Where the hell is Curd?

Where the hell is Curd?

So this week was my birthday week.

I turned 53.

I unplugged from most things and it was time to reflect and take stock.

I always take this week to reflect on everything going on in my life.

My physical health,

My mental health,

My relationships health,

My business health.

Then I decide on new goals and objectives for the next year.

For the last few years what I saw wasn’t very good – neither was my work on setting new goals and objectives to improve going forward.

This year was different – very different!

 

curd hos transformation

 

The physical

This year not only did I lose 120 lbs – but I am in probably the very best shape of my life.

My physical energy and endurance is through the roof.

The mental

This is the area of the most improvement.

I decided that I would live my life by 4 non-negotiable daily standards or rituals.

  • Food mastery
  • Exercise
  • Personal Presentation
  • Mindset programming

My relationships

Here I worked on deepening relationships with the people most important to me.

My wife.

My kids.

My inner circle of influence – which I made much, much smaller (friends – training partners – business partners).

I also stepped away from negative or draining relationships. 

I didn’t unfriend anyone, I just adjusted my energy spent and expectations.

My Business Health 

This one was tricky for sure this year.

Rebuilding after closing my training facility. 

Growing the Iron Hos Gear brand amidst the Covid craziness severely limited our capability to run meets and events.

Working on some very exciting new partnerships and projects for the brand.

Creating the Iron Will Reboot Transformation weight-loss program, brought about by the huge transformation I have undergone. 

Which led to many people being inspired and motivated to do the same for themselves!

Am I Bragging?!

Nope, not at all, but I am taking inventory of the wins and taking the time warranted to appreciate them.

Has it been easy?

Fuck no!

I have wanted to quit many times as old feelings of inadequacy and poor self-esteem reared its head many times in the beginning.

At the start, I was physically and mentally tired and broken.

Then as I started to make real progress the old “Imposter Syndrome” started to appear.

Who was I to think I could do this?

At my age?

I was too fat.

I had used up all my chances.

There wasn’t enough time left.

These were hard feelings to keep at bay. 

My mindset had to become very strong. I had to develop and MAINTAIN an Iron Will.

Taking a break 

I also took a break this week on my diet. 

I did keep my daily weigh-ins going, but didn’t freak out with my weight coming back up a bit.

I didn’t go crazy with food, but rather ate closer to a maintenance level and had a few cheat meals along the way in celebration of my birthday.

Having spent much of the last year in a daily calorie deficit, and especially over the last 60 days or so where I dropped over 50 lbs, it was time for a little “diet break.”

I kept the workouts the same and increased the length of my outdoor walks.

The added calorie intake gave me a nice boost of energy in the gym as it allowed more overall muscle recovery to happen.

Now it’s time to set new goals and get refocused!

What lies ahead in 2021 – 2022

 

Weight Loss and Physique

My next goal is to get down to 250 lbs and to decide which bodybuilding show I will do in 2021.

I am so happy that my passion for working out has not only returned but is now at a level I have never ever held before.

Business 

I have some exciting projects that will be coming to fruition in 2021. 

Additions to the Iron Hos Brand of apparel and accessories.

Opening an ultra-private training facility and retail location for Iron Hos Gear.

Running strength events as soon as the Covid climate and regulations allow us to do so.

Continue to help men and women make amazing transformations and discover the very best versions of themselves with the Iron Will Reboot transformation program and the Iron Will Academy.

Relationships

Create more time and space for quality time with the people that matter most to me. Do what I can to help enrich their lives.

Hopefully, get back to some travel once we can do so again.

Mindset

Here is an area I want to really explore and push myself in the coming year. 

I want to go deeper than I ever have in training and strengthening my mind.

I plan on doing this with daily rituals and mental and physical challenges designed to increase my Iron Will.

I have come to realize that ALL real change happens in our minds and how we think about ourselves and the world around us.

Stop yer grinnin’ and drop yer linen!

One of my favorite sayings, meaning it’s time to take action and move on to the next level.

I’m excited.

I’m grateful.

I’m ready.

 

Let’s fucking go !

 

Struggle – Persevere – Succeed – Inspire

 

Curd 

 

Naked and Crying

 

Naked and Crying

I found myself in an all too familiar state this afternoon.

At times in life many of us have found ourselves in a moment of great despair, pushed to a point where we break.

Often it hits us when we are all alone, overwhelmed we let it out, tears flowing, body shaking, feeling naked and alone (sometimes we’re actually naked in bed or coming out of the shower) and it hits us square in the face.

The truth of our sadness or unhappiness can’t be hidden anymore.

Something in our life is making us miserable

Our body.
Our mind.
Our relationships.
Our business or career.

One or all of these areas can suck for us.

I know for me over the years I have found myself at incredible low points or “bottoms.”

Points at which I had to let it out – I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Food – Sex – Booze could no longer mask my feelings. Usually these things were making it worse and were causing even more issues for me.

I remember one time in particular I was in the shower – openly crying, just letting the water run over me as I was overtaken with emotion. I knew I couldn’t continue living my life in the manner I had been.

Something had to change.

I also knew that only I could do anything about it.

The next day I gave up drinking and got sober ( 6+ years now at the time of writing this).

The great thing about hitting bottom

These “bottoms” were usually followed by me taking massive action, picking myself up by my bootstraps and forging ahead.

I have done this during:

Business failures,
Relationships ending,
Loss of life close to me,
Deciding to no longer live as an obese and weak person.

However, there have been times (albeit more rare) that I have been this emotional in times of great happiness!

The birth of my children.
Business successes.
Achieving great results competing in the bench press.

Today I once again found myself naked and in tears.

This time it was one of joy and celebration.

As I stepped on the scale naked I weighed in and saw these numbers flash,

2-7-9

279 lbs.

I had done it.

 

From 398 lbs – obese – weak and broken mentally – unhappy with my current levels of business – my mindset – the quality of my relationships

Now 279 lbs – feeling 1000% better physically and mentally.

My business and relationships have improved dramatically (even in the midst of this crazy covid world).

I hadn’t been this light in 30 years!

I got very emotional.

There I was naked and crying.

Not gonna lie, this ‘Naked” version looked much better ..lol!

This is definitely a good version of naked and crying.

It was great to just sit there and take it all in.

Appreciate how far I had come.

Look at what amazing things had changed for me.

See what exciting new opportunities now present themselves to me.

Acknowledge and respect all the hard work I had just accomplished (something we don’t do enough with ourselves and our accomplishments)

All this as I turn 53 in a few days.

At 398 lbs I felt that time was running out and I would miss out on so much.

At 279 I feel like there is so much that can and will be accomplished with the time I have in front of me!

Struggle – Persevere – Succeed- Inspire