Month: October 2021

Two Rules in life: 1.) Never Quit and 2.) Always remember Rule#1

When I was growing up with little to qualify me for anything. We were so poor that on Sunday mornings I used to get up hungry. Put on my shorts, shirt, and tennis shoes, jump on my bike and go looking for a friend who would invite me to breakfast. After a mooched breakfast I was ready for the day. The other six days in the week were days without breakfast before school. Lunch was a feast.

I tell you this little story to set the stage for the kind of determination that I had to generate to be better than I was. There is no space for pity or self doubt, only the dream of earning my way out of this condition that I did not ask for.

Despite all this I played every sport available. I settled on Baseball, track, and football even though I was best cut out to be a wrestler. I was driven by the idea that I too could be respected and I wanted to be a winner. I did not want to be regarded as the poor kid who would live down to the expectations of others.

One of my football coaches said to me that “I had to play big_ I could note “QUIT.” He would yell at me, smack me on the helmet when he thought I wasn’t giving it my all. He took me into his office one time and explained that I had to be better and that he was depending on me to be better. He would not accept anything less. I responded in a big way. Next game I had 18 tackles paying linebacker, blocked a punt, intercepted two passes. Quitting had just disappeared from my vocabulary and belief system.

not These early lesson have not been wasted on bodybuilding which I took up much later in life. Learning to push when others rested. Never being satisfied with the training or the results. Always assessing my physique, refining and redefining my training plan to correct deficiencies real and imagined. Going into the gym early and staying to the end.

The results for this older guy has ben great. I just. finished my 22nd contest and earlier this year I turned 70 years old. I can tell you that if I had “QUIT” there would not be the super satisfaction I get from competing and winning. The numerous trophies and medals are significant because I did not “QUIT”

I write this to you my friends to say that you can have most things in life if you will persist and don’t “QUIT!”—Quitting is never and option. Keep at it and good things will come your way!

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Being “Average” sucks. Nothing could be worse than being lukewarm as a person who makes no noise, cannot commit themselves to an opinion or position, who has no vision of being better. How can we push ourselves forward if we are unwilling to take a chance and put yourself out there to win. In fact, nobody wants to be defined by the word “AVERAGE.”

An old memory comes back to me that illustrates when my mind and will was changed.

“I came back into the locker room at half time during a football game and I was disgusted with my performance. I threw my helmet on the floor. My coach walked over to me and said to me, “Doug, you have to play “BIG.” Those words ignited in me a desire to be far better than I was. I went back out onto the field looking for a fight. I played way above anything that I had ever done before. The new mindset was established.” Since then I have desired “GREAT!” as the only standard for performance. Anything less for a focus is unacceptable. I will not settle for “AVERAGE.” It’s all or nothing with “GREAT” being the end game.

It’s imperative that we define ourselves AS “GREAT!”——we have to be the person that places our ultimate goal on the table and pursues it with every ounce of energy we can muster. There has to be nothing standing between me and my goal. The very thought of being “AVERAGE” has to be totally abandoned. There is no room for “AVERAGE” —there is only “GREAT” on my scope!

It may sound like I’m conceited but I’m not! This is the level of self-confidence that I/we have to have to shed an “AVERAGE” performance or existence.

Bottom Line: Life is hard. Each of us defines who we are and what we want. I would urge all of us to desire “GREAT” because being “AVERAGE” is never an option. Being “GREAT” is my/our desire. Don’t settle!

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Everybody who has ever picked up a weight knows that consistency of effort on a daily basis is how muscle is made. It takes tons of concentration to continue subjecting ourselves to maximum effort. There are times when getting out the door in the morning is just about too much. There are times, even after arriving at the gym, that we would rather be anywhere but in the gym. For one reason or another we just don’t always have the push that is required to train effectively. When these situations occur (and they will) we have to reach deep and latch onto our “WILLPOWER” to move to the next task and eventually to the next level. Nothing is free and we have to apply all that we have to advance and to win. In fact, as noted above, “WILLPOWER IS A MUSCLE AND THE MORE WE USE IT THE STRONGER IT GETS.”

I can think of the many times in my career that the tank was empty and I was tempted to omit training that day. When this happens it’s important to do a moment’s reflection on how far I have come and why I started in the first place. I just can’t let a single emotion or temptation derail me. The fire in the belly is burning very low. This is the point where, “WILLPOWER” comes into play. This is when we dig deep inside ourselves and by sheer at of the “WILL” that we press on.

Often, once we start the fire returns. This is an amazing truth that cannot be ignored. We have to determine to do the work and then we get to witness God lifting us up to be better. I have no other explanation for the massive change in our attitudes that occurs when we press forward with our “WILLPOWER” doing the discipline and dragging us forward. Its happened this way hundreds of times for me.

There is no magic! It’s all about how badly you want something. Our “WILLPOWER” is often the thing that keeps us on course toward victory.

If something is worth having or accomplishing we have to use “WILLPOWER” to get the job done and win. There just aren’t any short cuts or alternatives. Love what you do and when things are tough reach for “WILLPOWER” to win. You will not regret it.

Use the great and powerful muscle known as “WILLPOWER” often. It will only get stronger as we use more and more frequently. Push hard and goal will appear.

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There are no shortcuts to the win!

When the “dye is cast” and you have gone all in on a show or a goal, there is no other way to get there and perform well except to “WORK FOR IT.”

How many times have we read the bold head lines to an article or book or video that stated, “THE QUICK EASY WAY TO…….” or the author trumpets, “GIVE ME A WEEK AND I WILL TURN YOU INTO A CHAMPION.” Well, once again I’m here to tell you that these are lies and there is rarely anything that is “quick and easy.” There is no person on earth that can make a champion out of any man in a week. Let’s talk about truth. Let’s talk about what it takes to be a “CHAMPION.”

First of all once you have zeroed on the target —-Get to work! Time is wasting and you don’t have a minute to spare. This is what has to go through your head. Create that sense of urgency and excitement that drives you forward. Only YOU can generate that massive amount of energy and effort that is required to prepare and win. You have to want this contest to go well more than anything else. Essentially, life stands still for you until it’s done. Nothing else matters!

I encourage myself and you to set up and stick to a training regimen that culminates in the win. Every moment of every day is to be tracked, no workouts are missed, superior effort must be exerted with each training session. The path ahead must be purposeful, aggressive, and measured. Nothing is to be left to chance.

REMEMBER! Nobody is going to give you anything. It all has to be earned and all of us must ‘WORK FOR IT.” There is no other way. Nothing is quick and easy.

For now suffice it to say that I am in show prep and I’m on track. Got to still lose about 7 lbs. over the next 10 days. I’m on it. I’m doing the cardio x 2 hours each day. Hundreds of crunches. Two workouts per day. Sticking to the diet that will get me extremely lean. Posing with my wife for 30-60 Minutes per day. Music routine needs to be brought current. As noted above, nothing can be left to chance.

This is where I’m at and what I’m willing to work for. Write to me and tell me where you’re at, where you want to go, and how you’re going to get there. Maybe I can help a little.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE AND YOUR JOURNEY. WHATEVER YOU SEEK TO ACHIEVE WILL REQUIRE SUPREME EFFORT TO EARN. NOTHING WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO BE ABOUT YOUR FATHER’S BUSINESS—–AND WIN!

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