It’s New Year’s Eve, and I’ve got a fantastic story my friend Will told me yesterday afternoon.
You’re going to have to read for yourself, but would you buy the knife or the scissors?
In Will’s words:
When I was in college, one of my good friends worked in a scuba diving shop. I hung out there all the time while she was working.
New people would wander into the store – either folks working on their first dive certification or just thinking about taking up scuba – and they’d always end up at the display case where the store kept the dive knives.
If you’ve ever been diving you know that your knife has 2 jobs.
- To cut any loose ropes or fishing line that get wrapped around you or marine life you find. This happens a lot. There is a ton of line that’s been cut off boats and thrown overboard floating around out the ocean.
- To give you something heavy to bang on your air tank. This makes a nice, loud noise. It’s useful when you need to get your dive buddy’s attention. Because shouting, “Hey Jim, look at this,” doesn’t work super well 60 feet below the surface.
But the truth is knives really suck at the first job.. And they kind of suck at the second.
Modern rope and fishing line is designed to withstand cutting at it with a knife.
That sawing action is very similar to the wear and tear of the line rubbing against something sharp during heavy use. 90% of the time you don’t want that action to sever the rope. So, it’s designed to hold up to that.
As for the second use… Holding a sharp thing by the blade and swinging it around behind your back… That can end badly if you aren’t careful.
What you really want is a pair of diving shears.
These are stainless steel scissors designed to cut through line quickly and easily.
Plus, only the inside edge of the scissor blade is sharpened.
So when they are closed, and you’re banging them on your air tank, you aren’t using a razor sharp sliver of metal as a handle.
Now, the person at the counter would explain this to every person who came over and asked what knife the shop recommended.
The customer would nod. They’d say that makes sense. Then 97% of them would pick up the biggest knife they could fit in their hand.
They’d heft the knife, maybe swing it around a little, trying to get a feel for its weight.
They’d nod to themselves.
And you could just hear the internal dialogue they were nodding along to:
“Yeah… I could totally use this to fight off a shark.”
Every last one of them bought the knife.
Because that was the problem keeping them up at night.
A lifetime of Jaws and shark week had given them a vivid collection of mental images.
They knew exactly what being eaten by a shark would look like.
And people don’t buy the product that best solves a practical problem.
So, would you buy the knife or the scissors? Sadly, I think I would have bought the knife.
And damnit, if that doesn’t sum up the fitness industry to the tee (yes, pun intended).
The real benefits of getting into shape and losing fat…well, health.
We get sick less.
We have more energy.
We cut our risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc.
We add decades to our lives.
BUT…
What do the diet companies sell?
They sell looking good in our swim trunks.
They sell being attractive and desired.
Because THAT is the emotional problem we’re all trying to fix.
In other words, that is the shark we see when we close our eyes.
And we bought $250 billion worth of their marketing BS this year. And I’m no different.
Too often, I talk about all the noble benefits of why I work out, but looking good is where I find the motivation on the days when I’m not feeling it.
So, let’s finally be honest with ourselves, and go with it.
But, please don’t give the diet industry one more cent. It’s unnecessry.
Here is your free 18STRONG Diet Stack. It’s the step-by-step blueprint we’ve “perfected” over the years to ensure our guys lose fat, and keep it off.
You bet your ass if you dedicate yourself, you can use it turn the heads of all the hot moms at the pool. I don’t wanna brag, but I turned a few heads this past year.
Here’s to sprained necks at the pool in 2022!
Your #1 Fan,
Jeff Pelizzaro
PS – I’ve given you the plan to start changing your diet habits, one at a time. So, what’s next?
Once you lose the fat, what’s underneath is finally going to see the light of day. What’s gonna get those heads whipping around? A scrawny guy? Or, a muscle-toned athlete?
If you choose the latter, then I highly recommend you check out the muscle building programs in the 18STRONG App.
You can test drive it for the first seven days just to make sure you love it. So, you’ve got nothing to lose.
Here’s the link: https://www.go18strong.com/app-test-drive