HEART WARMING INSPIRATION TO CONTINUE TO "PAY IT FORWARD"

I was so excited today as Jeff MacInnis accepted my invitation to speak before a group of nearly 60 financial advisors who had flown into San Diego from all over the U.S., Canada & Europe to hear me give a talk about better organizing their businesses.

Now, just to remind you... Jeff MacInnis was instrumental in my journey into health & fitness. You see in the fall of 2004 when I had that important dinner where I debated internally whether to "make up my mind" once & for all to take charge of my health & fitness.... I was so cautious to say anything outloud because I knew my two friends present would hold me accountable.

One was my close friend Bill Bachrach, who had been gently encouraging me with compassion for more than five years to focus on my health (and NEVER gave up on me... even as I hit 313 pounds). The other person at that dinner was my Olympic athlete buddy Jeff MacInnis. When I finally shared my commitment with these two dear friends... they gave me encouragement, hope and their willingness to support me. NOTE: Who in your life loves you enough to consistently tell you what you need to hear... not just what you want to hear? They'll tell you when your fly is down, you have spinach stuck in your teeth and, when asked,... "I care about you enough that I want you to live a long high quality of life and 'Mark, right now you need to refocus your attention on your health & fitness'"

Then Jeff took the lead and led me to his team of physical trainers, registered dieticians, physio-therapists and others on his team of experts. Jeff set me up to train exactly like an Olympic athlete.

So..... today Jeff stood before my group and told the story from his perspective. He told the group that I made the commitment, followed the process and was willing to take the advice of experts all along the way. He told them that I measured and tracked closer than any athlete he's known other than Lance Armstrong. Lance Armstrong! He actually compared my training to Lance's. Jeff not only inspired many people today by challenging them with "So, What's your Race?"

But the most amazing thing is this. After his talk, four people approached the stage to share with him that they had seen me talk more than a year ago.... and it inspired them to get lighter, healthier & fitter. Jeff scurried to his bag, extracted a video cam and interviewed these folks' inspiring stories of "taking charge of their health." I'll always remember the image of one fellow pulling out a photo of himself last year and sharing his story of losing more than 40 pounds. AMAZING!

I'm so grateful and humbled to be able to help people plant a stake in the ground like that for themselves. Thank you Jeff! I will always be grateful and pledge to continuing to "pay it forward."