Mastering the Handstand: High Standards in Movement and Beyond
By Scott Gilroy, Founder of Handstand Timer and Move Journey
When it comes to success, whether in business or fitness, the journey begins with setting high standards and realistic expectations. In his 2017 letter to Amazon shareholders, Jeff Bezos offered an insightful metaphor: mastering the handstand. He shared the story of a friend who thought she could perfect her freestanding handstand in two weeks, only to discover it required six months of daily practice. Bezos used this example to highlight the importance of high standards and a clear understanding of the scope of work needed for meaningful achievement.
This mindset perfectly aligns with what we’re building at Handstand Timer—a preview of the more comprehensive experience coming soon with Move Journey. Much like mastering a handstand, creating Move Journey and its initial preview, Handstand Timer, has been a journey of developing the right tools, setting high standards, and understanding what it takes to reach excellence.
The Purpose Behind Handstand Timer
Handstand Timer is designed for those focused on mastering handstands and similar poses, providing a simple yet powerful tool that helps you track your progress. The app detects your pose using your device’s camera, times the pose, and gives you real-time feedback, including audio tones, metronome ticks, and pose detection guidance. But this is just the beginning—a small taste of what’s to come in Move Journey, our broader fitness platform.
Like Bezos’ handstand metaphor, Handstand Timer teaches us that greatness comes with dedication and time. The app isn’t about instant results; it’s about helping you embrace the daily grind of improving your skills and celebrating small victories along the way. And once you’ve built this foundation of discipline, you’ll be perfectly positioned to take your practice further with Move Journey.
A Seamless Transition to Move Journey
Here’s the exciting part—when Move Journey launches, your experience with Handstand Timer will seamlessly carry over. All your pose events, progress history, and account details will be available in Move Journey. It’s not just an app for timing handstands; it’s a stepping stone to a much broader fitness adventure, designed to support you in everything from calisthenics to yoga, movement games, and even community-based challenges.
Where Handstand Timer focuses on refining your handstand practice, Move Journey will expand your movement practice in every direction, giving you a comprehensive suite of tools to track, visualize, and improve all kinds of physical activity. The account you create today will give you access to both apps, and your growth in one will fuel your progress in the other.
Embracing the Long Game
As Bezos pointed out, mastering a handstand isn’t a quick win—it’s a process that requires daily effort, realistic expectations, and high standards. The same applies to your movement journey with Handstand Timer and Move Journey. The feedback, real-time guidance, and progress tracking in Handstand Timer will prepare you for what’s next, helping you build the discipline and focus needed for long-term success.
Whether you’re holding a handstand or working towards a new fitness goal, you’ll find that the key to improvement is consistency and support. At Move Journey, we’re building a community and a platform that will give you just that—tools, guidance, and a community of like-minded individuals striving to reach new heights.
Join the Movement with Move Journey
If you’re ready to elevate your movement practice beyond just handstands, we invite you to join the Move Journey community. By subscribing to our mailing list, you’ll receive exclusive updates, tips, and early access to new features when Move Journey launches. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just beginning your fitness journey, we’re here to help you along the way.
Start your journey with Handstand Timer today and prepare for what’s next. Let’s master the art of movement together.
By creating your account in Handstand Timer now, you’ll have a head start when Move Journey arrives—bringing all your progress along for the ride.
Mastering a handstand—and fitness in general—is not just about achieving a moment of balance. It’s about committing to high standards, embracing the journey, and trusting that growth comes with time. Let Handstand Timer guide you through that journey today, and get ready for the comprehensive support of Move Journey tomorrow.