Pat Flynn: Get Fit with a Generalist Mindset – Ep. 169
“The world is so obsessed with specialists and that to be successful, you have to specialize in something. However, that was never good advice for me. I could never really compete head to head on a lot of things. But, I’m good to great at many different things and by stacking those different skills, I can still find success.” – Pat Flynn on the benefits of being a Generalist and focusing on being good at many different skills than just one.
Pat Flynn, Founder of Chronicles of Faith, has many different interests. Even though he originally studied Accounting, Finance, and Economics, he was also a talented writer who turned to fitness. Moreover, even though he has written about 101 Kettlebell Workouts, he likes to mix up his workouts and is focusing now on movements used in gymnastics.
Pat Flynn is not a Specialist who focuses on one area. He is a Generalist who has a combined focus on developing multiple skills that will give him a competitive advantage and creative spirit.
For anyone who has believed for years that you have to be the best at just one thing – be amazing at one type of exercise or follow just 1 diet for the rest of their lives, this episode is for you. In this episode, we’ll discover that to become the best you, you have to give 80% effort in what you want to accomplish. Why not 100% effort? You’ll find out!
BONUS! Devon and I share what happened to us when we decided to give up caffeine for a week! So, how did it go? I’ll give you a hint, it was not our best week ever.
Why Become a Generalist?
“I believe that humans are meant to be Generalists and that’s why we’re at the top of the food chain because we can adapt and become good at many different things compared to skilled animals.” – Pat Flynn
There are so many benefits to having a Generalist Mindset such as:
- Get to enjoy the process more
- Don’t get burnt out
- Have a lot of interests to use to your advantage
- There are more things to practice and learn
It might sound too good to be true, but to really accomplish anything as a Generalist, all you have to do is give 80% effort.
But why not 100%? Generalists give 80% effort, not 100% in whatever skill they want to be good at because it’s achievable with just 1 hour compared to 8 or more. In fact, when it comes right down to it, there’s not a whole lot that we can actually control like our genetics and natural-born skills.
80% skilled at anything is still incredible. No one can be a master at everything, but we can get great at anything.
How To: Kettlebell Goblet Squat
A Generalist Approach to Fitness
Becoming a short-term specialist is the key to generalization.
Take an 80% approach to fitness by just trying to become a short-term specialist and then focus on something else. Don’t try everything at once because you’ll lose focus. Decide how far you’ll go in each approach and what you’ll focus on when you do train to improve that skill.
People who get quicker results early on by focusing on small achievements will see a lot of success in the future. By focusing on specific aspects of fitness, it will really boost the confidence and momentum we need to keep working hard towards getting fit.
Our Connection with Nutrition
With nutrition, some people do need some more restriction to help them eat in moderation and it works really well for them. Each one of us has an individual, intuitional connection to food.
In some cases, that means that people could benefit from meal replacements and supplements like protein shakes for both short term and long term results. Having a protein shake is a very easy and powerful way to control hunger and get the nutrition to fuel before and heal after workouts. Not only that, but they also help us achieve calorie deficits to lose weight.
Some people will find that protein shakes are a very convenient, easy method to losing weight compared to dieting.
A Behavior-Based Focus
Behavior-based goals will ultimately help help us shift the mindset from self-shaming to enjoying the process. The better focused you are on the process that’s happening right now, the happier you’ll be. No one single form of success that we achieve is ever enough so don’t get trapped in the success trap.
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What You’ll Hear on This Episode
00:00 Open Sky Fitness Introduction
1:15 Opening comments with Rob and Devon
1:50 Check out last week’s episode – Episode 168 – Blood Type Diet, Earthing, Over-Training & More
2:30 Join a great health and wellness community with the Open Sky Fitness Facebook Group!
3:50 Learn about our new 8 Week Body Weight Challenge
4:40 Devon and Rob tried to go without caffeine for a week!
8:10 What caffeine withdrawal can look like even with a daily single cup of coffee
11:45 How caffeine compares between different beverages
18:00 The withdrawal syndromes Rob has been going through since giving up coffee this week
23:30 How to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms when decreasing caffeine intake
27:20 Learn how to apply for One-On-One Coaching Sessions with Rob and Devon
29:30 Introduction to Pat Flynn of Strength Chronicles
40:30 Why Pat labels himself as a Generalist or Minimalist
43:30 Why Pat turned to minimalism and started focusing on writing about health and fitness
47:10 How can we apply being a Generalist to our lives?
50:00 Why Pat has been focusing on developing gymnastics skills for his fitness
53:00 How we can become Generalists with nutrition?
54:45 The specific challenges that Pat Flynn offers on his website
57:00 The concept of periodization for weight loss and getting fit
58:00 Specific types of foods including in Pat’s program
1:00:40 Behavior-based goals and creating unbreakable routines
1:07:00 Making an honest connection with people about their health and wellness by being authentic
1:11:50 Where a person should start first to improve their health according to Pat
1:13:00 Closing comments with Rob and Devon
1:16:20 Open Sky Fitness Closing
RESOURCES MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW:
- Leave us an iTunes review
- Join the The Open Sky Fitness Podcast Group on Facebook
- Contact Rob and Devon to apply for One-On-One Coaching Sessions
- Check out last week’s episode for Episode 168 – Blood Type Diet, Earthing, Over-Training & More
- Connect with Pat Flynn of Chronicles of Strength via
- Get Pat’s latest books and workouts:
- Learn about Private Coaching with Pat Flynn
- Read the article, Set Behavior-Based Goals
- Listen to Pat’s interview with Dan John: 9 Invaluable Lessons on Lifting and Life
- Learn more about Lifting and Throws Coach, Dan John
- Read Mass Made Simple by Dan John
- Find out more about Dr. Spencer Nadolsky
- Check out OSF Episode 33 with Chris Brogan on Treating Your Body Like a Fortune 500 Company
- Listen to OSF Episode 94 with Dr. Charlie Weingroff on How to Build Your Health & Fitness Team
- Learn about Proper Weight Lifting Techniques with Mike Israetel on OSF Episode 80
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Thanks for listening/reading Episode 169 with Pat Flynn: Pat Flynn: Get Fit with a Generalist Mindset! We hope you have gained more knowledge on how to be a healthier you.
