All of us who have been athletes in a previous life can remember a coach walk directly up0 to us and get into our face and scream, “Graham! If you want to play for me you gotta do your job! You gotta play BIG or not at all. Don’t make me put your sorry ass on the bench beside me!” Boy! After a gigantic ass kicking and super human admonition we instantaneously wanted to perform. We would run through a brick wall if that was asked of us to get onto the mat, the field, or the court to destroy the competition. That sort of speech marked the beginning of a “hunger” to be better, to perform above our pay grade, to win at all costs.
All of us have seen fellow athletes who had it all. Good looks, a seemingly perfect body, and a relaxed method of winning that we wished we had. We also witnessed these same sorts of people squander their perfect sets of talent and gifts from God. They quit. They drank heavy. They stayed out late. Smoked reefer. Dropped acid or any of 100 other things that destroyed their will to be the best they can be. I’m a firm believer that winners are not born, they are made in the crucible of life and all it’s challenges.
I’m small and will always be small. But, a coach got me aside and said those terribly precise words to me while he hung onto my face mask. I played bigger than life. Because I did, life changed for me. I was no longer limited by my size. This dog had a demon inside me that was released and the rest is history. I won’t bore you with old stories of glory.
You and only you can generate the desire (hunger) to pay the price and win. In the gym, you have to disappear inside your head and talk to the spirit that sustains you and guides you to increased effort. We have to imagine ourselves getting bigger, more defined, and ultimately winning. It’s a mindset that is worth it’s weight in gold. Nobody can give it to you and only you can develop it or to abandon it. It’s always our choice.
A coach told me once. Never look at your competition. Focus only on you and what you need to do to be the best you can be that day. I do the same thing in bodybuilding. Nothing is in the way until after I step off stage. It’s over at the point because I left it all on stage. I didn’t quit. I am determined to learn, whether I win lose or draw, what I need to do for next time to be better. Tons of people are better naturally, but very few, if any outwork me because I always remain—-“HUNGRY TO WIN.”
All of us has a choice 1.) Succumb to free floating self-inflicted intimidation by the more talented and gifted or 2.) Ignore the competition and remember that we are “HUNGRIER” than anybody else in the arena that night.
Bottom Line: Stop gawking and get “HUNGRY”. This is your time!
Six Pack and Senior 