Take the next best step.

A lot of life can be boiled down to that. When you aren’t sure what to do, just do a little…

… a little of the next best thing you CAN do (a la commit to a 30 day run at the diet and then agree to reevaluate after that)

✅ Surround yourself with people who are where you want to be…

No sense in taking advice from someone who’s not, right?

And, there’s no gain in being the smartest one in the room all the time…

So, find people you can help— and find people who can push you, too….

++++++++++++

Links=

Amanda’s Instagram = instagram.com/restoringthetemple2018/ 

Watch Amanda’s “transformation” testimony = https://www.facebook.com/ahicks07/videos/10100380258097275/ 

The weight loss program she mentioned = https://www.myshibboleth.com/sponsor/ahicks07/ 

Join Amanda’s 1B7 team = myoola.oolalife.com/RestoringTheTemple2018

 The Hilltop Hangout Facebook group = www.Facebook.com/groups/AndrewEJenkins 

My men’s mastermind group = www.Jenkins.tv/men 

Beth found Carol via social media. And then learned she lives just a few miles away.

Carol has an interesting story…

A few years ago she began writing a book about diet + fitness. (She’s worked in gyms and— even when we recorded this talk— arrived in cycling shorts, having just come from leading a spin session at the gym down the street.)

Then she had a double mastectomy. She was “grounded” for a while.

Her college-aged daughter saw her journal entires / prayers one day and began counting them…

“Mom, there are 21 of them here…”

She continued, “And they all connect. You need to make this a book, something others can use to walk in their true identity.”

💙💙💙💙💙

Carol is a trainer and nutritionist. Part of her mission is to “demolish the diet culture strongholds of fear, false guilt, and shame so that you experience the fruit of the Spirit in your relationship with food and body image” (see https://www.fuelbodyfeedsoul.com/our-mission).

Yet, she’s more than a trainer. She also writes, “As daughters of the King: we believe God’s grace and the gift of His Holy Spirit empower us to authentically transform. Only through ignited faith in Christ can our minds be renewed and our hearts change. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, His image bearers, and when we seek the Kingdom first we trade in the ashes of willpower for the richness of His power in us.”

In other words, faith and fitness aren’t two separate ideas. They flow together…

💙💙💙💙💙

Carol agreed.

She was editing the diet + nutrition book but set it to the side to release the prayer book…

You are His was released, as a prayer + journal tool (for women) to walk in their true identity…

Then, months later Healthy Breakthrough, the first book, was released. That book empowers women to defeat the strongholds in their life— the unhealthy relationship they have with food.

You’ll love hearing Carol’s heart on this issue. I found myself totally floored by the depth of her ideas, as well as the simplicity with which she communicates them.

After she shared them, they were completely obvious…

… a mark of a powerful teacher, shared with me by a gracious Daughter of the King.

__________________

Website: www.FuelBodyFeedSoul.com 

Blog post referenced in the talk— God is My Mirror— Jesus is My Scale: https://www.fuelbodyfeedsoul.com/blog/2020/8/12/god-is-my-mirror-jesus-is-my-scale 

Oola is about finding balance— and growth— in the seven key areas of life (Fitness, Finance, Family, Faith, Field, Friends, & Fun), while living with less stress…

… so that we can live our purpose.

The digital framework uniquely bends to you— and then pushes you forward by providing you with curated videos and suggestions specifically for you.

The daily tracker— on an app— marks your progress, checks daily streaks, and provides built-in accountability (and celebration) for your progress…

🚌

In this video I talk you through the product itself…

👉 we discuss the 70 questions you answer— as you build out your “Oola wheel”

👉 we talk about the Design My Life Blueprint you create— that location of where you want to be

👉 we chat about My Breakthrough Experience, the initial 90 days that move you through the blockers, beyond the setback mindsets, and right into the accelerators

👉 we chart My Personalized Path…

👉 we outline the daily tracker— and talk about how it navigates you from your current location to your best case scenario…

(You can watch the product demo at www.Jenkins.tv/demo.)

🚌🚌🚌

After all of that, I take a quick turn and bend this talk into a Bible study…

That is, we talk about SIN.

Specifically, I highlight Romans 3:23— “all have sinned.”

Here’s my take—

One of the biggest issues with sin is that it distorts the image of glory we’ve been designed to carry.

(This is one of the life lessons I’ve learned the hard way, BTW— school of hard knocks.)

The greater issue is this: sin creates a distortion of our unique form, of the greatness we were given from the very beginning. Sin keeps us from seeing who we really are. Sin hinders wholeness, completion.

