I just passed the 6-month mark of my blog. As of this writing, I have 1875 subscribers. In the blog world that subscription number is UNHEARD of for a new blog. By year's end I suspect I will be close to 5000 subscribers (July 1st, 2012) which absolutely blows me away.
I realize that sounds like I am bragging (perhaps I am just a little bit...damn you ego!), but that is not why I bring up that nifty little stat.
You see I have been able to accomplish this by BREAKING ALMOST EVERY MAJOR BLOGGING RULE OUT THERE.
That's right, I don't follow any of the traditional blogging rules that any sane blogger is supposed to follow.
1. You must do SEO to get your blog to rank in Google
I do zero Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for this blog and my posts. For those who don't know (or care) what that is, it simply means "smart" bloggers focus on key words that their niche is searching for on Google and then include those words in healthy doses throughout all their pages and blog posts.
But I have opted NOT to do that.
Why?
Because I am not writing for Google. I am writing for REAL PEOPLE who are looking for REAL SOLUTIONS to REAL PROBLEMS they suffer from.
2. You need to post content often.
Some say for best results you should post daily. Others say at least 4 or 5 times per week. For the last 10 weeks I have been posting once a week and now average between 50 and 120 new subscribers/week depending on the post.
Theoretically, this SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING! I should be floundering and yet I am flourishing.
But here is why I decided to post once a week. It is my experience that people are OVERWHELMED with the vast amounts of information in the Paleo world, especially those people just starting out. Ask a question and 10 people will tell you 10 different things.
My goal on this blog is simple: to UNDERWHELM you. I want to give you just one HIGH LEVERAGE idea to STUDY (not just read) each week that you can actually implement into your life NOW to create extraordinary transformation.
3. Keep posts short to accommodate people's short attention span online: somewhere between 500 to 800 words.
Well here is the word count for my last 5 posts.
- Top 9 challenges of being Paleo and what to do about them [2467 words]
- Paleo Success Story: 60+ pounds lost in 6 months [3767 words]
- How to create extraordinary [1560]
- Making Paleo Stick: 8 counter-intuitive ideas to improve the stickiness factor [1416]
- Paleo Case Study: Change or Die [2393]
As you can see I have blown that theory right out of the water. And here is why.
I'm not writing blog posts. I am writing LESSONS! I'm NOT looking to entertain you. I am looking to give you the tools to HELP YOU CREATE INCREDIBLE TRANSFORMATION! And my subscription results verify that people WANT this.
Seriously why are you telling us this...
I tell you this for two reasons.
First, there will be people in the PALEOSPHERE who will tell you how you MUST do this Paleo thing. I'm here to tell you that there are NO ABSOLUTES with this stuff, only guidelines which are meant to be bent, stretched, twisted and in some cases broken.
Second, like this blog, your GREATEST SUCCESSES will come from the rules that you decide to create for yourself for reasons that only need to make sense for you. (Translation: You don't give a rats ass if others don't understand or agree with what you are doing.)
So that said, I'm going to share 5 (from my list of 31 that I have) rules I wish I knew when I started this whole Paleo journey.
Your job is to take these rules and adapt them for you. Don't take these as gospel, but rather consider these as a possible framework for the personal philosophy you will be building out for yourself as you progress on this journey.
You ready?
The Paleo Manifesto...
These are in not listed in any particular order.
1. It's not failure that prevents success; it's failure to recover
I believe the BIGGEST hurdle almost everyone struggles with when they get into this Paleo thing is that they don't know how to deal with failure.
Let me burst your bubble now. If you are pushing boundaries and attempting to live your life boldly, you will be failing and failing often. The problem is We (you and I) have spent our entire lives avoiding it at all costs.
But to succeed at Paleo, you need to realize that, try as you may, you will fall flat on your face some days.
The biggest difference between the Dean of today and the Dean of 1985 to 2010 is that I have taught myself (yes it is a learned skill) to STOP beating myself up over my failures. It took me 45 years to realize BEATING MYSELF UP in no why allows me to go back and change the past.
But I can change my future. I work my butt off now to remind myself, "What's done is done."
So when failure happens, I now immediately go into recovery mode.
What does that look like?
Well when I eat something I shouldn't, (happens a few times each week) I immediately make sure that my next meal is clean. And then make sure the next one after that is clean. Etc!
Your takeaway..
