Dear Nerd Fitness reader,

Today is certainly one of the most important, exciting, terrifying, and bittersweet moments of my life.  A few weeks back, I informed my company Sixthman that I would be leaving the company to work on this website full time.

That’s right, I’m devoting all of my time and energy to Nerd Fitness and the Rebellion.

Today will be my last day of work here in the office, and then tomorrow I depart for the Bahamas along with a dozen of my college friends for a wedding on Harbour Island.  That day of the wedding also happens to be my 26th birthday; I’ve enjoyed the first twenty-five years on this planet; I’m eager to see what’s I’m capable of in the next twenty five and beyond.

Why I Made This Decision.

Nerd Fitness has become something bigger than just a guy and a blog; it is now a full-blown community of people turning their lives around and helping others do the same. After many sleepless nights, I came to the realization that the longer I waited on putting my full effort behind this site, the tougher it would be for me to eventually take that leap.  I told myself, “if you’ve found what you’re meant to do, why wait any longer?”

Since starting Nerd Fitness sixteen months ago, my excitement for this site and its future has grown with each passing day.  Every new email, every new member to the NF message boards, and every new comment on the site makes me smile just a little bit bigger.  I know I’m doing something right.

There were a few other reasons that I really wanted to free up my time:

• I want to see my family more. My brother lives out in California, and my parents and sister live up in Massachusetts.  With me being down in Atlanta I only get to see them a few times a year, and often only for a day or two.  I want to have the freedom to go spend an expended period of time in both locations because I really do miss them.
• I want to travel more. Ever since discovering Chris Guillebeau’s Art of Nonconformity blog two years ago, I’ve become addicted to the concept of travel hacking.  There’s a whole world of travel hackers out there that I didn’t even know existed!  I now have 120,000 American Airline miles and 110,000 British Airways miles, enough for a few round trip flights to some pretty exotic locations.  I’ve already begun planning trips to Australia/New Zealand and Europe.  Why those locations? Why not!
• I want to acquire more skills. Yeah, I realize I sounded like Napoelon Dynamite there.  My hobbies are incredibly varied and mostly ridiculous; I want to learn more stuff and get better at the stuff I already know.  I want to get better at the piano, better at the guitar, start taking Capoeria classes (yup, breakdance fighting), become a better break dancer, go rock climbing and hiking, try out hashing, learn how to cook, take a kettlebell class, acquire more personal trainer certifications, read a lot more, etc.
• I want to volunteer more. I’ve been volunteering at the Children’s Hospital here in Atlanta for the past year and a half and it’s usually the most fulfilling part of my week.  I plan on identifying some other great organizations here in Atlanta that could use some help and go spend time with them.  If you live in Atlanta and are associated with any volunteer programs, let me know!
• I want to sleep. The past six months have been incredibly challenging for me as I’ve been truly burning the candle at both ends for my day job and Nerd Fitness.  Sleep and my own personal well-being have taken a backseat to everything else in my life and it’s really caught up to me recently.  I’m looking forward to actually taking care of my body, eating well, and getting more than a few hours of sleep a night.

What’s the Plan?

You’re probably wondering, “um, Steve…how is this a company if you’re not making any money yet?”

Great question.  Ultimately, I have big plans for this site and I can’t wait to get started on them (beginning with the Nerd Fitness rebel guide) – the only thing I’ve been running terribly short on lately is time.  I believe so strongly in this site and this community that I’m willing to “risk” my future for it.  I put risk in quotations because I believe strongly enough in myself to do whatever it takes to make this plan work.

When failure is the only other option, I will do whatever necessary to succeed.

In the meantime, I’ve got quite a few things in the works to cut my expenses way down until I’m turning a profit.  I plan on channeling my inner Baker by selling all of my crap that I no longer use – my digital piano, electric guitar and amp, old video games, dvds, and books.  I plan on channeling my inner Everett and Leo by living far more minimally than I’m used to.  I have some great contacts here in the Atlanta area and a few backup plans to help pay the bills until I’ve established a positive cash flow.

I am incredibly sad to be leaving Sixthman; coming to work for this company has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If you EVER get a chance to go on a Sixthman cruise, I guarantee you’ll have the time of your life.  I told myself the only way I’d ever leave this company would be to go work for myself – that day has finally come.

Hope is a Good Thing.

I’m headed to the Bahamas tomorrow, where I’ll be completely unplugged from the world for a few days.  I’ll celebrate my 26th birthday with my friends on Saturday, return to Atlanta on Sunday completely recharged and refreshed, and then Monday morning I’ll be putting on my “hard hat” and going to work for Nerd Fitness.

I leave you today with a slightly modified quote from my favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption:

“I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope Nerd Fitness will be successful. I hope to see my friends and shake their hands. I hope the Caribbean is as blue as it has been in my dreams.  I hope.”

Get ready.

-Steve

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