My 4-year-old nearly wiped out his savings. His brothers talked him into it.
The highlight of my summer (thus far) was a trip to Home Depot for slip-and-slide supplies for the farm. While there, the boys noticed a snow blower that was 60% off.
Context: they're mowing four yards this summer and have been lobbying hard for a commercial-grade Scag push mower so they can get more done, faster (sounds like our kids). I've been explaining that you don't buy a mower in the summer — you buy a snow blower in the summer and a mower in the winter. Mostly because we didn't want to buy them a mower.
Well, that blew up in my face.
My default Dad answer was NO. They retorted with, "We want to buy it, not you." So I went about researching whether it's a decent model (it was), and they went about determining who invests what. After a couple of minutes of deliberation, Ford — the 7-year-old representative of the organization — informed me they'd be making the purchase, split three ways. Hank, our 4-year-old, was concerned that he only had $135 and this would nearly wipe him out, but his brothers assured him he'd make it back and then some.
They didn't buy a snow blower. They bought December — in July, at 60% off, before anybody else wanted it.
Same game we play in here with our health/fitness. Nobody walks through our door in July because they want to feel good in July (well I guess we do..). You do the work now, in the heat, knowing that we'll feel that much more amazing in January. January is expensive. July is 60% off. The inventory is the same.
The second thing in that aisle mattered more than the timing. Hank was scared, and he should have been — $135 is real money when you're four. His brothers didn't talk over him or cut him out to make it easier on themselves. They told him he'd make it back, then took the risk right alongside him.
I developed/stole/copied Work Hard Be Kind when Duke was a baby, and I use it daily as a parenting tool as much as a navigational beacon for running this gym. Watching it play out in a Home Depot aisle — the work that earned the money, the kindness that made room for the smallest guy in the deal — was the best return I got all summer.
Work hard. Be kind. Buy the snow blower in July.
Jon
P.S. The reference to buying the snow blower in July, if it wasn't obvious enough, translates to get your butt in the gym please :)
The Dri Tri
Two heats, tons of epicness. Get a friend or two, or get yourself right to go solo.
Everything you need to know is here — team format, time reductions, prizes, and sign-up.
Some Things I'm Stoked About
- Atomic Habits — James Clear — winners and losers have the same goals, just different systems. Our habits are probably less than ideal right now — nice time to get primed.
- The Presidential Fitness Test is BACK — "Healthier Kids Build a Stronger Future" = fact. It's ironic that I write this as my kids are at a movie theater; however, I'm elated that physical education is coming back to the forefront of our nation's minds. I can imagine we'll be running one here before too long :)
- Fiber — How do you know you're an adult? If you're taking fiber. That's how you know you're an adult. I do two scoops of this daily with an LMNT, and it gets me right (we stock it at the gym).
- Faster Than Normal — I'm not sure if I have ADHD, but I certainly have some tendencies. This was a great book for those who are distracted and energized, and for anyone who wants to be more productive and clear-headed.
Two of Our Docs, Featured
We have some amazing physicians at this gym, and two of our Docs were featured recently:
- Dr. Nikki Wood — pediatric hematologist-oncologist, in TIME.
- Dr. Shannon Carpenter — orthopedic surgeon, on what every woman needs to know about bone health.
Halfway Through the Year
I'm a bit depressed knowing that we're already 1/2 way through the year and I've accomplished 1/10 of what I want to for the year. So — this weekend I'm resetting my goals for the year so I can finish strong. Perhaps you do the same?
That said, here are all my recommendations from the first 1/2 of the year if you're curious / need a reading list or another supplement recommendation that will be the missing link to change your life :)
One Last Thing
A little while back, we had the pleasure of getting the coaches out and pretending we were college kids, and I've been recovering for the last month :).
Coming off our party night, team bonding at the farm, and community takeover, I could not be more grateful for the group we get to work with. We are very lucky!
Have a great rest of your summer!