BEHIND THE CAMERA

“The work you put in when no one is watching will matter far more than the work you do when the cameras are rolling” - Leslie Odom Jr.

What do people see when they look at your social media page?

A happy smiling face?

Inspirational quotes or posts?

Reels or videos of you lifting heavy weight or completing a difficult workout?

They see all of the best things.

They see the type of life that you are trying to convince the world that you live.

But, as we all know, life behind the camera tends to be a completely different story.

Yes, you have great days and feel proud of your accomplishments but you also get upset, emotional, and feel inadequate at times. And yet, no one actively works to share that part of their life unless they are fishing for sympathy.

I’m not trying to bash on you or anyone else here.

I’m leveling with you.

Ultimately my mission is to help people find their path and let you know that everyone has a difficult time working on themselves; all to become the hero of their own story.

If you keep up with my social media accounts, I don’t post as much as I would like to but when I do post things, they are typically meant to be inspirational or showcase videos of me doing something I find difficult (such as lifting weights that are heavy for me). Some people seem to enjoy those type of posts and others, I’m sure, fucking hate them. Either way, that’s not my problem.

But it’s not the posts that are important… It’s what’s behind the camera.

I don’t post it but I typically go to the gym or run seven days per week.

I don’t post it but during the week, I follow a decent meal plan and go to bed between 8:30 and 9 pm.

I don’t post it but on Saturdays and Sundays, I have a tendency to allow myself to eat shitty food (such as Costco pizza), and then the wheels fall off. Not only do I eat two huge slices, but the rest of my day I’m craving fast food and fucking candy! Like I have 0 self control and absolutely no discipline.

I don’t post it but when I am tired, I will make every excuse not to go run or write a blog post. I will sometimes let myself off the hook and convince myself that it’s okay.

I don’t post it but some weekends (instead of doing something productive such as working around the house, typing up blog posts, spending quality time with my wife and dogs) you can catch me down in my basement playing Xbox for hours at a time.

I don’t post it but when I have a lazy day like that I feel so shitty about it that I almost make it a point to punish myself with exercise and discipline the next day.

Those are the things that you don’t see behind the camera! That is the real me. I struggle with food and staying disciplined just like every other fucking person in this country!

I’ve been fed the same crock of bullshit that you have that says, “It’s ok to do nothing for a day.” or “It’s ok to eat whatever you want to eat.” That’s a lie! At no point in my life have I made strides towards becoming a fucking hero by not doing what I know I should be doing.

Again, I’m not here to call you out. I know as well as you do what really goes on behind that social media screen. To some extent, I think we all do. What I’m here to do is to reassure you that no one is perfect. No one has the secret game plan for creating the perfect life. Each of us struggles with vices that we may have always struggled with. But the key to getting better is to fight through. Prove to yourself that nothing can get between you and the person you seek to become. There will be roadblocks and bad days and the camera won’t show that shit. But those days are opportunities to make strides in your own life while everyone else is on camera pretending like their life is perfect when it fucking isn’t.

So embrace who you are and know who you want to become! Show the world and YOURSELF, both in front and behind the camera, that you are that hero.