It holds us back from out destiny.

The word hamartia (the Greek word for "sin") actually means "without form."

✅ ha = the Greek prefix which means “without”

✅ martia = the word derived from “meros,” meaning FORM or DESIGN.

That is, the word sin doesn't just mean "failure."

Rather, it actually means that we've walked away from our true identity, the blueprint we were given from the beginning of time.

That’s a lot different than you typically hear it preached at church services, isn’t it?

🔥🔥🔥

Here’s a BIG IDEA— >>

If you get your identity right-- if you walk in your true design-- the morality takes care of itself. In fact, all of the other issues do, too.

So, when he writes about sin, Paul calls us to something greater than a do/don't mentality… he beckons us to elevate ourselves above the rules of right vs. wrong and walk in the beauty of who we were designed to be (Romans 15:15).

In ancient literature, the word meros ("form," the root of martia) is often used of blueprints— that is, designs for buildings. If the design isn’t solid, the final product is distorted from what was intended by the architect.

Paul reminds us that we have a perfect design. Sin isn’t just a moral issue, then; sin is a decision to walk away from our eternal design.

In fact, the second HALF of that Romans 3:23 tells us precisely the FORM we’ve missed…

“All have sinned and fallen short of glory…”

That is, our original intention— and the thing which Jesus redeemed— is a restoration of that glory, that value, that “weight.”

🔥🔥🔥

I love how, rather than appealing to a legalistic “do vs. don’t” mentality, Paul calls us to something greater... to shine as the people we really are.

That’s the subject of this week’s talk…

And this Oola framework is a tool to help you walk in that design…

+++++++++++++

How much does it cost?

The first month costs $77. Each additional month is $47.

Oola carries a 30-day money back guarantee, and you can cancel at anytime.

If you want to do “the business side” there’s an annual fee of $50, which provides a website, business app, and the opportunity to earn an income.

Ambassadors (business builders) receive their product free if they have 3 members, meaning you could pay for the first month ($77) and your annual fee ($50) and never have to pay again.

So, either—-

👉 $77 + tax to be a Member.

Or,

👉 $77 + $50 = $127 + tax to do the business.

Link here for both options: www.MyOola.OolaLife.com/AndrewEJenkins 

+++++++++++++

Ready to enroll, do your own Design My Life Blueprint, and begin your personal transformation ?

👉 https://myoola.oolalife.com/andrewejenkins/enrollment/memberconfiguration 

Want to watch the short video?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/demo 

Want to watch Dave’s demonstration?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/app 

Want to take the 21 day email challenge?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21 

Want to join the #Hilltop Hangout, our Oola-driven Facebook group?

👉 www.Facebook.com/groups/AndrewEJenkins 

Let me introduce you to Bryan Clay…

You’ve probably already SEEN him, but you may not know him.

Long before I met Bryan I saw a photo of him circulating the Internet— one where he was draped in the American flag, fresh off winning the Decathlon. That feat officially dubbed him, for that four year Olympic period, “World’s Greatest Athlete.”

But he’d already won— on some level— even before he had the title. Prior to the Olympics, Clay was tested by SPARQ to establish his SPARQ Rating across a number of different sports. The test is meant to measure sport-specific athleticism. In the football test Bryan hit 130.40, the highest ever recorded up to that point. By comparison, Reggie Bush— a noted running back from USC— scored a 93.38.

Anyway…

🥈 Bryan won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics (Athens), where he posted his best score…

🥇 He returned and collected the gold in 2008 (Beijing).His victory margin of 240 points in the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the largest since 1972. And, he performed personal bests in SEVERAL of the events…

🔥

Then there’s this…

I’ve gotten to see Bryan on a personal level. And, as great of an athlete as he is, he’s a MUCH better person.

A husband, a father, a coach, and business entrepreneur, Bryan has his hand in a lot of things— and has moved on from athletics to, well… the next chapter of life.

In this talk, we chat about several things, life lessons picked up from the track…

Like…

👇

Lesson 1: Control what you can control, and trust Providence for the rest.

We get this one backwards— a lot. We blame factors we can’t do anything about (i.e., the weather, what other people do, etc.), yet we fail to take extreme ownership fo the stuff we CAN control…

Like our mindset…

… and our schedule….

… and doing the necessary work to show up, full strength.

👇👇

Lesson 2: Don’t overlook the small stuff.

Every big goal can be broken down into dozens (and often more) small things.

