John M. Rowley’s BodyBlog

Before I begin I wanted to let you know that my new book is now available.  you can go to www.johnmrowley.com and click on the book or go to and order Climb YOUR Ladder of Success Without Running Out of Gas!  It is the very first success book that brings the bodybuilding lifestyle into the equation! http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=climb+your+ladder+of+success
+without+running+out+of+gas&z=y

Let’s get right to the point.  Anything in life worth pursuing will require some investment of energy on your part.  Did you know that most people don’t fail in life because they lack the ability, the intelligence or the skill? They fail because they run out of emotional, physical and spiritual gas while climbing the ladder of success. They simply don’t have the energy to succeed.  You can have the best education, outstanding skills, be highly intelligent and possess all the ability in the world and still fail!  That’s right, you can have it all and still fall flat on your face. It happens every day!  The reverse is also true, you can be lacking in those attributes and still become a raving success.  Don’t you know someone like that?  They shouldn’t be successful but they are?  Success lies not in what you have but in what you DO with what you have. You must have the energy to fuel your passions, abilities and skills in order to be successful.

Is lack of energy stopping you from fulfilling your destiny?  Are you too tired to do all the things you want to do or worse yet, all the things you need to do?  Are you living a life of passion or are you just going through the motions?  If you can relate to not having enough “oomph” to get through the day, much less fulfill your destiny, you are not alone.

People from all walks of life are too tired to pursue their destinies.  Their spirits may be willing, but their bodies and minds are tired.  Success requires energy!  Energy is the fuel to ignite passion and passion is the engine of success! Everyone is created to operate at peak performance and to pursue their passions, yet lifestyle choices can stop us from really living.  Right choices will quickly give you energy to live a life of passion!  Isn’t that encouraging? All you need to do is change a few things and you can have the life of your dreams.

Success comes from what you do, not from what you have.

Let me share someone’s life history with you.  This was a man who:

This man was Abraham Lincoln.

Could he have become President of the United States if he didn’t “keep on keeping on”?  This man did not give up.   He was also very energetic and fit.  He kept pushing forward in life until he succeeded.  He must have been very passionate about what he was doing.  He was willing to put in the required energy to pursue his dreams and to change a nation.  I bet old Abe also changed himself in the process.  Abe Lincoln is an example in perseverance and determination.  He may not have been the smartest, most educated or best looking man of his time but he certainly used what he was given and didn’t give up on his dream.

My friend Brian  McLaughlin sent this to me to help me keep my spirits up when I was struggling   I kept this timeline of Abe Lincoln’s life over my desk for many years to help me persevere through some tough times.  .  I have been one step from being homeless. I have had times when our family didn’t have food to eat. We have had our electricity turned off, our water turned off and we have had to give back a car we didn’t want to. We have had the sheriff at our door giving us an eviction notice and we have had times when we couldn’t afford medical care for our children or ourselves.  We had the Revenue Department take every penny we had without notice. I have been put in jail.  I have lost more than one business…but I have never, ever given up.

For year’s people, especially family, criticized me, laughed at me or were embarrassed by me. They didn’t encourage me.  They wanted me to give up. Because they couldn’t do something I was pursuing, they thought I couldn’t do it either.  I didn’t accept that.  Did I have times of despair?  You bet!  Did I have any doubt that I could make it?  Yes!   But I knew, without a doubt, that if I gave up that I definitely wouldn’t make it. I also knew that if I could overcome failure enough times that I would ultimately prevail.

I had people kicking me when I was down but I was blessed to have the most important person in my life, my wife Cathy, struggle through this with me.   She believed in me and told me so.  Even in the midst of it all, she believes in me.  All this to say, that I feel qualified to encourage you and tell you that no matter where you are today, as long as you “keep on keeping on”, you can succeed tomorrow!  Invest the energy to get yourself going in the right direction and you will overcome all the odds, no matter how great they seem at this moment.  Education or lack there of, isn’t the issue.  The real issue is, are you willing to do what it takes to get what you want?  Well, are you?  I think you are or you wouldn’t be reading this book.   I feel we are kindred spirits because I know you may be where I was and I want you to know that you can do it!  You were created for greatness!

