While everyone around you is complaining about what is wrong, why should you be the person who accepts no excuses and stops at nothing to drive forward and pursue excellence?
Doing something great for yourself first thing in the morning is the best way to offer more to the world.
You owe it to yourself and to everyone else to be better tomorrow than you are right now.
You train for improved strength of mind, body and soul. This is your character building. You train hard when no one is around, no one is watching and talking about your last set. You're all alone in the dark, and still doing work. No one needs to be there to push you. Your fire is burning too fucking bright to be dulled by some lame pat on the fucking back and a half jealous, "good job," from the guy on the next bench. A strong support system is important, but without your commitment and personal contributions, its meaningless.
You're not doing this for the social gatherings on Friday nights.
You're doing it for personal achievements and Stronger Monday Mornings. You know that to give more of yourself, you have to invest more in yourself.
Each day, each week, each year is another opportunity to become the man you want to be.
That is of no consequence. When no one is there to push you, to give you that needed boost, you take an extra deep breathe, you know its there, burning inside you, and you push hard enough to get started. Thats all it takes and you know it, that first step. You're moving now, nothing can stop you. Like a freight train with no brakes, smashing through all barriers.
Everyday people make excuses why something can wait for tomorrow. Then cry about not achieving their goals. This happens when there is no urgency, nothing pushing you for greatness now. If you need a mindset adjustment, consider this scenario...
Would you make an excuse? Would you find a way to get it the fuck done? No flat tire, no late night at work, no headache would be more important than doing the thing you need to do to be successful.
No excuses, do the work.
Everyday you have a choice to do, or not do. No excuse is valid. Did you, or didn't you? No BUTS, no "Well, what had happened was..." or "I was gonna, BUT..."
You understand that, while programming is important, first and foremost, it is about having that burning desire to achieve something great, something worthy of recognition, and committing yourself to the pursuit of your passion. Without consistent hard work, the perfect plan is useless.
Attacking your goals with consistency is far greater than waiting for the perfect course of action. Perfection is never coming, my friend, but your hard work and dedication will never leave if you want it bad enough.
You set small goals along the way, and every small victory gently alters the course of your path. You now have a new direction with new, more advanced goals, something you didn't realize was possible a year ago.
What once seemed light years away, has now been passed without so much of a balloon party to celebrate. You personally acknowledge your achievements without writing a press release and start your new plan of action with newer, bigger goals.
You realize that the smarter you get, the stronger you become, the more stupid and weak you really are. Every new goal becomes a bigger challenge, every achievement welcomes a new, bigger hurdle for you to overcome. It is a never ending road that winds through pain, disappointment and loneliness, yet always turns a corner to fulfillment, improvement and success.
Hills and valleys, smiles and cries. You'll never win every battle, if you did, your war was too easy, and your accomplishments hollow.
You learn to embrace the deficiencies that keep you cornered, halting your progress. You realize that some plateaus are bigger than others. But every mile begins with the first step.
You don't fall in to the trap of making other peoples goals your own. Through practice you realize what's important to you and you never let the new shiny object deter you from your path.
You're smart enough to take on what you can handle, plus a little more at times, but not overwhelm yourself with the bullshit that has drowned many a good men in your wake. You always push forward with determination and fortitude, never backing down from the daily tasks that jump in front of you, trying to derail your progress.
Right now someone with no legs is moving forward. Someone with no voice is telling a story. Someone who came from shit is building a fucking empire.
The world only helps you as much as you offer it. If you don't give every ounce you have to making your situation better, don't expect a damn thing in return, and if you bitch and complain about your situation, expect a giant slap in the mouth for your unwanted contribution.
People want to hear someone bitch and complain about their life as much as they want to watch me eat a diarrhea sandwich for lunch. Not a best seller right there.
Get up, start something positive, keep working towards greatness, make a name for yourself. But don't do it for accolades, do it because you deserve it and owe it to the world to give something great back.
Don't worry about the perfect plan, focus on the progress, dedication and commitment to improvement.
Plans can change all the time, humans adapt and adjust. But that battery in your soul only has so much life in it. Don't drain it by sitting idle waiting for something to happen. You be that spark, that big bang necessary to catapult you to the point of constant evolvement.
The Consummate Athlete is an inside out approach to improvement as a person, as an athlete, as a tenant of this planet. Don't be someone who takes up space and doesn't pay rent. Your rent is payed in blood, sweat and tears. Your battles are fought and won between your ears. Be the leader that we need you to be, step up, do the work, bring others along for the ride and be the dominant force that shines light on the world around you. You owe it to yourself and to everyone you encounter on a daily basis. |
This shit ain't about the gym, this is about real life people making real life change and progress. The gym is only one small chapter in the book.
Committing to greatness and the pursuit of mastery is something that scares the shit out of most people. It's too hard for most people to look in the mirror, to make change. I don't blame people for wanting an easy life. But I respect and admire those who prefer to stand out from the crowd, those who have the guts, who dare to try to achieve something really hard.
Is today your day?
As always, this post is a call to action for all of us, myself especially, to push harder now more so than we ever have before. Right now is our time to shine, step up.