Six Pack and Senior

Somebody once said that when you set out to accomplish something you should front load and over load the process with “PREPARATION.” In short, over “prepare” for everything and then performance is easy and predictable. All of us can attest to this fact—ALL THINGS ARE BETTER WHEN WE TAKE THE TIME TO PREPARE.

Another way to look at this paradigm is found in final part of the quote, “…“BUT ONLY CHAMPIONS HAVE THE DESIRE TO PREPARE.” Think about it…..Just because I say I want to win means that I instantly am a winner. Nor does it mean that if I just show up at the arena good things will happen. We understand that PREPARATION is essential. I used to say that I practiced posing until I got it right. My coach, Justin Dees used to say, “No! You practice until you cannot get it wrong.” This perspective is the APEX of practice. Each and every detail before the show or the game or whatever the challenge has to be as perfect as we can get it. Mistakes cannot be allowed and we leave nothing in our PREP to chance.

We have got to see PREPARATION as not just a necessity, but also something we look forward to because the PREP defines us even before we present ourselves to the stage. It’s here that we “JUST DO OUR JOBS, and because we have labored and loved the PREP we can fully enjoy the challenge and, God willing, we can win.

Bottom Line: Preparation is KING. Execution is the place we can do some sky writing. So! PREPARATION is the foreplay to the main event. Desire it and win.

Sometimes we need a safe place to make our vows. All of us has a “secret place” where all of life’s challenges are hashed out with no audience. When we were kids it could be as simple as going to our rooms to mull over a decision. To be sad, to be in the argument alone until we decide. As we have gotten older that quiet place has shifted out of necessity for greater privacy our of sight and insulated from any self talk and groaning that will accompany our personal wrestling match.

Probably, the most sacred place to be alone is when we are introduced to our other self . That person that refuses to be placed on the sidelines when times get tough. This place could be a country road, a grove of trees, the shore of a nearby pond or lake, but it must be private. The ultimate decision all of us must face is to ‘NEVER GIVE UP!” There are hundreds of moments when things don’t go very well and we hurt more than we thought we could ever endure. We have to stop, get alone and decide to ‘NEVER ALLOW OURSELVES TO GIVE UP AND TO BE FORGOTTEN.”

I know that in bodybuilding we are constantly comparing our bodies with others in the gym and in public but mostly on stage. I have personally experienced being crushed by the competition. I go home and I wrestle with whether I want to go back for a second helping of personal defeat and public humiliation. I take my own medicine and retreat to our balcony off our bedroom. I stay there until I get a clear path forward. The process is slow, painful, and ugly. But once I have decided to not give up– – –I don’t! I say, “This sh— is never going to happen again. “ From here I plan and I assess my damage and I set about the tasks to correct deficiencies and to build on my strengths. This time when I decide to not give up, I leave nothing to chance.

Each of us has the capacity to overcome defeat, self-doubt, and self inflicted annihilation. All we have to do is decide that we are not to going to give up. Giving up is tantamount to quitting. You can’t win if you stepped off the track because you gave up where you quit. This decision to not give up is one thing, failing is another thing—-but quitting is quite another.

Bottom Line: winning and failure are two sides of the same coin. But when you quit or give up you have surrendered yourself to a world that is laced with the regret.

My Final bit of advice is when you feel like quitting,—- get alone and be certain you come on that room determined tot NEVER EVER AGAIN!

Communication is the essence of life so talk to yourself like a winner and not a quitter!

I was told during one of my times of open introspection that I will learn “PATIENCE” alongside some other areas. Wow! The source of this advice and wisdom clearly were talking to the wrong guy. I have never been patient. Now, I have learned to endure frustration and unanticipated delays but patience as a virtue has never been part of my character make up.

No matter what our personality make up or anything else, we must stay dedicated to the proposition that we can and we will succeed. Time will move forward whether we are patient or impatient however there is no greater demonstration of who we are as people as “DEDICATION.” When we said “I DO” to our wives we remain dedicated to her well-being. When our children are born we are ‘DEDICATED” to their nurture and training and love. When we commit ourselves to hitting the stage in bodybuilding we essentially declare that we are “DEDICATED” to do our best. We turn on the gas and we don’t step off the track until it is done. Win lose or draw, this is what we set out to do and we do it because we are “DEDICATED.” It doesn’t mean we are going to win. We will be the same person inside and out either way. But, the act of ‘DEDICATION” and follow through changes us in ways that are immeasurable. We are the same people with a new grasp of what it takes to be great.

