G. Brian Benson is a multiple award-winning author and filmmaker, coach, speaker, actor, musician, workshop facilitator, finisher of over 50 triathlons (including 4 Ironman distance races), cross-country bicyclist, inspirational poet and committed advocate of helping others be the best that they can be.

Brian currently finished a movie project that he wrote, produced and acted in called Guitar Man that was filmed in downtown Reno, Nevada. The movie was written by Brian with the idea of sharing the messages 'that we all have a lot in common' and 'that our true gifts reside within ourselves.'   Guitar Man has been very well received...as of this writing it has been accepted to 9 movie festivals and was a winner at the Love Unlimited Film and Art Festival, won an honorable mention prize in the narrative short category at the 2011 Los Angeles Movie Awards as well as a Golden Reel Award from the Nevada Film Festival.

Having authored five books, (Brian's List and the eBooks The Art of Balance, Onward and Upward, Cave Man No More! and Discover Your True Self), Benson is now completing a sixth self-improvement title, Be Yourself to Free Yourself! If Brian Can Do It, I Can Do It. His first book Brian's List - 26 1/2 Easy To Use Ideas On How To Live A Fun, Balanced, Healthy Life! was the winner of a 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the Self-Help category. It was also an Award-Winning Finalist in the Self-Help Motivational Category of the National Best Books 2009 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News”

Benson has hosted the radio show Inspiring Greatness from Within on the the Positive Living Network station, where he interviews illustrious, high-achieving role models like Rudy Ruettiger, Sheila Taormina, Tom Whittaker and Tori Murden-McClure.  Affectionately known by his fans as "the advocate of inspiration" Benson provides free, daily inspiration on his Facebook fan page as well as on his lively blog.

Brian considers himself an everyman and is very good at following his heart and listening to his intuition as it guides him to cultivate and activate his inner greatness (which comes out in many different creative ways). He feels like he was put here to be a living example for others to learn how to listen to their heart and step out of their comfort zones so that they can activate and cultivate their true inner gifts as well.

From having mentored hundreds of troubled young people working as a community volunteer, Benson is eternally grateful to have gained the valuable lessons of listening, patience and empathy. To raise money for charity, Brian joined a group of fellow philanthropic cyclists to ride from Seattle to Washington DC in 1996. Benson is a natural athlete who has finished over fifty triathlons, including four Ironman distance races.

A graduate of Oregon State University with a degree in Worksite Health Promotion, as well as CTA (Coach Training Alliance), Benson lives in Reno, Nevada. In his free time he enjoys hiking, creative endeavors, acting, improv, sports, movies, travel, writing, hanging out with his son and playing the delta blues on his guitar. He is also a contributing writer for www.vividlife.me
 

I want you to close your eyes for a few seconds…..As you slowly open them, imagine yourself coming out of a foggy stupor…at first not knowing where you were or how you got there. And then imagine….realizing you are laying down on a cot covered in a blanket with an I.V. in your arm, and that you feel absolutely dead tired. And finally imagine a huge teeth-glaring smile come across your face, and a wave of relief combined with satisfaction as soon as you realize you know exactly where you are and wouldn’t trade it for the world!

This is the feeling I had a few years back after finishing my 4th Ironman triathlon. And no they didn’t all end that way. I think the 97 degree heat combined with my being somewhat under trained were the reasons I ended up in the medical tent that day. But the funny thing is (some people might call me crazy), I would do it again in a heartbeat. You know why? Because it was a dream of mine.

I have spent my whole life following my heart, listening to my intuition and following my dreams. Whether it was riding my bicycle 3,600 miles across the United States, finishing over 50 triathlons including 4 Ironman distance races or writing and self-publishing my first “award-winning book”, I knew how to make them a reality.

We all have goals and dreams, and I feel a crucial part of the makeup of living a happy, fulfilled life is being able to tap into, follow and realize them. I see a major problem brewing in today’s society. Many people are stuck on “auto-pilot” and just going through the motions of life. They aren’t happy and many don’t see a way out. We see the results of this manifest in many different ways; stress, dysfunctional relationships, unhappiness and lack of productivity at work, anger and even suicide.

