StoryAthlete

StoryAthlete

A few people have reached out to me about what I’ve been doing lately. Mike and I have been embarking on a variety of changes and challenges. All good things.

As far as the writing and posting I’ve been doing of late, I mentioned a few times that this was part of a StoryAthlete challenge. The short definition is that it’s a 28-day writing challenge. But it’s actually much more than that. It’s about exploring your limiting beliefs, questioning the status quo, and moving toward your greater potential.

In the challenge you are not competing against anyone other than yourself. There’s your Heroic Self and there’s your Lesser Self. The Lesser Self says, “I’ll get in shape starting Monday.” The Heroic Self doesn’t say anything, because she’s too busy working out. You get the idea.

There is a small portion of the challenge that is physical (affectionately referred to as 12 Minutes of Death), but it’s only 12 minutes, twice a week. Also, there are modifications to everything (example, if push-ups are out of the question, do them against a wall). My point is that the physical component should not keep anyone who is interested from doing the challenge. Participants come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.

For me, this challenge was a game-changer. In how I think, act, and prioritize. But you have to go into it with an open mind. Turn off your editor, let nothing offend you, and trust the process.

Both Mike and I have decided to do the challenge again, so if anyone wants to join us, we’ll be in it together.

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Giving Back

Amanda and Mike launched an Impact Club in their hometown of Boise, Idaho in 2017, and have had a blast gathering like-minded individuals, families, and organizations to make significant impact in our community, raising over $200,000 locally and over $1.5 million nationally.

Join Our Next Monthly CHALLENGE

Every month Amanda and Mike pick a month-long challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone so we can grow, learn, and become better versions of ourselves. Sometimes we design our own unique challenge and other times we join pre-established challenges. Email us to find out about our next upcoming challenge. Us@BusinessofUs.com

About Us

Our Story | Mike and Amanda Turner We are Mike and Amanda Turner, founders of “The Business of Us.” We are fierce advocates of helping entrepreneurial couples and families improve their lives, livelihoods, and legacies… READ MORE

Quit Is a 4-Letter Word

Quit Is a 4-Letter Word

I’m not even sure if Mike remembers this, but very early on in our relationship we had a conversation about the intersection of health/weight/fitness. I’m not sure how it started, maybe we knew someone whose weight was seriously impacting his or her health. Maybe we knew a couple in which one partner had seemingly given up.

(Self-awareness check: I feel like an asshole even writing that, because we never know the extent of what someone else is going through. That presumption is so arrogant.)

In any case, the conversation focused on the act of completely giving up. Of deciding that nutrition and exercise are too hard, not worth it. That urge to just say screw it, pass the Doritos, I don’t care anymore and this is just how it’s going to be.

We were in our early 20s. Mike was still an athlete, playing rugby. I’d been an athlete but was away from sports and learning that my newly adult body did not cooperate in the same way that it had during my athletic, teenage years. Overall though, we were both young and healthy and in decent shape.

(I fully recognize that it’s easy to make a pact for the continued pursuit of good health when you’re already in good health. It’s much more difficult when you’re facing an uphill battle.)

The above conversation culminated in a promise to each other:

We made a pact that we would never give up.

It didn’t matter how much either of us weighed at any point in our lives. It didn’t matter what size clothes we wore or what we looked like. This was not a conversation that sprouted from vanity or concern about the attractiveness of our mate.

What mattered was that we would never throw in the towel. Never say screw it. Never give up. Never accept a sedentary life and the compromised health that goes along with it.

Keep trying. Keep showing up.

In the past twenty years there have been many wins…

Once upon a time I was a smoker.

(Being on other side of those chains – it’s true freedom.)

Once upon a time soda and fast food were a normal part of life.

(No thanks, I’m good!)

And there have been many wastes of our time: diets, fads, snake oil, magic pills, and items ordered off of late-night infomercials. But hey, we learned from each of those experiences.

What matters is that the pact is still true.

We put effort into being healthy, for our kids, for each other, and for ourselves.

We keep showing up.