You know the saying, “You eat an elephant one bite at a time…”

And, “You run a marathon one step at a time.”

Or, “You achieve any dream one small action at a time…”

The problem with the small stuff is two-fold:

✅ Sometimes it’s tedious. There’s not a lot of glory in it. So we push on to something more “visible” and “important.”

✅ The small stuff is often SO small that we undervalue its significance.

👇👇👇

Lesson 3: You aren’t what you do.

Bryan talks of waking up the first day as a non-official athlete. Before that time, his routine had become so regimented that it literally involved every waking hour…

… if he wasn’t DOING something athletic, he was THINKING something athletic.

But what do you do when that’s gone?

Or, to make it relevant to us…

What do you do when your job changes?

Or your role?

Or a relationship?

You’ve got to resolve your identity— and it’s NOT what you do. So, find out WHO you are, and then let the good stuff overflow from there, regardless of what you choose to do with your time…

👇👇👇👇

Lesson 4: Everything is (literally) figure-out-able.

You’re probably not going to stumble into something that’s not ever been done. And even then, the success of others always leaves clues behind.

(Tip: watch the video + read the post “Success is recipe” at www.Jenkins.tv/blog/AP02 )

If you’re trying to build a business, reach out to friends who’ve done it before— and get them to show you how. If you want to do anything, for that matter, find an expert….

… in the same way athletes use coaches, don’t neglect the power of a “coach” (paid or otherwise) to help you figure your next steps out.

Take the lessons the past and move forward in your next chapter. Bryan talks of taking his grit and determination with him from the track to the board room table.

👇👇👇👇👇

Lesson 5: Your sweet spot is at the intersection of your skills and your passions.

(Now, I love this because it connects well with the video I posted here: www.Jenkins.tv/blog/AP11. There, I talk about the importance of your skills, your passions, and your financial opportunities.)

Applying this lesson took Bryan into his Eat the Frog fitness opportunity, a franchise-able gym he co-owns. And, true to form, he figured it out… with the help of a trusted friend.

I asked him about the name, which led to the final lesson here…

👇👇👇👇👇👇

Lesson 6: Eat the frog first 🐸

That is, do the hardest thing first— and let everything else fall in place.

Yes, sometimes there are moments when you need a quick win (Ok, sure, make the bed first thing in the morning— it takes 2-3 minutes and sets the tone). But when you have a list of things that NEED to be done, take the biggest first…

This mindset creates a ripple effect that infuses all of life…

🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌

In the end, Bryan and I discuss a way you can connect with him and continue interacting with him— via our Oola #1B7 team…

Oola is about finding balance— and growth— in the seven key areas of life (Fitness, Finance, Family, Faith, Field, Friends, & Fun), while living with less stress…

… so that we can live our purpose.

The digital framework uniquely bends to you— and then pushes you forward by providing you with curated videos and suggestions specifically for you.

The daily tracker— on an app— marks your progress, checks daily streaks, and provides built-in accountability (and celebration) for your progress.

++++++++++

Links for this talk

Brian’s linktree = www.Linktr.ee/bryanclay 

To join Bryan’s team as an Oola Ambassador and work with Bryan + me + our team, join here: https://myoola.oolalife.com/teamclay/enrollment/ambassadorconfiguration (Ambassadors use the platform, receive coaching, and can earn an income)

To be coached by Bryan and the team and join as a member, go here: https://myoola.oolalife.com/teamclay/enrollment/memberconfiguration 

Bryan’s gym: https://www.eatthefrogfitness.com/ 

In this talk I continue where I left off last week (see www.Jenkins.tv/blog/170), talking about the Oola story. My piece in it, anyway…

Right now, Oola is in the middle of a global launch. In fact, it’s HAPPENING the day this podcast airs— 7/7/2021.

The goal is to positively impact 1 BILLION (yes, with a “B”) over the next 7 years…

And, even though Beth + I have bought Into the vision (and invite you to join us), that’s not where it began for me…

🚌

About seven years ago I met Dave + Troy, the Oola guys…

Seeing someone else do some of the things I wanted to do stretched me into some of what I do today…

👉 Writing books

👉 Learning about email funnels

👉 Understanding how websites + webpages work

👉 Social media

The first book I pushed out to a larger audience was about natural health + essential oils.

