Change your habits. Change your life. The seemingly insignificant routines you do today can have a dramatic effect on your life long-term. Why not regain control? In this fun, practical guide, you’ll learn tactics to eat healthier, exercise weekly, save money, quit smoking, and master other common habits dudes struggle with.
Want to get control of your habits but think those changes are beyond you? John Weiler and I catch-up to chat about how even an ordinary dude can get his life moving forward with life-changing habits. John, first up I have to say that I love the title of your book. What inspired you to take an ordinary dude’s perspective on habits?
To me, it seemed like the logical follow-up to my first book in this series—An Ordinary Dude’s Guide to Meditation. I always tell people, meditation is easy. You basically just sit or lie still. The hard part is forming the habit.
That said, this book is not specifically about the meditation habit (though it is touched on). It’s more about common habits ordinary dudes struggle with.
Have you struggled to make habits?
Yes, in 2017 I changed eight habits. So I talk about this experience throughout the book, as well as my experience changing dozens of habits throughout my life.
After changing dozens of habits in your life you obviously have a great understanding of how to get change done. What do you feel is the most important thing people need to remember when they’re trying to make big changes in their life?
It’s okay to fail. I feel a lot of people get discouraged when attempting to change habits and then just give up. Failure is part of the process though. We all failed hundreds of times when we were kids…learning to walk, talk or ride a bike. Changing a habit is the same thing. Our society tends to promote the idea that as adults we are grown up and really aren’t improving anymore. But it’s not true. We never stop growing.
If you failed at your habit, maybe you set your expectations too high. So start small. Instead of jumping into a 5-day a week workout, start with a day or two. Then build on that.
I love that you’re reminding adults that they’re still building themselves and their habits. It really is true. So, what steps did you take to build your own habits in the writing arena while you were writing this book?
Stay on brand. I wrote the entire first draft in the wrong tone of voice. I was reading a lot of Jon Morrow at the time and that seeped into the writing. His voice is great, but the Ordinary Dude voice is a bit different. It’s not as dramatic and doesn’t go as dark as Jon Morrow sometimes does.
Despite struggling with getting that tone right, do you find the act of writing energising, or is it exhausting?
Energizing. I love writing today and have since I was a kid.
Awesome! I love it when people have kept their love of writing alive since childhood. And when that happens I find the writer has another book in the wings. What other writing projects are you working on?
I’m working on a few more Ordinary Dude Guides. Hope to have them both out early next year.
Good luck with them! Those ordinary dudes can do anything! Do you have any additional ordinary dude wisdom that you’d like to impart to us before you return to your writing today?
I would certainly like to express my gratitude to my friends, family, and the fans who have bought the book, left reviews, subscribed to my email list, and spread the word about the Ordinary Dude guides.
You guys are great. I could in no way do this without you, so thank you.
No-one ever gets there alone, and I’m so glad to see that you have a team behind you ready to spread the word about the Ordinary Dudes. John, thanks so much for bringing a touch of ordinary awesomeness to our chat, and I can’t wait to see where your series goes next!
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Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘An Ordinary Dude’s Guide to Habit ( ASIN: B07JC7RZSC )‘.
Want to find out more about John Weiler? Connect here!