“DEDICATION” begins in our hearts and minds in silence and solitude. This is where it all begins. Once “DEDICATION” has taken hold the focus, the plan, and the effort begins no matter how long it takes.

My Parting Shot Is: ALWAYS FINISH WHAT YOU START. Do not listen to naysayers of any stripe. Stay the course and let the chips fall where they may. ‘DEDICATION” is required and ‘PATIENCE” is optional. Go on the attack from the beginning until the end. Win, lose, or draw.

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All of us wants something that makes us stand out or above the rest. We fantasize about accomplishing something, or earning something, or being awarded something. Each of these day dreams has us front and center and very proud of ourselves. There is nothing morally wrong with wanting something bigger than us. But! Here is where the rubber meets the road…..Dreaming, and fantasizing yield nothing concrete or lasting. It’s not until we embrace the reality that the only way to have anything of real value is work very “HARD” for it…..Whatever it is…..In fact, the “HARDER” you have to work to get your desire the more valuable it is to you. Once obtained or accomplished the object we sought becomes priceless.

Sometimes I think that many people think that if they just say it, “I want to win my division in the next bodybuilding show” or “I would love to get a super promotion at my company or “I’m going to lose 50 lbs this year,” that it will happen. Well, I’m here to testify to you that saying is just the beginning. The rest is very “HARD” work and you cannot get around this eternal truth.

The MAXIM I labor before is that “NOTHING IS FREE” and NOTHING THAT IS WORTH HAVING MUST BE ATTAINED GAINST THE BACKDROP OF “HARD” WORK.

I remember Branch Warren saying once, “If you lift little weights you get little muscles but if you want big muscles you have to lift big weights.” This MAXIM comes from a true sage of bodybuilding.

No big lecture on this concept: In the end “IT HAS TO BE HARD TO MAKE YOU GROW.” Don’t fool yourself. Belly up to the bar, work your butt off, and the reward will appear. If it’s hard then you are probably doing something right.

Life is “SOOOO DAILY!” But, there are days that stand out above all others. In our muscle head world that day is ‘EVERYDAY.” Each day we get up and face the rigors of breakfast, training, supplements, cardio, ab work and a regular day’s work — we count this day as “WINNABLE.”

We have to look at our lives in bite sized pieces. I have great difficulty taking the long look because there is too much space between today and even to look a week ahead. Every battle to get to the finish line (our goal) has to be won moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour, and day-by-day….The grind is inevitably slow and methodical.

Today we set small accomplishable goals. We roll up our sleeves and we go about the business of getting them done. The “WIN” is getting the work done daily. We have to leave each day knowing that we have done well and completed the circuit of requisite tasks. We have to also know that eventually all of this work will lead to the bigger “WIN” that we have set up for ourselves. Like a thousand bricks properly assembled on the road that leads to the “WINNERS CIRCLE.”

There is no reason to regret the journey. There is no nostalgia or homesickness that will cause us to look back over our shoulders. The prize is today and the ultimate prize is ever before our eyes.

Next up for me this year is the Nationals in Pittsburgh in July. I’ve got tons of work to do and like I illustrated, the win in Pittsburgh is made possible and very probable by my winning the battle on a daily basis. No short cuts. Only focused effort and determination with an end of day assessment on my tasks to be sure I have won that day.

Bottom Line for all of us: Winning is daily. Nothing big has ever been won just because we wish it to be so. We must win the ultimate prize on a daily basis. We don’t control the judges but we do control ourselves—-This is our chance to develop “SELF-MASTERY.” This is our ultimate “WIN!”

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All of us walks in “THE LAND OF THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE” and we feel we don’t have a place in the world because “THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY BEEN ASSIGNED THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE“and we were not included. Wow! This pretty much describes all of us. So, we have precisely two choices. We can retreat into the shadows of obscurity and insignificance or we can find our OWN place in the world. There are no middle ground positions. We are here to play and the “BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE” will just have to compete with me. The dye is cast!

