Here are a few short thoughts this week.
Money
1
In 2008, a 78-year-old associate dean of medicine told me to go f*ck myself.
I was a personal trainer in Toronto. This man was one of my clients. I wanted to get a PhD studying satellite cells and muscle growth.
-I had a research plan.
-I had the supervisor lined up.
-I needed a reference.
So between sets, I asked him for a letter of recommendation.
He said, “Why do you want a PhD?”
I said, “Because I want to write a book.”
He looked at me like I was stupid. And said,
“So write a f*cking book. I’m not writing you a letter.”
A week later I started outlining. This was my “You can just do things” moment.
The funny part, my first book came out the exact year I would have finished my PhD.
It’s called Ignite the Fire. I self-published it in 2011 and it’s sold over 95,000 copies.
And if I would have gone down the PhD route, I would have spent years in school, six figures of debt, and maybe write a thesis that only a few people would read.
All to earn permission to write the thing I could already write. He saw it. I didn’t.
Most of the time, the credential you’re chasing is just a socially-acceptable way of delaying the work.
You don’t need the title. You don’t need the stamp. You need to start.
2
“In seeking more freedom we frequently hamper our best efforts, because what we really need are helpful boundaries.”
-David Epstein from Inside the Box
Health
1
Habits that have a high rate of return in life:
-Three full-body workouts a week. Minimum.
-No more than two coffees a day.
-One zone 2 cardio session a week. A long walk, bike ride, or jog.
-Go to bed tired, not exhausted. Work intensely. Rest deliberately. Avoid the anxious middle.
2
The best drug for your happiness is exercise. It ranks near the top of every mental health study, meaning it reduces anxiety, improves sleep, and lifts your mood better than almost anything else. The endorphins it releases target the same pathways as antidepressants — without the side effects. Exercise is the best medicine. Full stop.
3
Problems don’t stop. They just change shape. The ones you’re dealing with right now will eventually be replaced by different ones, probably harder ones if you’re young like I was. The point isn’t to hope to avoid problems. The point is to become someone strong enough to handle them. That’s where fitness comes in. Fitness isn’t everything. But it does help with everything.
If you enjoyed this, please consider forwarding a copy via the link below to somebody else today:
www.theptdc.com/articles/5-reps-may-15-2026
-Jon
P.S. Happy new Dungeon Crawler Carl book week to all who celebrate.
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A few things or people I like and recommend
My friend Simone Stolzoff’s new book How to Not Know came out earlier this week and the timing couldn’t be better. It’s a guide to dealing with uncertainty at a time when our lives have never felt less certain. I read an early copy and think this book could help just about anyone. Grab your copy here.
Take your brave book from idea to done this year: Get the writing + publishing advice you need to make it happen inside the Writing Brave newsletter. It’s a no-fluff, from-the-heart weekly dispatch for coaches, consultants & speakers writing nonfiction that matters. Sign up (free) here.
“A look at personal training that goes beyond the textbooks.”- Muscle & Fitness Magazine
Now in a revised, expanded, and upgraded edition, Ignite the Fire is the highly practical approach to personal training already relied on by thousands of trainers Worldwide.
Repeatedly called one of the “best books for personal trainers”, it provides a clear road map teaching you how to become a personal trainer, to getting a personal trainer certification, to building your career from the bottom up so you can build a clientele, your reputation, and income.
Get your copy on Amazon or wherever you buy books in paperback, kindle, or audio.
Coach. Author. World explorer. But mostly, Dad.
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