Here’s the connection to Oola—

👉 Hearing Dave + Troy speak the first time awakened me to the idea that I could write that book— and push it out into the public space

👉 The guys actually wrote the foreword to the first edition

Here’s where it gets even more interesting (for me, anyway):

Travis, now the CEO / C0-founder of Oola Global was the COO at Young Living Essential Oils at the time I wrote that book…

He became by de-facto “fact checker” about the history of the company, as well as some of the data I provided about current operations. Then, in a real sense, he opened a few doors for me to help share that book with others.

Over the past seven years I’ve gotten to know all three of these men in various forms…

Here’s a pic of me interviewing Travis onstage at an event back in 2015.

Sometimes, people ask if the CEOs, CFOs, or other leaders are who they appear to be on the stage…

… Travis, onstage and off, walks with a humble-swagger, a gentle confidence that is genuinely FOR other people, consistently calling for the best in them.

In fact, during a tough chapter of my life, well after he’d moved from his C-level position at Young Living to help lead Isagenix (two companies he helped grow to $1 billion + in annual revenue), he reached out via text… just to check in, as he knew I was in the midst of one of the most difficult fights of my life…

When I first learned of the Oola Global opportunity I was “sold.” All in— as they say.

About halfway through the discussion I learned Travis was involved— and it gave me even MORE confidence that this was an incredible opportunity.

🚌

Anyway, back to the Oola guys—

I’ve seen them up-close-and-personal a few times, as well. In fact, we hosted two different events in Birmingham at which they spoke— one that was a “normal” event and another that was on the Oola Dream Bus tour…

The guys decided to collect one million dreams— on stickers— all over the VW bus. I watched, that night, as people approached the bus, many with tears in their eyes, placing the dream out there…

… the thing they wanted desperately to see change.

👉 rebuild the marriage

👉 find a group of friends, so they didn’t feel alone

👉 reignite their faith

👉 climb out of debt

👉 navigate towards a career that fulfilled their purpose rather than just providing a paycheck

👉 cling to their kids in new ways

We held the bus stop at Avondale Brewery, so the guys drove into the backyard, where concerts and events are held. Then, they spoke to a crowd in the open air environment…

Music blasting.

Beer + food trucks + more…

It was, well, an experience…

Here’s a pic during the talk.

During the rocky estrangement-separation-divorce chapter I lived years ago, Dave also reached out. If you know his story, you remember that back in 2008, just as the economy collapsed, his life fell apart, too…

“You OK?” he asked. Then— “You might not feel like you are, but you will be… I promise.”

In a real sense, he spoke to me— multiple times— in ways that couldn’t be quite communicated with bumper-stickerisms and cliche Bible verses that others wanted to toss at me…

I get it. I believe the Bible.

But sometimes, even though the verses ARE TRUE, you need something MORE than just a few words…

“If you need me, reach out,” Dave told me— more than once. “Most of the time my day is packed. But if you message me early in the morning, I’ll find a window for you and connect that day.”

And he did…

Eventually I found myself in a better chapter… just like he and others promised would happen. One May, Beth + I headed to the beach, to 30A.

“Get a picture of that bus,” I told her. “I’m going to send it to Dave. It’s a blank canvas…”

In a real way, I felt like it was a blank canvas for me…

This pic is a real life boomerang…

… a reminder that “The Lord is patient… wanting all to experience true life” (2 Peter 3:9, my translation).

Remember, I had at one time lost everything.

And by everything, I mean everything…

💔 Marriage = gone (ever had the one you were in covenant with just, overnight, freeze you out?)

💔 Finances = obliterated (been to less than $100 in your checking account?)

💔 Faith = big gasp— what was God doing— and was this God or was this me?

💔 Career = 💣

But God is patient. That’s what 2 Peter 3:9 says…

And, it’s KINDNESS— His kindness— that leads us to Him (Romans 2:4).

He doesn’t wipe us away, erasing us from His life like others might… that’s what He does to the memory of our sins + mistakes— not what He does to US (Psalm 103:12).

I grabbed the pic, but then forgot to send it to Dave…

But…

In the patience of the Lord…

3 days later, after I forgot to hit send, Dave reached out to me…

“Man, I was just thinking about you over the weekend…”

“Well, I was thinking about you, too,” he said. “Do you want to become a certified life coach with Oola? If yo do, I’ll train you and certify you myself…”

That eventually led to where we are today…

Because the first people to learn about the Oola Global launch were the coaches…

… and I wouldn’t have learned about it if I wasn’t a coach.

… and I wouldn’t be a coach if I didn’t go through a bunch of poo that led me to lose the life I thought I was building.

… and I wouldn’t have connected with those guys during that season in a new way if that season didn’t exist.

