A great friend and colleague of mine told me his story about coming from a communist country, going to a surgery residency and succeeding. He said that in 1952 he was a North Korean citizen and medical student. When the Korean War broke out he was working in a hospital and out of nowhere soldiers appeared on the floor where he and many of his colleagues were taking care of patients. They were all rounded up by the North Korean soldiers. For the next several months the medical staff including physicians and nurses were forced to care for sick and wounded North Korean Communist soldiers. They worked in the open with very few instruments, medicines, sterile supplies or even blankets for the themselves or the wounded. Sometimes they worked in tents and this was considered a luxury.
After many months they plotted an escape and during one of the nights several physicians and nurses escaped and made their way south. They traveled by night and slept by day wherever they found cover. Three times they were caught and lined up by the communists to be shot. Each time the physicians and nurses were pulled out of line and were spared because of their talent. The others were machine gunned to death. Soon after each capture they would escape and keep making their way to the south. No shoes, no coats, very little to no food. Eventually, they were picked up by the U.S. Army. During this time he met up with the Chief of Surgery from the University of Minnesota. He asked him to look him up if he got out of Korea. Long story short—He did, and he became a thoracic vascular surgeon. His wife became a Pharmacist and they started a family. They worked so hard that they rarely had any time for family. But, he told he one day, “The only way to succeed in anything is to work when others, play, sleep, or party.” I’ve taken that to heart and it has worked. I have never, since I heard the story and what it takes to be great, have I looked at party time as an entitlement.
Bottom Line: In bodybuilding we don’t go to the gym to socialize, or to admire others. We are there to prepare to win. We dare not allow others to steal our workout time with idle chatter. Be about your business. Others will not be working and this difference is what sets us apart from the normal people of mediocrity. Work when they don’t and succeeding will belong to us.
What are you/I willing to sacrifice to win? Be careful of the answer….It might be too big but you must decide our willingness to pay the price.
As it says in Proverbs 24: 33-34:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
Keep you sword near you always
Six Pack and Senior 
There is no denying that discipline and preparation are the important factors. I am putting myself to that test during these next few months of preparation. But I do not agree that admiration of what others have accomplished either in the gym or online is a waste of time. I will be the first to admit that simply gawking at oiled up competition photos can be indulgent and distracting, but here is another example. In the past my spinal erector muscles were a strong suit for me but I am having trouble seeing the old back strength, either from muscle loss or simply diet. Your impressive spinal erector photo helps inspire me to do the hard work to get back to where I was.
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