There are hundreds of phrases that provide us “NON-BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE avenues of escape or excuses to quit and live below the level of mediocrity. Here are a couple; 1.) I’ll never be good enough 2.) They have it all 3.) I’m outnumbered 4.) I’m not that good 5.) I’m not tall enough 6.) I don’t want to be like them anyway 7.) I’m shy—-Each of these phrases of self talk steals a small part of our hearts and crushes our souls…..I don’t care who I am up against….they lose! Somebody told me once, “Dougie! You have to play big!” That was enough for me…..Suddenly, I went from being grateful to participate to wanting the WIN more than anything else.

For us bodybuilders, we have to fight the good fight with ourselves. The good fight begin with ignoring the competition and focusing only on our own weaknesses and bringing them up to the challenge. Like Branch Warren has said, “You have to look after your own shit!” Simply put, we have to do the work and not worry about the ,“BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO HAVE IT ALL”. In track, you run your own race. In wrestling you are always on the attack, per Olympic Gold Medalist Dan Gable. The idea is that we/I have to rise to the occasion and ignore any natural advantages others around me have been given. It’s time we take that advantage away by wanting the trophy more than the “BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE DO.”

My parting shot is this. Nobody takes anything from us. We either surrender before we get started or we dominate and subjugate our enemies in the end. What others bring to the fight is none of our business. It’s what we bring to the fight is what will give us the win…..

Bottom Line: Want it! Get it! Give nothing away!

Very few things in life deserve our unwavering trust. However, the process of getting better physically, if laid out correctly and you do it is nigh unto infallible. When you put your target on the far wall, aim, and fire there is a good chance you will hit it. The problem with most people and myself included, is that we think that if we give a little attention to something all will happen automatically. This is absolute nonsense of course! All of us muscle heads know that in order to get it done we have to first decide where we want to go, make a plan and then execute that plan. Never, do we take our eyes off the target. Sometimes even with a plan we give up or we wander with our attention or are distracted by bright shiny new things and ideas. The one thing we do is STICK TO THE PROGRAM AND TRUST IT….Somewhere along the way we learn that we cannot live without the process that continually gives us previously unimagined results. Once this happens, nothing else will ever do. We know what we have to do and we do it willingly because we love the process and we trust it…..

When you fall in love with somebody or something if we are smart we will kill to keep them. They belong to us and the results of our faithfulness to them (person or process) become manifest and will forever be part of us.

Heading for the stage for us muscle heads is a journey of faith and trust and persistence. Nothing can ever substitute for the exhilaration of realizing the results and the satisfaction of having made the journey. We follow the plan and and we will trust the process. Having done this a couple dozen times I can give testimony to the fact that ‘RESULTS WILL COME!” Three Steps: 1.) Plan the Process 2.) Trust the Process 3.). Execute the Plan and Process.

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This is an admonition that all of us can relate to. Our coaches, parents, grandparents, and close friends never want us to quit when the going gets tough. Our best friends, our spouses, and especially our parents want to be inspired by our toughness and our grit. Believe me when I say that they need our win even more than we do. Whenever life goes off the rails and we are crushed, side tracked, and totally discouraged is the time we have to: 1.) Think of personal survival 2.) Make a plan to return to safety 3.) Thank God for the strength to survive and go on. Lastly, just know that scads of people who know and love us are cheering us on. Our response to the bad thing will be taught to an entire generation. Soooo! This is the time we “DON’T GIVE US JUST BECAUSE THINGS GOT HARD.”

Some kid out there needs to know how to handle rough times with all the helpings of discouragement, pain, and sorrow that accompany the crummy stuff. A Little variation on a famous quote would look like this “IF YOU ENDURE THIS, THOSE WHO LOVE YOU WILL COME.” Now you have a twofer…..You win by not giving up and the people who are watching you also win because they are encouraged to push on through their own personal storms.

In bodybuilding all of us muscle heads have had contests where we, quite literally, got our egos and our pride thrown to the ground and walked on. These are BAD TIMES. We have to decide to hang up our “SPEEDOS” and quit or we disappear to a quiet place and think. We have to look in the mirror and recommit ourselves to “TRY AGAIN!” This is the ‘EVERY MAN’S STORY.” We go into life with a mission to fly fight and win and return home victorious. However, along the way we will be defeated and counted out. This is the place where we decide to ‘NEVER QUIT!” This is our time to rise and meet the forces that threaten our very existence. When we do, we automatically win. If we accept the ass kicking then we surrender and we lose. DON’T DO IT!

