Keith JonesMay 27, 2016

Gabe and I met a few years ago when his wife Lora asked me to speak at an event she was hosting at her hair salon, Lora Moon Styling. Lora has a calm, positive energy that makes you say yes to invitations. When I arrived at the event and met Gabe, I was touched by his welcoming aura. Little did I know we would become great friends a few years later. Our friendship has become one where we can be open, vulnerable, imperfect and champions.

Last July, Gabe came to a spin class for the first time. Lora lovingly asked me to invite him as she was concerned about his health and weight. Gabe did very well on the bike for someone who doesn’t work out at that intensity. When class was over, he thanked me and everyone around him for the encouragement and support. And, he said he wanted to come back next week. By the end of the month, he added two 4:30 am classes to his schedule. I was seriously impressed. Not one to pressure people, I gently invited him to a Sunday resistance training session. This is the workout that tests your commitment. Gabe said yes again. He did great. His attitude was “off the charts” good.

After a month of training with Gabe four days a week, I asked him to consider partnering with me to realize some big goals. Gabe wanted to achieve optimal health and be a role model for his family. My aspirations were all about learning what I needed so we could inspire other people to play BIG with their health and life goals. I wanted to share the power and awesomeness of the ToBeRe… and 2BeRe-U communities with the world. Backed by an amazing group of friends and members, I would give Gabe unprecedented support on his journey and he would help me grow into a better person along the way.

Gabe set an incredible goal for himself. Lose 100 pounds. So far he’s lost 70 pounds. (Watch Gabe’s Journey). He committed himself to exercise, nutrition and making the mental shift necessary to accomplish his goal and maintain it. He called it his ThinkFit Journey since the mental game is such a big part of being fit physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

While Gabe was losing weight, he pushed me to grow in many areas of my life. Thanks to him, I’m becoming a better communicator, more compassionate supporter and humble servant. When I’ve become obsessive about all the things we must do to realize our shared goal of inspiring others to take charge of their health and happiness, he’s reminded me to relax and breathe.

Here’s one example of Gabe’s friendship in action. Every Wednesday we carpool to a 4:15 am workout. I usually have a motivational podcast going when he gets in the car. On this particular morning, Gabe tells me how sore he is from the Sunday workout. Without fully listening, I tell him it’s temporary and to push through because the stakes are high – his health and our mission to help others. We go back and forth for 15 minutes. With each passing minute, we get more passionate about the point we are trying to make. Gabe doesn’t want to do walking lunges anymore and I want him to take my advice on how to minimize the soreness. It’s clear neither of us is listening. Then at the end of my riff, Gabe says, “Keith, we will get to the goal. What’s most important to me is our friendship. Everything else is unimportant if we lose that.” In that moment, my friend and teacher brought me back to what matters first and most. Unconditional Friendship. This is just one example of the incredible friendship we’ve formed around health, happiness and service to others.

Gabe and I are the best of friends. And we are unwavering in our support to help each other be our best. Gabe continues to eat healthy daily, makes all his workouts and still does walking lunges. In addition, he creates a space for me where I can share my challenges and failures without fear of judgment. My support of Gabe remains at the highest level. We laugh and cry together. We celebrate each other’s successes. We keep each other track. And we love each other. We have a big mission to make a difference in the world. And with a commitment and friendship like ours, I know we will.

Keith