My Journey into Health & Wellness
This is an ordinary man’s story. You won’t hear how I overcame overwhelming odds, such as a horrible accident or injury. You won’t hear how I overcame the tragic loss of a loved one. No, this is a story about a man being the best he can be, so he can bring out the extraordinary in everyday people.
It was the year 2000 and I had been working for the City of Naperville for 20 years when I asked myself these questions. "Is this it? Is this all there is? Is this what I really want to do?" Do you know what my answers were to those questions? ...NO!
Now don’t get me wrong, working for the city has been great. I make good money, I have a good retirement built up and I have great benefits. It’s very safe and very secure. Who wouldn’t want a safe and secure job right! But you know what I saw in that safety and security? I saw a trap. A trap which so often prevents people from fulfilling their life’s destiny.
How many times have you heard someone say ... "When I retire I’m going to," or "If I ever won the lottery I would," or "I’m waiting for my ship to come in." Perhaps you may have even said some of those things yourself.
Life is short, the days turn into weeks, the weeks into months and months into years and before you know it life is over and you didn’t accomplish much or any of those things in life that you wanted to.
If you’re waiting for opportunity to arrive it will seldom just come knocking on your door. You actually have to go out and make things happen. Don’t wait! Make it happen now. I have!
What do you really want to do with your life? What is your true passion? Personally, I listened to my heart. It is what writer and speaker Deepak Chopra calls "intention." It is what motivational speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer calls "the power of intention." Basically, what makes you happy, what fills your heart, what makes you passionate and joyful?!
I have always had a passion for taking care of myself through exercise and eating properly. I have also had a great love for sports. So I decided to show people how to take better care of themselves by becoming a certified personal trainer. At first I thought that personal training was going to be the only thing I wanted to do, but as I have gotten deeper into the Health & Wellness industry I have found that there is so much more.
What else did I do? To further my love of sports I got certified as a track coach, and now I help young athletes to increase their performance in their respective sports. I also teamed up with a nutritional research company called Pharmanex which sells high quality supplements to help people improve their health. I also got involved with Toastmasters International to help improve my presentation skills so I can do health and wellness presentations with style.
I also decided to not allow money to be the reason that drives me. If you allow money to be your guiding force, you are in it for the wrong reason. Again let your heart be your guide. I have a personal training friend of mine who has a great saying in regards to that. My friend Joanne says ... "If it comes from your heart, your wallet will fill. If it comes from your wallet, it is not heart filled!"
I’ve learned a lot in owning my own business. It takes a lot of time and some sacrifices, but it also is filled with excitement, passion and satisfaction knowing that people come to me to help improve their lives! I am continually learning new and better ways to improve myself so I can help others. Satisfaction is a great gift!
Don’t leave this world saying; should’ve, would’ve, could’ve. There is life, and there is death, but we do have time in-between. So let’s stop wasting time. Seek out your destiny and fulfill it... TODAY! For life is precious.
I wish you well on your journey.
Brian's Biography
I am certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a personal trainer and also certified by USA Track & Field (USATF) as a Level 1 track coach. NASM is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and USATF is the governing body for track and field in the United States.
I have been a State of Illinois sprint champion both indoors and outdoors at distances of 55, 100, 200 & 400 meters in the 45-49 age masters division through USA Track & Field in 2005 & 2006. I have also been a gold medalist in the 60 meter dash and a silver medalist in the 200 & 400 meter dashes at the 2006 USATF Midwest Indoor Regional in the 45-49 age group.
Before my success as a master’s sprint champion I have competed as an amateur bodybuilder. I took 2nd place in the 1991 Midwest Natural Classic as a light heavyweight and 6th place in the 1994 Rockford Natural Open as a middleweight. I plan on competing again in 2008 as a natural master’s bodybuilder at the ripe old age of ... 47!
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| Posed and ready for action | 47 and super fit! | Brian pictured with my friend, mentor and business partner Tim Graf of Graf Speed Enhancement |