Lastly, there is a saying that I love, “THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I WANT TO QUIT….BUT! THEN I REMEMBER WHO IS WATCHING!!” We are not alone no matter how we feel.

Get up! Make your bed! Take a Shower! Fresh clothes please! Pray! Kick the door down to get out there and win….Feelings will just have to move to the end of the train……and behave themselves! Quitting is not on the table….Your wife will love you for being the Warrior you were meant to be!

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Oh, how I wish I could just snap my fingers and I would have that which I seek. It’s interesting that all of us from the time we were kids learned that nothing worth having comes to us without a major battle, or effort, or sacrifice. We are cut from the same piece of cloth —- all of us! We are human by origin and nature. We have been blessed to have the privilege of setting goals and then working our asses off to get there. “WORK FOR IT!” is a credo that has to be honored and adhered to. In our world there are no short cuts. So, we “WORK FOR IT.”

I recall the moment I committed to do my first bodybuilding show. Terrified and totally ignorant of the cost and the work it would entail. So, I took off thinking I would win and then move on to “WORLD DOMINATION.” Boy! That was short lived. However, I found out that if I pushed hard and never gave up I would be respectable. Thus, the night was rich with excitement and a personal sense of “a job well done.” All of us muscle heads can relate to this.

By contrast, for the sake of comparison and clarity, we all know people who, “talk a good game, but deliver nothing after the talking is done.” I’m hoping and praying that nobody I am associated with is this guy. I like guys who tell me they are going to bury me and then they go about the business of trying to bury me on stage. I welcome the good hearted competition and the fun. In Proverbs 27:17 it says, “As iron sharpeneth iron, so one man sharpeneth another.” Please understand: no one is alone. In order to make yourself better, there is a mutual benefit making others better through mentorship, follower-ship, and leading. As we “WORK FOR IT” we cause others to be better. We cause others to be inspired by our “WORKING FOR IT” and we lift other guys/girls out of the humdrum life of making a living, raising a family, and the daily grind of living.

Bottom Line: “WORK OR IT” and we will win ourselves and many others will be taught to win by simply “WORKING FOR IT.” Such is the cycle of life. 2 Tim 2:2 – 3 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. [3] Thou therefore endure hardness—-“WORK FOR IT!”

The old adage says, “You gotta play to win!” applies here. Too often we want something but we are unwilling to pursue it. The great desire of most men and many women is the be great at something. Always we seek to be great at something we have seen, experienced, or worked with but we never are able to see ourselves as part of that greatness. So, we just dismiss the urge or the dream and return to our humdrum lives without ever considering whether we could do it too.

In almost all things that we dream of championing we have to “START” somewhere. We have to spend the time alone deciding that we want it bad enough to go for it. Once we decide that this thing is “us to the core” the next thing to do is to “START.” Set a date, time, a place, and be in the possession of the essentials of the dream and an internal map about how we are going to get there. Just to get to the “STARTING LINE” is gutsy, frightening, and seemingly impossible. Our biggest fear is being seen as a failure in the eyes of close friends, relatives, and family members. We can only see these groups uttering the words, “I TOLD YOU SO!” OR “I KNEW YOU COULDN’T DO IT!” So we put off “STARTING” so as not to tip our hands to the naysayers.

But! Once we put our shoulder to the wheel and “START” nothing can stop us. Now!!! The road to greatness is open and we step onto it. It’s our imaginations at this point that are transformed. We no longer dream. We now “DO” all that is required to be stupendous and “GREAT!”

When “GREATNESS” is attained we will look back and see the road we traveled. It started small. The training was rudimentary but focused. Next, the training then begins to grow and expand and the things you are doing now will be overcome with sheer effort.

Hitting the stage and winning makes you “GREAT” before all men and especially your family. People will talk about you and they will seek you out to be your friend. The perks and marks of greatness are everywhere. But this one truth you know. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE GREAT TO START…BUT….YOU HAVE TO START TO GREAT!” Today belongs to you because you had the audacity to “START!”