Lesson from Mr. O!
This weekend was the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas. The "Olympia" is the Superbowl of the world of bodybuilding and fitness. It was started by a guy named Joe Weider back in 1964 to celebrate the human form and the limits which people could take it to. The men and women who compete are in all reality, the largest, most developed human beings in the history of mankind. Last night a gentleman named Phil Heath won the men's portion of the competition for a third time.
Regardless of your opinion (or lack thereof) of anything in the sport, I'd just like to share a lesson I take from it daily. Many people think of bodybuilders as stupid meatheads who throw weights around and pump steroids into their bodies all day. If that is your only opinion of bodybuilders and you're not open to any other insight then you should probably not waste your time with the rest of this. But if you are open to a lesson we can learn from them, please read on.
I don't advocate the use of steroids or any illegal drugs so I'll get that out of the way. What I will tell you is what many people don't ever stop to appreciate, the hard part about being a bodybuilder isn't the hour they spend at the gym; it's the other 23 hours spent out of the gym because that is where the truly hard decisions have to be made. Bodybuilders LIVE the bodybuilding lifestyle. In other words, as they ramp up for a competition, for months they have to deprive themselves of crappy food, alcohol and late nights at the club. They focus solely and wholly on the task at hand which is to come into the competition in the best possible shape. That requires full-time dedication not just the hour at the gym.
When was the last time you were fully dedicated to a goal? I mean "fully" dedicated; like think about it all day, work towards it every waking moment, dream of it all night dedicated? Sadly for too many of us that kind of dedication is a thing of our youth. We have "settled in" to life as an adult. If we could talk to our 18-21 year old selves we would explain to them that "life" doesn't work like we thought. We'd instruct them on the finer points of being an adult and how adults have to compromise and accept what life throws at them because after all, we've got bills and responsibilities. Dreams like becoming a poet, an actor, an athlete, a brain surgeon, well those were all great fantasies, but this is life and life is reality. I suspect we might be a little full of ourselves as we spoke to that younger version of us but I bet we wouldn't feel so great as we looked in their eyes and saw them glaze over in disappointment. I bet we'd feel pretty crappy as we walked away from that conversation and wondered why we ever let "life" get the best of us. We might even dust off those old dreams and recall how passionate we were for whatever it was we thought we would do in this life. It would be fun to reminisce but soon we'd go back to the lives we live because it isn't like we can change anything about it. Right?
Yet I'm here to tell you that you don't have to accept your lot in life. I'm here to tell you your dreams are for the most part still attainable. Sure maybe you're not going to become a Mr. Olympia if you're 50 years old and never picked up a weight in your life, but what's to stop you from trying to be the best, most fit 50 year old you can be? Maybe you're not going to get that degree before you're 30 as you promised yourself since you're in your 40s. But what's to stop you from committing to taking one night and/or weekend college class a semester until you graduate? Maybe you won't become the CEO to some major company in a year or two but I bet you can send your resume and apply for a lower-level job and work your way up.
What I'm saying is, if you want it and you're brave enough to dedicate yourself 100% to any goal, you have a very good shot at making it. And even if you don't make it, I bet you'll be 100% more satisfied with yourself than if you never took a chance because you were too afraid to try. I have a few friends who truly "live" their dreams and the joy I see in their eyes is always awe-inspiring. We should all be so lucky.
Very few notable people ever made history from their comfort zones. You can be anything you want to be and accomplish anything you want to accomplish if you are willing to do what you have to do to get there. There's a whole new week in front of you. What are you going to do with it?
Regardless of your opinion (or lack thereof) of anything in the sport, I'd just like to share a lesson I take from it daily. Many people think of bodybuilders as stupid meatheads who throw weights around and pump steroids into their bodies all day. If that is your only opinion of bodybuilders and you're not open to any other insight then you should probably not waste your time with the rest of this. But if you are open to a lesson we can learn from them, please read on.
I don't advocate the use of steroids or any illegal drugs so I'll get that out of the way. What I will tell you is what many people don't ever stop to appreciate, the hard part about being a bodybuilder isn't the hour they spend at the gym; it's the other 23 hours spent out of the gym because that is where the truly hard decisions have to be made. Bodybuilders LIVE the bodybuilding lifestyle. In other words, as they ramp up for a competition, for months they have to deprive themselves of crappy food, alcohol and late nights at the club. They focus solely and wholly on the task at hand which is to come into the competition in the best possible shape. That requires full-time dedication not just the hour at the gym.
When was the last time you were fully dedicated to a goal? I mean "fully" dedicated; like think about it all day, work towards it every waking moment, dream of it all night dedicated? Sadly for too many of us that kind of dedication is a thing of our youth. We have "settled in" to life as an adult. If we could talk to our 18-21 year old selves we would explain to them that "life" doesn't work like we thought. We'd instruct them on the finer points of being an adult and how adults have to compromise and accept what life throws at them because after all, we've got bills and responsibilities. Dreams like becoming a poet, an actor, an athlete, a brain surgeon, well those were all great fantasies, but this is life and life is reality. I suspect we might be a little full of ourselves as we spoke to that younger version of us but I bet we wouldn't feel so great as we looked in their eyes and saw them glaze over in disappointment. I bet we'd feel pretty crappy as we walked away from that conversation and wondered why we ever let "life" get the best of us. We might even dust off those old dreams and recall how passionate we were for whatever it was we thought we would do in this life. It would be fun to reminisce but soon we'd go back to the lives we live because it isn't like we can change anything about it. Right?
Yet I'm here to tell you that you don't have to accept your lot in life. I'm here to tell you your dreams are for the most part still attainable. Sure maybe you're not going to become a Mr. Olympia if you're 50 years old and never picked up a weight in your life, but what's to stop you from trying to be the best, most fit 50 year old you can be? Maybe you're not going to get that degree before you're 30 as you promised yourself since you're in your 40s. But what's to stop you from committing to taking one night and/or weekend college class a semester until you graduate? Maybe you won't become the CEO to some major company in a year or two but I bet you can send your resume and apply for a lower-level job and work your way up.
What I'm saying is, if you want it and you're brave enough to dedicate yourself 100% to any goal, you have a very good shot at making it. And even if you don't make it, I bet you'll be 100% more satisfied with yourself than if you never took a chance because you were too afraid to try. I have a few friends who truly "live" their dreams and the joy I see in their eyes is always awe-inspiring. We should all be so lucky.
Very few notable people ever made history from their comfort zones. You can be anything you want to be and accomplish anything you want to accomplish if you are willing to do what you have to do to get there. There's a whole new week in front of you. What are you going to do with it?
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