"Go Hard or Go Home"

I had the privilege of going to a gym yesterday. Not a "health club" - a gym, a real, honest-go-God boxers' gym. No carpeting, no air conditioning, no cappuccinos. Just a bunch of dedicated men (and a few women) building their self-esteem and their muscles, and practicing their art. It was a humbling - and inspiring - experience.

One of the walls of the gym is painted with a great quotation from Virgil about strength and spirit, but the words I found most inspiring were on the back of a trainer's T-shirt: "Go hard or go home."

If you're not going to give something your all, why in the world would you bother to do it halfway? I'm taking that message back to my team. We have too much work to do - too many people need our help to improve their health and their financial situations. I don't have any time for people looking for a new hobby.

Go hard or go home. And let's change the world.

Good Deeds & Good Work

Lauren gave away her "fat" clothes this weekend.

That's a big step for a self-described "cheap-skape" New Englander. But she felt she needed to make a commitment to herself, to her slimming, healthier self, putting up a big, neon sign for the Universe:

THIS IS NOT WHO I AM ANYMORE!

So she loaded up two very large garbage bags with stuff she bought 50 lbs. ago and we hauled them off to Goodwill. Her more formal clothes will be going to Dress for Success, a charity that outfits lower-income women in business attire so they can get better jobs. Good deeds, the result of a lot of hard work Lauren has done, sticking to the fat-burning program and exercising regularly.

Look for more donations to come from my growing (and shrinking!) team.