… and I wouldn’t have connected with them then if I didn’t meet them during a “better” time before.

Every time I go to 30A, I grab a pic with that bus, usually when I’m riding my bike from one end of the stretch of road to the other…

See, here’s one…

I don’t know about you, but you *may need a reboot, a re-crank…

I did. And got one.

Things. Have. Never. Looked. Better.

(Hard road to get there, but all things work together for the good, right?)

Here’s the deal…

Where you are isn’t who you are.

It’s just the location of where you happen to be.

But…

… and this is important….

Where you are IS where you must begin.

Hop on— we’ve got room for you. Let’s enjoy the ride.

Ready to enroll, do your own Design My Life Blueprint, and begin your personal transformation ?

👉 https://myoola.oolalife.com/andrewejenkins/enrollment/memberconfiguration 

Want to watch the short video?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/app 

Want to watch Dave’s demonstration?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/app 

Want to take the 21 day email challenge?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21 

Want to join the #Hilltop Hangout, our Oola-driven Facebook group?

👉 www.Facebook.com/groups/AndrewEJenkins 

Last week— the week I recorded this podcast episode— I started the #75Hard Challenge. It’s been all over the Internet + social media for the past year or so. If you haven’t heard about it, I guarantee you will again in the near future.

It works like this—

✅ Follow a meal plan of your choice

✅ No cheat days

✅ No alcohol

✅ Two 45-minute workouts each day— one of which must be outside

✅ Take a progress picture each day

✅ Read 10 pages per day (audiobooks don’t count)

✅ Drink 1 gallon of water

That’s it— and it’s supposed to be more of a #MentalChallenge than a #PhysicalChallenge…

You do it, as you might suppose, for 75 days…

I almost didn’t do the challenge

… because we’re in the middle of summer…

… because we’re in the middle of launching the new #1B7 project and I’m working crazy hours

… because we’re about to go the lake with friends and the diet will be hard

… because we have MORE friends coming over tonight and I’ll probably want to open up the TWO new bottles of bourbon a friend sent…

… because…

… because…

You get it. There are always reasons why it’s NOT A GOOD TIME.

But, sometimes those are the very reasons we SHOULD jump right in… especially when it comes to self- improvement.

Face it, you’re one of the best investments you’ll ever make.

We intuitively know this.

If you asked ANYONE, “What’s more important, people are things?”

They’d answer you quickly— and easily— “People.”

If we made it personal and asked, “What’s more important, YOU or your possessions…?”

“Me, of course…”

It’s a no-brainer.

Yet we spend years and even decades training to acquire money so that we can acquire stuff…

… stuff that we’ll eventually store and never look at again, sell for a penance of what we bought it for, or just giveaway.

Someone said it well, “You spend the first half of your life acquiring things, and then the second half of your life realizing that the most important things aren’t things at all… it’s the people your didn’t prioritize in the pursuit of those possessions…”

Since we know that…

And since we’ve OWNED that reality…

Why not just change it up NOW, instead of waiting until later?

Why not—

👉 prioritize people (including you) over possessions?

👉 invest in yourself rather than commodities and clutter that will fade away…?

I digress…

A few years ago, I met the Oola Guys, Dave and Troy. I met them in Hawaii on an award trip with Young Living Essential Oils.

Sometimes you just connect with people and you just, well… you know… that you’re on the same page…

At the time, I was the heaviest I had ever been. I’d slowly (and steadily) let my health deteriorate… while I chased projects and goals.

(Or, to say it another way, I invested heavily in other things during that season, but not in myself— including the time it took to manage my health and steward my body.)

I’d just turned 40, as well, and had all of those LIES we believe about age rolling through my noggin’. I assumed it couldn't be done. I was certain that your body "falls apart" after you reach that arbitrary milestone. It was a mental block I'd created.

Then I met a few guys who had similar stories.

Then I heard Troy and Dave talk…

Both of them are in great shape. But, turns out, Troy had lost 50 pounds- and he was a few years older than me.

"If he can do it, I can do it," I reasoned.

I've applied the same logic to writing books, creating websites, and even working our home based business. When I see someone- particularly someone I know- that has done it, it shows me that it's possible.

In effect, such relationships enhance our capacity for dream achieving. They show us what’s possible that we might not have seen before.

You might have been told something like, “Comparison is thief of joy.”

It doesn’t have to be, though. Comparison can actually show you what’s possible— what’s doable and achievable.