It's not the avoidance of failure that is the key to your success, but rather your ability to immediately recover from failure that will determine how far you go with this.
2. Make the switch
I am currently reading Sean Croxton's book, The Dark Side to Fat Loss which I am REALLY ENJOYING and highly recommend. To learn more about Sean and his book, click ---> HERE or click the image below.
One of the things he points out is that people's fundamental approach to their body issues is flawed. They falsely think...
But when you study people who have been able to successfully transform their look and sustain it, they have taken this approach...
It's a subtle distinction, and YET the implications are enormous because people transition from ineffective short term strategies to move the numbers on a scale (ie. like calorie reduction) to high leverage long term activities (ie. eliminating processed foods) because they know they promote EXCELLENT health.
Your takeaway...
Weight loss WILL happen when you begin to...
3. Change your narrative...
There are 3 mistakes we consistently make when we are telling others about our struggles....
- we tell it often to anyone who will listen
- we tell it in the present tense
- we tell it with damning character flaws inserted
Here is why this is a problem.
Every time you retell your tale of woe, you reinforce and attract the very thing you don't want.
If you want to change how you look then you need to...
So what does that look (sound) like? Well for instance...
- "I don't like to exercise" BECOMES "I am currently working at discovering the movements that work for me and my body type."
- "I have no will power" BECOMES "I am teaching myself to be more disciplined." (yes will is a skill)
- "I can't do a pull up to save my life" BECOMES "I am presently working towards 5 unassisted pull ups."
These SMALL distinctions may not seem like much, but they are MONUMENTAL to your success.
Your takeaway...
STOP telling the story of who you are. Instead...
4. Don't DO Paleo. PLAY Paleo!
If you play chess (or have played and have a basic understanding of the game) then you know that it is a game of ebb and flow. You are not ALWAYS on the attack.
There are times when opportunity arises and you can go on the OFFENSIVE. But there are times where your opponent has you on the run and you must become DEFENSIVE.
Being Paleo is no different. People make the mistake of thinking it is ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK.
IT IS NOT.
There are times when life provides the opportunity for you to go on the offensive. And when it does you jump at it.
But there are times when life is laying a pretty good beat down on you. And when that happens (death in the family, relationship break up, big stressful project at work) you go on the defensive.
You are retreating. You are taking a step back to protect what you have. You are gathering your resources. You are regrouping. You are coming up with new strategies and then BHAM! when the time is right you are ready to go on the offensive again.
Your takeaway...
Being successful with Paleo is knowing that there is a time to be offensive BUT more importantly you...
5. There are no absolutes...
This is probably the most important lesson. People get hung up talking about studies and rules and stuff, but at the end of the day are no absolutes with Paleo just as I pointed out that there are no absolutes with blogging. If there was then this blog would be a total failure.
What works for one has no guarantee of working for someone else. Why. Well because...
And because of this, every study you discover, every blog post you read, every piece of advice you get (including mine) is simply an idea that needs to be tested on YOU.
Until you test it on you and have it interact with your DNA, it means nothing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
So you test and tweak, and test and tweak some more to find out what works for you and what doesn't.
Your takeaway...
Everything you come across means nothing.
To making shift happen,
DD
ps...Let me know if you are interested in the expanded version of the Paleo Manifesto.
Dean,
All 5 parts of your Paleo Manifesto resonated with me, but #4 brought tears to my eyes. For the last six months I had been barely holding onto this lifestyle through the end of my Mom’s fight with cancer to eventually letting her go and trying to move on. I felt as if I was in failure mode all the time, but that wasn’t true. I was holding the defensive line. I am now on the offensive again and have been able to finally let go of some food crutches that I was clinging to. Thanks for helping me see things in a different way.
Paula
PS, I’m loving the Facebook page too.
I remember you telling me about your Mom Paula. Sorry to hear about that. But I am so ENCOURAGED to hear you are on the offensive again gurl. And glad you are loving the Facebook page. I too am loving it!!
This is the one I resonated most with too right now. My husband and I separated last spring and yesterday was/should have been our 30th anniversary.
I have been waffling between beating myself up for an increased chocolate intake recently and also realizing that that is the only thing keeping me from going completely out of line for the cookies and pizza.
So, I will take it easier on myself right now and watch for the clues for when it is time to go on the offensive again.
Good for you Chris!
