Excellence Only Happens on Purpose: How John Gallagher Lost 80 Pounds
The Mirror Moment That Changed Everything
“I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I feel weird.”
In 2016, John Gallagher was getting ready for a family concert when his chest began to flutter. An urgent blood pressure check read 180/120—the kind of number that stops you in your tracks. They skipped the show and headed to urgent care and then the ER. No clear diagnosis. But a crystal-clear decision: something had to change.
That decision led John—then 47—to walk into a gym on January 17, 2017, look a trainer in the eye, and say, “I need help.” She’d lost her father to a heart attack at 45. John doesn’t believe in accidents; he believes God puts the right people in our path. That day, the path toward an 80-pound transformation began.
“People change when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.”
Excellence Only Happens on Purpose
John’s mantra isn’t motivational fluff. It’s a system. As a process-focused engineer turned executive coach, he teaches leaders to design excellence rather than hope for it.
He loves Lombardi’s idea: Strive for perfection and you may reach excellence along the way. But John adds a hard truth—perfection can paralyze. Excellence requires intentionality: daily, weekly, and monthly disciplines that compound.
Excellence doesn’t “happen to you.” You install it.
The 5-in-5 Dashboard: See the Truth, Change the Trajectory
Business first, because it’s easiest to visualize:
Outcome metric: e.g., grow revenue 10% this year.
Driver metrics (habits): the controllables that make the outcome likely—e.g., 10 sales calls per day.
John’s rule of thumb is a “5 and 5 from five”: from five feet away in five seconds, your dashboard should show whether you’re winning. Hit the monthly target? Green dot. Missed it? Red dot. Red isn’t “bad”—it’s feedback. When you measure, you can manage. When you don’t measure, you’re just accepting.
Turn the Dashboard on Yourself: Fitness by Design
Most people say, “I want to lose some weight.” John’s response:
Some is not a number. Soon is not a time. More is a city in Oklahoma.
Make it specific and time-bound: “I will lose 10 pounds by December 31.”
Then wire in the drivers:
Training frequency: 3 sessions per week, minimum 30 minutes.
Food tracking: consistent logging or simple guardrails (see below).
Accountability: share objective training data with a small group (John’s group compares calories burned per workout—imperfect, but effective for consistency).
“You cannot out-exercise a bad diet.”
When John plateaued after his initial 25-pound loss, his trainer “belly laughed” at his food recall and set a new floor: tighten nutrition first. The scale started moving again.
John’s AM routine: 16 oz cold water with electrolytes, foundational supplements (e.g., fish oil, vitamin D), then movement. Small hinges swing big doors.
Build Your Faith Like You Build Your Fitness
John measures spiritual growth with habits that lead to heart change:
Daily Scripture (Bible-in-a-year plan with an accountability group—five years running).
Men’s group when he’s in town.
First-thing rhythm: the Word before the world.
Quantifying faith isn’t about “points.” It’s about training your attention so you recognize truth in real time—like recalling Joshua 1:9 when a friend is anxious. That’s not tallying. That’s transformation.
When Life Gets Hard: So What → Now What → So That
Life oscillates between survive and thrive. John coaches a simple framing:
So what (the reality/opportunity): “I need to lose weight,” or “Our margins are thin.”
Now what (the decision): “I will change X and start Y.”
So that (the purpose): “So that I can dance at my grandkids’ weddings,” “So that I can take my son on a trip for his 50th,” “So that I’m strong enough to serve others.”
Write your so that where you see it daily. Your habits make sense when your why is visible.
Minimum Standards Beat Maximum Wishful Thinking
Travel, family demands, stressful sprints—these derail “perfect.” John anchors to floors, not fantasies:
Nutrition floor: simple swaps and defaults (protein + produce at every meal).
Movement floor: break a sweat most days; don’t let two days pass without it.
Accountability: daily check-ins with his small group; if a guy goes quiet, somebody calls.
Consistency is a team sport.
The Lesson He’d Tell His Younger Self
Don’t settle.
In 2015, a bulging disc pressed on John’s spinal cord. He told himself chronic pain was his new normal. Surgery relieved it—and exposed the bigger compromise: he’d accepted a life below his potential.
“We weren’t called to be mediocre. We were called to be uncommon.”
One Action to Take Today
John’s favorite hashtag: #StopEatingFrenchFries
Not forever. Not a crash diet. Just reduce a low-value default from five days to one and replace the other four with salad or green veggies. Start small, stack wins, want more.
If faith is your focus, don’t start with “Bible in a year.” Start with the Verse of the Day—45 seconds of truth that turns into five minutes, then fifteen, then a life.
Want John’s “Ideal Week” Template?
John offered listeners his Ideal Week template—the scheduling blueprint that helps you place the big rocks first: workouts, spiritual study, deep work, family time, recovery. Visit coachjohngallagher.com and drop him a note to get it.
Pull Quotes to Share
“Excellence only happens on purpose.”
“What you measure, you can manage. What you don’t measure, you accept.”
“Some is not a number. Soon is not a time.”
“Start small—stop eating French fries.”
“We weren’t called to be mediocre. We were called to be uncommon.”
Final Thoughts
John Gallagher’s story isn’t about luck. It’s about decisions, dashboards, and discipleship—installing habits that align your health, work, and worship. If you want a life that works, design it. Start with one swap, one walk, one verse. Do it on purpose.