Anyway, this past week has seen some progress back in the garage on bench and squats, but dead lift is yet to be determined as I hesitate to really put myself under a lot of pressure just yet. I hit 405 for an easy single on bench, and 475 for an easy single squat. Tomorrow I'm contemplating, pending I get more than 3 hours asleep like last night, to work up to a moderately heavy dead left and see where we are. I've got a chance to qualify for Nationals in October, I need to cut some weight and get my lifts back up, which I believe it's just getting back in the groove and hitting my paces again, muscle and strength are still there.
On a sadder note...I learned recently a man I well respected passed away. Bob Ihlenfeldt aka "The Angry Coach". I read a lot over at EliteFTS, anyone in strength and conditioning, dieting and nutrition should check out their plethora of articles. EFS puts together some of the strongest, smartest individuals, and they put out article after article helping others for nothing. Bob was one of those guys. We wrote back and forth a few times in the past when I was going through some issues with my squat. He always called it like he saw it, and how it honestly needed to be called. He told me to quit being an asshole, and do what I needed to do. Now, he didn't just tell me to stop being an asshole, he also gave tons of advice afterwards, and he'd never call me that unless it was what I needed, which it was.
Life passes too fast, and this game is way too short. I think of all the time I spent in the gym, alone, doing my own thing and working my butt off for selfish reasons, and it makes me thankful for my wife and kids, and how they've embraced the same craziness I have, and joined me in my conquest to defeat death as long as we can. We owe it to ourselves to do what we can to last as long as we can here. Scratch that, we owe it to our kids, and our wives to last as long as we can. If I think about going off course, or not working out, I think about my wife and being without me, and me without her, and I sprint (as fast as a fat man can) to the garage to get my workout in. If you're overweight, or out of shape, and if you have the DESIRE to change, stop sitting around thinking about it, and get to work doing something every day to make yourself better. It doesn't have to be those drastic changes all at once, that usually leads to unrealistic expectations, and failure. Small changes, one step at a time. As Paul Carter says, Death is Winning...Do Something!
I leave you with this...The Scroll Marked III from Og Mandino's book "The Greatest Salesman in the World."
The Scroll Marked III I will persist until I succeed. In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I recog- nize that each day I am tested by life in like manner. If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed. I will persist until I succeed. I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny. I will persist until I succeed. The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult. I will persist until I succeed. Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tum- ble. So it will be with my efforts of today. I will be liken to the rain drop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking. I will persist until I succeed. I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the ques- tion, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows. I will persist until I succeed. I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance for success at the next attempt. Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea. Each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come. Each misfortune I encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck. I must have the night to appreciate the day. I must fail often to succeed only once. I will persist until I succeed. I will try, and try, and try again. Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession. I will persist and de- velop my skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm. I will persist until I succeed. Henceforth, I will learn and apply another secret of those who excel in my work. When each day is ended, not regarding whether it has been a success or a failure, I will attempt to achieve one more sale. When my thoughts beckon my tired body homeward I will resist the temptation to depart. I will try again. I will make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails I will make an- other. Never will I allow any day to end with a failure. Thus will I plant the seed of tomorrow's success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labor at a prescribed time. When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full. I will persist until I succeed. Nor will I allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life. So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest prin- ciples of success; if I persist long enough I will win. I will persist. I will win.
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