Thanks for this. I love it! So often in the Paleo/ Primal world the focus is on the science and nitty gritty details (not a bad thing). I love how this manifesto focuses also on the idea of how you think of yourself. I have subscribed since a very young age to the philosophy written about by James Allen and many others, “As A Man Thinketh, So He Is”.
That stuff has a place for sure Danielle, but I information alone does very little to help people do what they must. Change is complex and we have to be willing to dig deep to understand why we do what we do.
yes please- i’d love to read about the rest of your manifesto.
Well then I guess I have got more writing to do
Thanks Taryn.
I have had a problem with #1 for quite a while now… Failure is inevitable, but it’s the ability to get back up and RECOVER from them that makes all the difference. Thanks for making that clear
I also need to work on changing my narratives. I’m such a pessimist, I need to change my frame of mind.
“There are no absolutes” also rings home with me. Whenever I see something working for someone else but not for me, I think “damn, I should’ve been working harder” or “what is s/he doing that I’m not?” etc. and then I keep trying to change what I’m doing before I’ve even given it a real chance. I see it as a failure on my part and then get even more down in the dumps. Yeesh, there’s that pessimist attitude again.
I just need to keep on keepin’ on, whether it be on offense or defense! I know what I need to do, but I need to change my narratives, work on recovering from mistakes/set-backs, and realize that big changes that I am expecting from this really takes quite a bit of time.
I really enjoy your blog, Dean. I like the upbeat attitude and your style. Thanks for such a great read
PS… I am interested in your expanded manifesto.
Wow! Well said Theresa…keep on working on…LOVE IT!
Loved it! Good reinforcement;however, my weakness was not mentioned: my friends will not even give Paleo a try or read about it. My good example is meaningless! Last night, a friend told me that grain fed cattle were superior in taste and that grass fed beef was “gamie”. I just let the issue “go”. What is wrong with their brains?
Hey Pat…I don’t think there is anything wrong with your friends…Paleo is a little weird to those who don’t see it for what it is right away…and for your part influence of others is an art…you have to hone that skill!!! That part is on you…but at the end of the day the focus still has to be on you…that you do control
powerful!
I am…I once cleaned and pressed a grizzly bear with one arm
Awesome timing. I’m dealing with a choice right now (read: today) that has my emotions in a complete whirlwind. An emotion that with my previous thinking would have sent me straight to a McDonalds drive through and into a downward spiral binge. The person I am today knows that putting crap in my body isn’t going to make this situation any easier to deal with – in fact it would only make me feel worse. Positive paleo thoughts: I will be fine. I will eat well this morning and then I will make the toughest choice I’ve ever made, then I will go work out. I may cry while I work out, but that’s okay. I will be fine and I will be fine with healthy whole food in my body. I can do this.
I think recognizing your patterns of behaviour is huge shannon. Now at least you know what you do and it’s a question of making the right choices when things get tough…that said, sometimes we fall…as fake Italian Deano would say…”Forget about it” and start afresh. Of course you can do this.
Dean,
Love to read your words. Very inspiring. I write a lot as well, not posted. I wrote a piece inspired from Lisa Erickson’s journey with CrossFit on the CrossFit journal. We are so quick to make excuses of why we can’t do this or that and how we as people as OK with living a life of being mediocre. We can have reasons or results, we can’t have both. It truly is about mindset, every second of every day. If we can change the way we look at things, the way we look at things will change.
Thank you for continued inspiration.
Nicole
Your welcome Nicole…I agree wholeheartedly with what you said!!
Dean you are amazing! I always look forward to your posts because I know that there will always be something I can takeaway and use in my journey. You truly have a knack for taking information and condensing it in a way that people can understand and clearly see how it can be applied in their lives.
I am terrible at recovery! Oh no wait, ahem, I am presently working on my ability to recover from failure. 
Thank you so much for all your insights every week.
Hey Tashina! Weird not seeing your face on this comment as I see it all the time on facebook…btw if you want to upload your photo…you can do that hear…https://en.gravatar.com/…the pic will show up on any wordpress blogs where you comment
LOL! I actually laughed out loud at the recovery line…good one grasshopper! Thanks for your kind words gurl!!
wow Dean Great wise words..
i am currently working on finding just which exercise i can
for longer than 4 weeks or so ,
apply myself to EVERY day…….
as my Ability to recover for falling of the exercise wagon gets a good workout .
