Why Gary Halbert Started The Boron Letters with Health (Not Marketing, Business, or Even Copywriting)

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I thought Gary Halbert was all about copywriting, marketing, and making money.

But after reading "The Boron Letters," I see there's more to him. Gary can teach us a lot about life beyond just business.

In the first three letters of the book, he talks about health, diet, and discipline.

Let's try to understand why.

Gary Halbert is the father of Direct Response Copywriting. So when you read "The Boron Letters," you expect it to be loaded with the best copywriting and marketing lessons. It's indeed loaded with them.

But Gary doesn't jump straight to them. Instead, he surprises everyone by starting with health, diet, and discipline.

He advises his son Bond to eat well, sleep well, and exercise daily in the first few chapters of "The Boron Letters," one of the best books on copywriting and marketing.

Gary wants his son Bond to live a healthy life. Develop positive habits. Live with discipline, which will eventually help him become a healthy person and a better copywriter too.

Because, according to Gary Halbert, "How You Feel Affects How You Think."

Let's break down the three life-changing pieces of advice by Gary Halbert that are the foundation of "The Boron Letters":

1. Road Work

The very first thing Gary Halbert talks about in The Boron Letters is "Road Work."

Road work is walking, jogging, and running.

He wants his son Bond to get out of bed and hit the street first thing in the morning. Gary leads by example as he shares about running a steep hill daily.

According to him, "Road work is the best way in the world to start the day. It cleans you out, it settles you down, and it gives you a nice glow. It'll also make you clearheaded and improve the quality of your thinking."

Road work has enormous health benefits, and more importantly, it'll improve your focus and help you think and write clearly.

2. Diet

Gary didn't believe in having heavy breakfasts.

According to him, people with empty stomachs tend to work better and longer. He didn't go for heavy breakfasts and lunches. Instead, he opted for a piece of fruit for breakfast every day.

Gary advises Bond to have fruits for breakfast. And at least three fruits daily. It can be an apple, an orange, or a banana. According to Gary, "Fruits act like 'nature's broom' and help you get cleaned out and mobile."

3. Try Things At Least Twice

Some people give up after the first try.

Many even quit before even trying. But Gary reminds you that the second attempt at anything hard will be much easier.

When he first came to Boron and tried to run up the steep hill there, it was hard for him. Because that hill was a real son of a gun. It was about eight-tenths of a mile. In his first attempt, he could barely walk once around that hill.

With daily practice and consistency, he can now run around that hill 10 times without even stopping. This teaches us the importance of sticking to something. First attempts are always sloppy. Second attempts make hard things easy.

Don't quit any hard stuff after the first attempt. Be consistent, and the following attempts will definitely make it easy for you.

Conclusion

Gary Halbert knew stuff about marketing and copywriting that others hardly knew. He could have easily jumped to money-making secrets and wrapped up the book fast.

Instead, he decided to impart crucial life lessons to his son Bond before jumping into marketing and copywriting stuff.

Gary knew how important health and discipline are. Your quality of life dictates the quality of your work. That's why Gary wants his son (and you) to improve the quality of your life.

Gary teaches the importance of road work, having a good diet of fruits, and trying things multiple times in the first three chapters of "The Boron Letters."

P.S. If you found this useful, please share it with a friend who might need it.