I was shocked upon waking up to an email this morning from Barbell Shrugged to learn of the passing of Chris Moore. A long-time member of the Barbell Shrugged podcast, Chris voice was so recognizable that I can still hear him telling me to live life with passion and follow your heart.
Chris was like a big brother. Full of advice on how to live life and screw normal. Be yourself and live in the moment. These are the things I take away from Chris Moore’s life. That, plus his luscious passion for good coffee.
Chris was a young dude. He’s a year younger than me and knowing that it really hit home. Am I doing the things in life he told me too? Am I living life to the fullest? Because, let’s be real. Life is short and we don’t know when it will be taken away from us. Chris is a prime example of this.
The one regret I have toward Chris is that I never took the time to thank him for the impact he had through his words on my life. Words are a powerful tool and Chris was very articulate in the way he used them.
I took him for granted by thinking one day I’ll say thank you. But that day will never come. At least not in this life. Knowing this, I thought it best to pay tribute to Chris life with this post. So Chris, if you’re reading this now…Thank you!
Go Forth, Sip Coffee, Lift Heavy, and Smile. – Chris Moore
Chris Moore – 10 Life Lessons
1) You Are What You Do – Think about it like this. You sit on the couch and eat Cheetos (the Do) then “You Are” going to get fat.
If you lift heavy and exercise often you will become Jacked and Strong. Results are made up of the actions you take. It’s your daily grind that makes you who you are.
Who are you? Can you answer this question? Not what your professional title is. Who gives a crap about your title besides your ego?
Think about your actions from day-to-day. Those actions define who you are. If you don’t like who you are, fix it. It’s a simple change in mindset that will lead to changes in your actions.
Become somebody. Check yourself.
2) Gratitude Towards Others – If you’ve ever listened to one of Chris Moore’s podcasts you’ll understand that he was a man of gratitude. He held a laundry list of individuals whom he admitted on more than one occasion helped him become the man he was.
Chris was a man of gratitude. Think about your own life. Who are the people that have helped you become a better person? Have you told them recently?
Let others know how much you appreciate them. Our time on Earth is short. Respect others and pursue happiness. That’s how you’ll become a better person.
It’s hard to be angry and depressed when you work everyday in pursuit of the things that make you happy. You can start by making small changes today. Hate your job? Start looking else where. Tired of working for the man? Start your own biz.
Develop your goals, come up with action steps on how to achieve them, take action. Quit with the excuses and find your own happiness. It’s out there. I promise.
3) Surround Yourself With Great People – Many have said this before but Chris lived it. He surrounded himself with good people and it is evident through all the success he obtained in both his personal and professional life.
You have to ask yourself this question when deciding to associate yourself with someone. Ask yourself, will this person help bring me up or is this person bringing me down? If you’re doing good things and growing but your friend isn’t, it’s time to find a new friend.
Let no one hold you back. I don’t care if it’s your freakin’ mother. You want success then you have to do the things successful people do. And what successful people don’t do is surround themselves with the weak.
Be strong and unwavering with this. There are those out there looking for a free-ride and will attempt to ride the success of others. Think about the big-time NBA players and the posse they tend to carry around. A bunch of punk “Yes-Men” looking for a handout.
You nor I may be in the NBA but the losers are a-plenty. Rid yourself of the leeches and be your own man.
4) Consistency Trumps Talent – Chris was consistent in his approach from day one. Whether that was lifting heavy barbells or lifting pen to paper, he was always doing it.
Do you want to be strong? Lift weights, but lift them frequently. You can’t half-ass anything and expect great results. Your reward is the amount of effort you put into it. Funny how that works.
It’s a lot like compound interest. By investing in yourself today with your approach to the things that really matter (consistency), you will be further ahead of the one who makes a huge deposit later down the road (talent).
5) Have Fun – Chris was never one big into mobility but he did know how to have fun. So what did he do? He used his kids to kill two birds with one stone.
Anyone who has kids knows they are 90 miles per hour, all day, every day. Use your kids to your advantage. Chase them around the house, get down on their level and be a kid again.
Hell, it doesn’t have to be your hatred of mobility that you have to make fun. It can be anything. Personally, I hate doing yard work. So, what do I do? I set the timer to finish it as quickly as possible. This serves 2 purposes. 1) It gets my mind off the suck-part of yard work. 2) I get the yard work done quickly.