I am really enjoying your Blog Thank You..
Deb…did I surprise you…ha ha! I will also throw out this…my experience has been that there is no one exercise…I do all kinds of things…some P90X, some bodyrock.tv, some of my own stuff, etc…think of exercise like a jigsaw puzzle…look at bringing in and trying out a variety of pieces
I would love to read the full Manifesto! Please, of course.
Sure….now I just need to write it! I’m on it gurl!!
Very inspiring, thank you! Reading about the science is one thing. But posts like these is what really gets me motivated and keeps me focused in the right direction, especially point #1. When I find myself struggling, I can come back here and re-read this and remind myself what it is I need to do. I also look forward to reading the full Manifesto. Thank you for taking the time to blog so people like me can be inspired
Hey Kristen…it’s a complicated algorithm of things that impact our overall success…the science is important BUT nearly as important as US figuring out why we do what we do and plugging that hole. And thanks for the kind words.
Fantastic article. New to this way of eating and so far I am loving it. Having a hard time letting go of my carb addiction, which is truly is. realizing that I have been addicted to carbs for my entire life was a huge step forward. It is a war..some days I win the battle some days I dont, but I am thinking…re-evaluating, paying attention..all good stuff. I am starting to make more good choices than bad. I love your blog and have subscribed!
Thanks Kim…I think you this thing figured out…making more good decisions than bad…good things happen when the good are heavily skewed in our favour.
Thanks for a great blog post! I am newly getting back into this and # 5 really hit a note with me. I have had others tell me I need less veggies, less fat, less beef , less cals, more fat etc. I am finding what feels right for me and squashes cravings for garbage food. I keep saying ( too myself) so what if I have only lost 5 lbs to your 20 lbs in the same period. I feel good! It is slowly working!
Slow and steady c…slow and steady. And yeah there are a lot of “experts” out there…ironically most are in terrible shape…but they are “experts”
Yes, you make a good point. The people saying this are not in great shape. If they were I would listen more closely. EH gads I heard a lecture on butter the other day from a 300 lb client with horrible numbers even on meds. Thanks but no thanks!
Hi,Dean. I’m one of your new subscribers – thanks for being here! This was a wonderfully helpful post, and I’d love to see an expanded version. The things that resonated most with me were the emphasis on recovery and defense. Everyone is in a different situation as far as time, stress, family, life demands…. on and on. I’d love to be 100% primal, but on some days that just ain’t happening for various reasons. My tendency is, if I eat crap one day to be so discouraged I eat crap for two or three days. I loved your idea of saying “oops!” and eating clean for the next meal… and the next. Very encouraging.
hey McDuff thanks for subscribing. I have been there with the eating crap thing…and that is what derails most people…when we are 1. aware and 2. start testing out strategies to combat that then we start seeing amazing things happen.
Thank you so much, Dean! I so needed to read this! Wish I had read it sooner, but I had it saved in my Inbox. Your points are spot on, and I can’t wait to read more of your writing. Thank you for inspiring me!
You can borrow my time machine if you like…although sooner would only be yesterday morning in this case
It’s never too late to get the right information we need gurl.
Congrats on the success of your blog! I have to admit, your blog posts are one of the few that I read in their entirety.
I’m all for the expanded paleo manifesto (possible e-book?
)
Keep up the great work, you’re helping a lot of people out there!
Sean…please get out of my head (ebook idea)…ha ha! That’s what i thinking my friend.
And thanks for the kind words as well…at least I know there are 2 or 3 people reading these things :-p
What is your story my friend.
Thank you for this post! It was incredibly encouraging for a newbie to Paleo and someone who is really working at positive self talk…………so powerful indeed!!
I am powerful Georgina…grrrrr! I think it goes beyond self talk and working on positive strategies that help get where we want to go.
Hello Dean, I hardly ever comment but I just wanted to say I’m SO GLAD you broke all those blog rules …. when I check my email your update is one of the few that I AWLAYS open … mostly cause I know its not going to be some boring little 300 word sterile blah blah blah thing, but REAL information from the heart that teaches and inspires! The length and depth of your posts pretty much makes me feel obligated to get off my butt and DO something (kinda like “wow, if he can write a manifesto, the least I could do is make some scrambled eggs for breakfast) I’m not trying to flatter you, its just that I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now and I wanted you to know how very much I appreciate it.