Walt Disney

This quote by Walt Disney has been hanging on my office wall for decades.  Also in my office, are 2 checks that paid my membership many years ago when I first joined R&J Health Studio LONG before I realized my dream of owning it and a jar of coal my Dad gave me for Christmas.  I know it sounds like an odd combination but let me explain.  All of the above, are there because I was bold enough to take the challenge from Walt Disney to Think, Believe, Dream and Dare. 

I grew up being told not to dream.  “You are such a dreamer, why don’t you grow up!”  I would be told time and time again as a child.  Then when I got older and had a family, I constantly had people close to me reminding me that I shouldn’t dream.  I had a family to support.    I am being selfish and childish.   I am not smart enough, educated enough or good enough to do the things I want to achieve.  I should just settle for my lot in life.  People will discourage you because they know they can’t do it.  Let me tell you right now, if you are hearing things like that, don’t listen!  Those words are right out of the pit of hell.  Let no man dictate what you can and can not do.  You were created for greatness.    I am very fortunate that the most important person in my life, my beautiful wife Cathy, has always encouraged me and told me to focus on my dreams and to be all I could be.  I am truly blessed with a wonderful encourager for a wife.

The reason I have Walt Disney’s quote hanging on my office wall next to the check to R&J Health Studio and a jar of coal sitting on my desk, is for a daily reminder to myself that if I DO think, believe, dream and dare, I can achieve what seems to be the impossible.  When I was a young man, I talked about owning a gym just like R&J Health Studio and I was constantly shot down by everyone but my wife.  You may be getting the same thing with your speaking career.  When other can’t do it the want you to fail as well.  They may start by discouraging you and then by offering you what seems to be “good advice” to short circuit your success.  It is your job to push through to success.

Yes, I did buy R&J Health Studio and the years I owned it were some of the best years of my life.  The coal on my desk was given to me by my dad.  I had just gotten into Manhattan real estate at William B. May on Madison Avenue and that very Christmas, Dad gave me and my brothers a jar of coal to remind us of our family roots.  My dad’s ancestors were coal miners in Pennsylvania.   But for me it held an additional meaning.  One of my duties while working in a New York City  Public School was to shovel coal into boilers to heat the building.  A LOT of coal.  Not only did I shovel the coal into the boiler, but I had to bring the coal from the coal pit to the boiler.  Then after the coal was burned, I had to clean out all the ash, put it into the cans and bring the ash cans up out to the street for pick up.  It was physically exhausting, filthy work.  I kept that jar of coal on my desk as a reminder that regardless of how many challenges I may have in the business world, it could be worse.  I could be back in the boiler room breathing in coal dust and shoveling coal into a boiler.  There is nothing wrong with shoveling coal, it is good honest work, but the thought leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. (pun not intended)  You see, I had people telling me that I should be doing just that – ONLY that - all the while, trying to discourage me from trying to “conquer the world”.  For me, I would rather not have to do it again…, ever.

Most people are not being malicious when they try to discourage you from striving for outstanding success.  They are just voicing their own fears.  To them, failure is the worst thing that can happen.  To ME failure is simply a part of success and not trying is failure.  Let them keep their fear and negativity I don’t want any part of it and neither should you.  Remember, success and failure aren’t’ opposites, they are neighbors separated by a thin line… by a single decision… the decision not to quit.

I once heard that Walt Disney wouldn’t even take on a project unless every person on his board of directors told him not to do it!  You heard right…not to do it!  He believed that if everyone agreed with him, that he wasn’t thinking big enough.  He also said “We did it (referring to Disneyland), in the knowledge that most of the people I talked to, thought it would be a financial disaster - closed and forgotten within the first year.”  Good thing for us old Walt didn’t listen to those people.   What should you be doing that you are holding back on, out of fear?  What great dream have you had that others told you was impossible or that you were nuts to even consider?  Should you be speaking more often or starting that book that is in your heart?  If Walt Disney is any example, the very things you “aren’t” doing may be your road to greatness.  Go for it!  Pursue your dreams with passion and enthusiasm and I will see you on top of your ladder of success!