Throughout my life as an athlete, business owner, coach and writer/actor, I’ve witnessed thousands of people basically sleep-walk their way through life. I could never understand why they did this and didn’t want more out of their lives. They seemed content to just exist and in an almost apathetic way, rebuff and refuse all of the potential and greatness that resided within them. Why didn’t they want to tap into their gifts?

I began to pay closer attention to those I came into contact with. As I talked with these people at my business, on the street, at the gym, on an airplane, or at a coffee house, two things soon became apparent to me. First of all, many of them had stopped thinking for themselves. They had allowed the news, TV, advertising, and others opinions to guide their lives. Secondly, I realized that some of the people did want a happier, more fulfilling life but just didn’t know how to create it for themselves. My mind began to race with the same drive that I had as I willed myself and my bicycle 140 miles up and over the Cascade Mtn. range from Salem, Oregon to Bend, Oregon in one day. I made a pledge right then and there to set out to help these untold millions of people who wanted to live a more fulfilling life.

Where to begin? I realized that for starter’s people needed help in taking back their lives and that they needed to know that they have a say in how they create and live them. Equally as important, I knew that people have a deep, soulful need to get in touch with their goals and dreams. We all have them and they are the key piece of the puzzle in being able to live happy, fulfilled lives. I learned this at a very early age, whether it was writing to long retired Major League baseball players as a 5th grader, finishing Ironman triathlons and marathons in my early twenties, fulfilling a life-long goal and riding my bicycle 3,600 miles across the United States, overcoming my fear of public speaking, or writing and self-publishing my first book. I had learned how to tap into my inner greatness and live out my dreams. I wanted everyone else to be able to live out their dreams as well. All the information within this book was derived from my willingness to learn about myself and share what I came up with.

No stone is left unturned as I guide the reader to personal success and life fulfillment through the identification and realization of their goals and dreams. When the reader has finished If Brian Can Do It, I Can Do It, they will know why they need to live out their goals and dreams, what holds them back from living out their goals and dreams and what mistakes to look out for on their journey. They will learn ways to stay in balance, treat themselves better, and how to tap into their true authentic self. They will learn how to utilize the power of visualization, to celebrate their wins and the importance of having courage and getting a bit uncomfortable. If Brian Can Do It, I Can Do It will also help the reader understand the importance of intuition and how to use and strengthen their own. Most importantly the reader will learn how to take action on their goal or dream, whatever it may be.

I allow the reader inside of my inspiring world as I share my personal experiences of what it was like to ride across the United States on a bicycle or spend the day swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles during one of my 4 Ironman triathlon finishes. I share my experiences as a model to the reader that, if an “everyman” like myself can tap into the greatness that resides within me, they can learn to as well. According to E.E. Cummings, “It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.” I know this from personal experience and I guide and enable the reader to believe and buy in to who they are and what they are capable of.

The broad market for If Brian Can Do It, I Can Do It! includes men, women, entrepreneurs, business leaders, athletes, young adults, and basically anyone who is interested in learning about themselves and tapping into the greatness that resides within them. Ardent readers of self-help books as well as those just becoming introduced to the genre appreciate its simple, fun, sensible, humorous and inspiring approach to living a more fulfilling life by learning how to tap into their goals and dreams.

If Brian Can Do It, I Can Do It capitalizes on my extraordinary lifetime of living on the edge, living out my goals and dreams, my extensive experience as a certified life coach, my 20 years experience as an Ironman athlete and cross-country bicyclist, my experience of having been a successful business owner and entrepreneur, my proven ability to lead others as well as my experience of already having an “award-winning” book and film. If Brian Can Do It, I Can Do It is a celebration of life. It is a reminder that we are capable of so much more than we think we are capable of. It will serve as a wakeup call to those who are going through the motions and sleep-walking through their lives. It will serve as a life guide or hand book for those who want to learn how to tap in to their goals and dreams and aren’t sure how. It will inspire those already on their journey of self-discovery and goal attainment. It is about awakening our senses (primarily our intuition) and listening to our heart and letting it guide us to the fulfillment of our goals and dreams that are just waiting to be realized. Because if Brian can do it, the reader can do it too!