As many of you know, our former intern Tanner is now a published author. I had the pleasure of sitting down with him to ask him some questions about his book and journey through publication.
Jill: Thanks for coming in Tanner! Tell us a little of what your book is about.
Tanner: The Art of the Goal is about the importance of setting goals, and how this can help you discover what you really want in life and who you are. Goal setting and following through on those set goals can really help one put their life into perspective and focus on the things you truly value while achieving happiness in the long term, rather than for a brief moment in time.
J: How did you come up with the idea for this book?
T: Starting at about age 8, I started having intense feelings of depression and anxiety. I was diagnosed with both, but nothing my doctor recommended helped. I don’t think my diagnosis was accurate – it wasn’t until I started self-reflection that I realized my depression was self-imposed in how I was living, it wasn’t something that could be fixed with a pill. In my personal experience, after I understood the good and bad about myself and made a path I could really follow, my life started to fall into place. A lot of people struggle like I did – and I wanted to share what worked for me in hopes I could help others.
J: I know a lot of this book is from your personal journey, but did you do any research to write this book?
T: I have – my personal journey was basically me researching depression, its biological effects and how goal setting goes hand-in-hand with combating that. Depression is essentially a lack of dopamine, which is linked to the reward or “greed function” of the brain – basically, the more you succeed the more you want to succeed. Our brain responds heavily to reward, it’s where addiction happens. Once you get the ball rolling by setting goals and accomplishing them, you become addicted to positive thinking which breeds success.
J: What do you do in your free time? Do you have any future goals you’re working towards?
T: Overall health and well-being is my number one priority. I love to work out and explore healthy food options. I also really like to be aware of what’s going on in the lives of those I love and in the world around me – politics, the markets, etc. It really makes a difference in how I set goals and reach them, and I’m currently focused on taking my self-help beyond books, and to the fitness world…I have been doing a lot of research on food products supplements to try and enter that market.
J: Who are some other authors that inspire you?
T: Tony Robbins has been my biggest inspiration, I am a huge fan. I am currently reading a great book by the former publisher of Success Magazine, Darren Hardy. I have also read a lot of Robert Kiyosaki, he offers great perspective on money management – which correlates with life management and satisfaction. Both are much more successful when you think realistically and long-term.
J: What is the main thing you want readers to take away from your book? Do you have any other advice?
T: I want to help people, and make them feel like they have hope to gain control of their lives in a positive way. Life is a gift – you can achieve anything you want with the right plan and honest understanding of how you operate and what truly makes you happy. If you’re suffering from being unhappy, you’re not alone. Focus on yourself – not on others around you – and you’ll be amazed at what living with a conscious state of mind can do.
J: Awesome Tanner, we all look forward to reading your book. Thanks for sitting down with me!
If you're interested in Tanner's book, The Art of the Goal, shoot us an email - a limited number of signed copies are available. You can also find the book on Amazon's new bestsellers list.