This is a story of boy meets tennis ball. It was November 2010 and my life was at rock bottom. My ma

This is a story of boy meets tennis ball.

It was November 2010 and my life was at rock bottom. My marriage was in its death throes, I was burnt out personally, professionally, spirtually and I didn’t know if I would be alive the next year and frankly I didn’t care. It was a tennis ball of all things, that I came face to face with and couldn’t handle (see my TEDx talk at TinierTim.com/TED for more on this).

This neon green symbol was something I was angry with at first, but eventually became a beacon of hope that told me the most important message an obese kid who is about to give up could hear:

“YOU CAN DO THIS.”

And so I started with baby steps, finding a way to make small changes that yielded small results. I met with personal trainers and nutritional coaches who helped me devise a plan that I was able to stick to. Most importantly, they told me something and these plans showed me the one thing that I needed to hear over and over.

“YOU CAN DO THIS.”

And so it goes. I managed to lose one pound and then another. Like Michelangelo said about the Statue of David, once I chipped away the excess, the physical TinierTim was inside the whole time. I dealt with the mental issues, seeking out the best counselors and overcoming a lifetime of learned helplessness until all that was left was the message that I share every single day when I tell my story:

“YOU CAN DO THIS.”

The BS excuses you’ve been telling yourself are kindle for the fire of your passion and dreams. Use them. Don’t have time? Focus on shorter, harder workouts. Don’t have money to eat healthy? Learn to grocery shop on a budget and save money by cutting out dessert. Slow metabolism? Start exercising and watch that metabolism take care of itself.

Once you dump all the weight and all the excuses, you’ll prove me right and join your voice with the thousands of other successful Transformation Tuesday stories screaming all over the internet today:

“YOU CAN DO THIS!”