Iron Sharpens Iron: Father, Son & The Challenge of a Lifetime

I had the pleasure of reading Iron Sharpens Iron: Father, Son & The Challenge of a Lifetime by Larry Janesky. Larry gave the book to me after one of our great conversations. Larry Janesky is a contractor, entrepreneur, inventor, award-winning author, and trainer from Middlebury, Connecticut.

Iron Sharpens Iron is about the incredible challenge Larry and his son Tanner took on in November 2016, entering into the Baja 1000. As Larry says, “The Baja 1000 is the longest non-stop race on the planet on the most brutal terrain a motorcyclist can imagine.”

Author Larry Janesky

Let me tell you, Larry is a fantastic writer. As an author myself, I can appreciate good writing when I come across it. Larry’s writing style is both authentic and engaging. I felt like I was right there with him, experiencing the ups and downs of the Baja 1000 as he battled through injuries, obstacles, difficulties, and incredibly brutal terrain. He didn’t finish the race, but it was an incredible achievement how far he made it (600 miles out of a 855-mile course). The real gift of Larry’s journey is the incredible lessons he learns, experiences, and shares along the way. Larry is a true winner.

Very few people could endure what Larry endured. Very few people would willingly submit themselves to such a monumental challenge. “Later Tanner and I agree that this race was crazy dangerous,” Larry said in the book. “Not dangerous from a mother’s point of view. Dangerous from an adventurer-risk-taker-already-crazy-person’s point of view. It was stupid dangerous.”

Larry is one tough guy!

Key Lessons Learned

There were so many valuable lessons in the book. Life itself has so many ups and downs and the mindset and lessons Larry applied to this race are applicable to all aspects of life. I’d like to share with you some of my favorites. The text in bold is from Larry, and the thoughts after are my own reflection points:

• Page 35: “Pay attention to your self-talk. Then change it. Even if you don’t believe it at first. Keep talking positive to yourself.” Pyschologists estimate that we have 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts each day. How often do we psyche ourselves out and talk negatively to ourselves? Become aware of your self-talk and replace it with something better. This is easier said than done but possible with practice. It starts with awareness.
• Page 77: “We should be grateful for all the things that DIDN’T happen to us. When you think about all the tragedies that could have happened but didn’t, it’s easy to feel lucky.” Life is tough. There are all sorts of setbacks and unexpected challenges we all have to face. With that said, you can reframe your life situation by remembering how lucky you are and how much you have to be grateful for.
• Page 97: “On my tank, I wrote another message. Forward. I put an arrow which way that was. I just have to keep going forward.” It’s all too easy to look back at the past with disappointment and frustration. Trust me, I’ve done it more times than I care to admit. But you can’t change the past. Learn from it, grow from it, and keep moving forward.
• Page 122: “Be present to where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with. A successful journey starts with a single successful moment.” It’s good to have a big dream. But don’t get too far ahead of yourself. What behavior and action step can you take today to get the ball rolling with your goals? Dreaming is easy, but it takes courage to take action. Take life one day at a time and focus on what you can do today. As author Brian Tracy says, “Focus on doing your best today and tomorrow will take care of itself.” Life goes by fast. Don’t take this moment for granted.
• Page 138: “When things aren’t going well in your life, nights are tough. Darkness and dark thoughts. But each morning the sun rises, even if it’s obscured by clouds – it rises. We get a new chance at life each morning when we awake. Things are new. There is hope. A blank slate for something better…” Dark thoughts and moments happen to the best of us. It’s part of the roller coaster of life. But we can remember that each morning is a new day. You can start fresh today and make it a good day, regardless of what happened in the past.

Concluding Thoughts

Personal development is powerful. Iron Sharpens Iron is packed with gems of helpful insights – the above bullet points are only the tip of the iceberg. Larry is a powerful personal development expert and he’s impacting lives. Check out his website and be sure to subscribe to his newsletter.

Larry Janesky is CEO of Contractor Nation.