Here’s ANOTHER example…

The 4-minute mile…

👟 1950s- people thought it was scientifically impossible for a man to break 4-minutes in the mile run.

👟 May 6, 1954- Roger Bannister ran the first 4-minute mile in Oxford, England. His time: 3:59.4!

👟 The next month, two more people broke the 4-minute mark.

👟 The next year… 300 did it!

It can happen anywhere…

But, particularly when we’re closer to people we can see something in them that empowers us to be more… or, perhaps they call it out of us…

Anyway, in this talk I begin discussing Oola…

The word Oola comes from the French word “oolala,” which means everything in life exists in harmony— that life is in the sweet spot.

The guys wrote 3 best-sellers and teach there are SEVEN key areas of life—

⭐️ Fitness

⭐️ Finance

⭐️ Family

⭐️ Field (Career)

⭐️ Faith

⭐️ Friends

⭐️ Fun

Like spokes on a wheel, they're each essential to keeping forward momentum.

If one spoke goes down for a while, you're fine. But lose a spoke completely-- or lose a few-- and you stop forward progress in every area. Momentum grinds to a halt.

Think about it...

👉 If family isn't working, then your field (work) suffers

👉 If you're finances are jacked, life isn't very fun

👉 If you're not fun, your friend-quotient probably goes low

👉 If your faith tanks, you might feel hopeless in all the other areas

You get the idea. These areas all matter.

Here's the purpose of this talk—

Oola recently created a digital platform to empower people to live… well, in Oola— to find their purpose while living a life of balance and growth.

This means it works anywhere, at anytime…

… there are no shipping delays, and it never goes out of stock.

Best of yet, you can access it now and begin your Oola journey….

All the info is below.

________

Ready to enroll, do your own Design My Life Blueprint, and begin your personal transformation ?

👉 https://myoola.oolalife.com/andrewejenkins/enrollment/memberconfiguration 

Want to watch the short video?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/app 

Want to watch Dave’s demonstration?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/app 

Want to take the 21 day email challenge?

👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21 

Want to join the #Hilltop Hangout, our Oola-driven Facebook group?

👉 www.Facebook.com/groups/AndrewEJenkins 

My friend Randy Pardue is back on the podcast, and here’s why…

… as I decided to talk to a “family coach,” I knew I wanted to host someone who’s successfully navigated a blended family (that’s coming soon), as well as someone who is STILL married— decades later (and happily so)— to the first person with whom they fell in love…

Randy + Tammy have been married 42 years, and still date each other like most engaged couples. They truly adore each other, and would rather be with one another than anyone else in the world.

And then there’s this…

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

As they were facing the “empty nest” years, Tammy discovered she was pregnant. This gave them the perfect opportunity to simultaneously…

👉 Decide what their “almost grown” kid needed to know before he was launched

👉 Think long-term about what the next kid needed.

The result was the Directional Parenting Blueprint, a framework Randy explains in his book Diapers to Dorms.

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Here’s what the framework includes…

👉 0 - 5 = kids need disciple and self-control

👉 6-13 = kids need training— they need to learn basic, everyday skills (i.e., how to do specific tasks)

👉 14- 18 = kids need coaching— they need to make decisions and learn how to course correct, reflect, and make better choices going forward (i.e., skills they’ll need when they’re not with you).

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Randy says the best way to “teach” all of this is in everyday life— to recapture moments when you’re already together…

👉 Bed-time (be the last thing they hear at night, and frame their subconscious)

👉 Breakfast (send them into their day, your voice cheering them)

👉 Carpool (capture drive time with intentional questions)

👉 Meal times (do your best on these)

👉 Fire-pit time (after hearing this, you’ll want one)

In other words, be intentional…

And, if you’re schedule doesn’t work perfectly like the one outlined above, do your best with what you have, capturing the moments that matter as you can.

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Sometimes, Randy called family meetings.

And, he let them kids call them, too…

To re-orient and move back in alignment together…

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Listen in. Wherever you are in the parenting journey, this convo has a bit of 🔥🔥🔥🔥 you can apply immediately and see instant results.

And, he’ll tell you what to do if you find yourself overwhelmed…

++++

For more info…

👉 Find Randy’s website at www.BeRefreshed.org 

And…

👉 Download by free book, Redemption, about radical faith, at www.Jenkins.tv/R 

👉 Find balance and grow in each area of your life at www.Jenkins.tv/21 

👉 Join the #HilltopHangout Facebook group at www.Facebook.com/groups/AndrewEJenkins