So what, a guy loses weight through diet and exercise, how is that a story?

I know this is what some people think about my Operation Melt journey, my blog and my book. People lose weight all the time and it is usually (not always) just about math. Eat fewer calories than you burn through exercise and you lose weight. Why is my story unique and why should you care?

My story is not about weight loss, it is about personal transformation and that is why it matters.

Yes I lost an impressive amount of weight in a short time. I feel better physically. I can run a half marathon, deadlift my body weight and, soon, bench press my body weight. My heart is in great shape and my blood pressure is self-regulating versus using medication. I am in the best health of my entire life. All of that is true and I am proud of all of it. But that isn’t my story.

What I am most proud of is that I succeeded with a goal that I had essentially given up on ever being able to pursue. I almost gave up on a goal before even trying because it was too hard. I had no confidence in my ability to succeed. I was so intimidated and scared of failing that I almost let my goal die of loneliness.

Instead of letting my goal die of loneliness I made a different decision. I decided to try. I decided to apply lessons I have been teaching people for most of my adult life through project management, leadership development and mentoring. I chose to go all-in and walk the talk and have faith in the outcome.

I decided to have a little bit of confidence in myself.

This is where my true story lies. My story is that it is within your power to choose to build a different life when your current life isn’t working for you. It is also about learning to live by your own playbook instead of following somebody else’s rules.

Will my project management based approach work for everybody? I like to think it will but maybe not. On the other hand my broader story is universally applicable. You have power over your own life and it is time to create your own proud, inspirational story. It is time to take that first step and give yourself the chance to succeed versus deciding that your goal is too hard to even try. It is time to stop letting your goals die of loneliness.

Is there a chance that you will fail? Absolutely! But wouldn’t you rather have some confidence in yourself and give yourself a chance to succeed? Even if you do fail wouldn’t you prefer to say you tried and that you gave it your best?

The results of my story aren’t just physical. There were many unexpected benefits that I experienced and continue to experience every day. One of these unexpected benefits is that I am way more confident in myself and my ability to succeed at anything that is important to me. I have more self-confidence than I have had in 20 years.

Some of my new-found confidence stems from unlearning some bad behaviors. I had let the world teach me to doubt myself and my abilities – that was learned behavior! I let the world tell me that I had to follow a certain playbook of continually climbing the corporate ladder with no focus on myself along the way. I let the world tell me that I was just my job, I was just a doer and that my voice didn’t matter.

That old me is gone and the new me has choices and great power. I am going to be myself. I am going to tell my story. I am going to sing my song. I have a calling, a philosophy and a process that makes it successful.

Most importantly I am going to make an impact on the world by helping others learn to do what I did. And that doesn’t mean that anybody else has to lose a single pound. Not all goals have to do with health and fitness but all goals deserve a chance.

Does this sound like a story of weight loss to you?

The best part is that you can have a similar story. If you try, if you take the risk, if you have confidence in yourself you can also succeed at building your best life. I sincerely hope that my story can help you. I know that we can all work together to build a world where goals never die of loneliness!