Rebecca
PS better get your write on, judging from the comments I’m not the only one waiting for the expanded manifesto
Thanks rebecca. I have a funny story about not breaking those rules with 2 other blogs I started before…nutshell: they sucked!
and I appreciate your depth of sharing on this gurl…always nice to know what people are thinking…writing is often done in a vacuum…no idea what people think so THANK YOU!
yes expanded manifesto might be needed pronto.
You’re right on the money with this one Dean! You have to think like you want to be! Visualization helps me with this – (especially with pull ups which I’m still working on by the way)! I can do one unassisted but it takes me a long time to pull myself up! You see I’m only 4 feet 9 inches tall! I need to stand on a weight bench just to almost reach the bar! Next I want to try to see if I can jump up to the bar and do a burpee pull up!
I’ve been Paleo for 2 years now and do have my days when I “cheat” but then I go right back to eating clean and so it all works out!
Thanks for your insights – they are greatly appreciated!
It’s funny with visualization…athletes use it all the time and yet regular folk think it is weird to do…I think it is VERY valuable on this process.
And just to clarify…planned cheating isn’t an issue…I just don’t think enough people out there are giving themselves an out…an opportunity to blow off steam.
LOVED IT!!! I belong to a facebook group that can get hung up on “the rules” of Paleo, but I”m doing the best I can easing into this lifestyle. For me it is about getting healthy, the weight thing is an added bonus. So that part of the manifesto truly resonated with me! Thank you for letting me breathe a sigh of relief that I am not a failure. I am not giving myself permission to go totally off the rails, but I’m learning, and it is ok to make mistakes now and again (like peas… really didn’t know that was a mistake til I got to that part of the book!
)
Yeah CAZ I monitor a few groups and some people in those groups are pretty militant…but I think for those people they assume because they did this a certain way that EVERYONE must do the same thing. And for the record, peas are only a mistake if they don’t work well for your body type! This is all about testing frequently to see what works and doesn’t work for our body type.
I love the way you write, so down to earth and to the point.I have taken the liberty of enlarging and printing off “your take away” from #1.Very inspiring and very true! Thanks for your blogs! When are you going to sell your t-shirts?
ha ha! Thanks Lori. This coming from a guy who hated English in high school and university and only took it because I had to…but that’s another lesson for another day
yes the t-shirts…honestly I have about 6 I could sell but I’m being a lazy ass getting this all set up on spreadshirt (mostly because I couldn’t figure out what I was doing). OK i’m on it gurl!!
I don’t like to use the term failure. I think of it more along the lines of taking risks, understanding the consequences of those risks and having a recovery plan. (i.e. making sure your next meals are paleo or intermittent fast)
Yesterday, watching football I had a few beers, some nice chicken stew thickened with flour and my wife’s wonderful apple pie. I didn’t go Tasmanian devil crazy but I took a calculated risk and I don’t consider it a failure.
One thing I find helpful is to listen to your body. This morning I can feel the subtle effects of the risks I took. So that’s something to make a mental note of to help mitigate risk in the future.
Either way I don’t feel like a Paleo failure. What doesn’t kill you….. Just learn from the experience. I’m sure this isn’t going to be the last time.
Thanks Dean. Keep ‘em coming.
Steve-o-rama…as always my friend BRILLIANT insight. Gotta see how I can incorporate some of that brilliant logic into a future blog post!!! And yes I got caught up in the football as well. All season I have rooted for Green Bay and yet I am now an ELI MANNING convert…the dude just knows how to perform.
Thanks Dean. Can you convince my wife of this brilliance? You figure she would see it after 30 years.
If you don’t get this “lesson” then you are not really reading it- great job.
You tell em dorothy!
I like reading your post’s Dean down to earth and realistic.Like rely common sense if you study what is being said.As you said in one of my comments, that it is my paleo style. Been thinking on this for a few weeks, so very true,and very happy with it.
Keep up the great blogs.
I LOVE that you break the blogging rules and that it’s been successful for you. Herd mentality is for lemmings and sheep. Kudos for finding your own voice and having the courage to shout out from the rooftops. (all those BIG bold text images!)
I also break all the blogging rules and it’s great fun. I don’t have the numbers of followers you do, but I’m also a honey badger on that count. Don’t give a shit. That said, I do have a loyal tribe. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Being part of a tribe. COnsider me part of yours. I’ll watch and listen.