6) Lift Heavy – This is one of my favorite things about Chris Moore. Dude loved to lift some weights. He had a passion for powerlifting and he was very good at it.
The world needs more Chris Moore’s. There are too many pansy-men out there full of excuses why they can’t do this or that. You want something, you go get that something. You want to be strong? Earn it. Put your time in under the barbell. You want to be Jacked? Dial in your nutrition.
Since writing “Six Weeks to Lean” I am often asked what someone should do to get Jacked like me. It’s flattering but I can normally sense the B.S. oozing out of that person.
How do I sense it? Because they’re not listening, they’re talking. Telling me what they’ve done that’s not working instead of listening to my advice and coming up with a plan.
I’ve given over 200 copies of my book away for free and sold a fair share as well. How many of those 200+ do you think have done something with the information? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
7) Never Stop Learning – Another observation we can take from Chris Moore was his thirst for knowledge. The man was always challenging his mind with the books he read.
Chris was able to bring his own style of personality not only in the podcasts he delivered but to the blog posts he wrote for us by way of his thirst for knowledge.
The man had insight and you don’t get insight without knowledge and personal experience. Chris had both and his followers were blessed with his willingness to share what he self-taught himself.
What knowledge can you acquire not only to challenge yourself but to challenge those around you?
8) Be Your Own Man – Chris was never one to back down from confrontation. Whether that was in his personal life or in the comments section of his blog posts. He stood by what he said and could care less if you didn’t agree with it.
People look for this in a leader and Chris Moore had a tribe of followers he lead each and every day. Be strong in your opinions. No one is going to follow a wishy-washy, go-with-the-flow, “I like what you like,” attitude.
Screw that. Be decisive. Know your position and stand there proudly. Forget what your so-called friends think and be your own person.
If we would all quit caring what other people think of us and do what we know we’re meant to do, we’ll all be a lot happier and care-free. It’s human-nature but this garbage has to stop.
What’s holding you back from the one thing you know you should be doing but aren’t? Is it someones opinion or what you think there opinion will be? If it’s either, throw that belief away and get going.
I recently quit my day job as a CPA to pursue my own line of work in health and fitness. I left a hefty salary but there was a cost to that nice paycheck. I wasn’t happy.
For the longest time, I worried what friends and family might think. Would they think I’m crazy? I’m certain of this.
Would they talk bad about me and my family? Probably, I’m sure some do. Do I lose any sleep at night over it? The answer is, “Hell, no.”
I’ve got more important things to worry about and I am a happier man each and every day for the decision I made.
9) Embrace Change – Chris Moore always had something cooking. From his role on Barbell Shrugged to his podcasts on Barbell Bhudda, books he authored and his most recent undertaking with Iron Heart Studios.
Chris was a mover and a shaker. An inspiration for myself and many others who never had the pleasure to meet him nor shake his hand. We can all take something away from the way he lived his life.
Do something and do it now. You nor I know when our lives will end. It could be today, tomorrow or 10 years from now. Live your life and go after your dreams. I assure you Chris Moore was living his dream and smiling the whole time he was doing it.
Get inspired and start inspiring. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Just go to YouTube and you’ll find video upon video on regret. If this post doesn’t fire you up to do something and make change happen then go search somewhere else until you find it.
Go live your life the way you imagine it and don’t waste another minute. This could be the last minute you’ve got.
10) Drink Coffee – The essence of productivity for me comes through my daily dose of coffee. Chris Moore was a coffee man like myself so I relate to him pretty well.
There’s some hate out there regarding how coffee is bad for you but I choose to ignore this so-called “hate” because of the many benefits it produces.
My morning routine always consist of me turning on the coffee brewer each and every morning. It’s one of the many things I look forward to upon waking up.
If you’re not a coffee-drinker my suggestion is to give it another shot. I find nothing has given me focus quite like coffee can.
Finally…
If you’d like to learn more about Chris Moore I’ve included links to his books below. You can also contribute to Chris’ “Iron Heart Fund” on the GoFundMe page setup in his honor.
- Way Past Strong
- Progress: Plan Better, Grow Stronger, Be Happy
- Get Change: A Guide to Becoming Something New
Until next time… Stay Jacked, Stay Strong.
