Thursday, June 2, 2016

Potential, Heart, and Interest

Today in the gym I was talking with Wade about one of the lifters who seems have a fire under their ass about training lately. The conversation didn't go much further than that.....but of course it got me thinking because thinking is my fav.

Let's start with records. Are all lifters/athletes capable of being the best? Of breaking records? No. Of course not. I struggle with how to answer/react to comments like 'well I'm not breaking any records or anything'......and today, I am able to articulate why this type of comment drives me bonkers. If you're writing yourself off because you aren't breaking records, then are you selling yourself short of fulfilling your potential? Not everyone is going to be the best, not everyone is going to be number one, but is that a reason to slack in training? I continue to compete and train because I believe I've still got room to grow. I've still got weight to put on the bar. I know that I am capable of more than I have accomplished this far, and I can't stop until I reach the ceiling of my potential. Will I break some records as I approach my ceiling? Probably. But that's my ceiling. My ceiling doesn't look like anyone else's ceiling but mine. The thing that is great about the lifter in the gym is that they are in it to reach their potential. The fire that is under his ass is the desire to fulfill his potential. Will he break any records? I have no idea. BUT DOES IT MATTER? Nope. There is nothing more satisfying than working your ass off, knowing that you didn't let up, knowing that you gave it everything you had, that you followed through, that you took every intentional step you could and seeing it all come together. Will you fall short of your goal every now and then? Yep. BUT DOES IT MATTER? Nope. It doesn't matter because you will have become a better person, a better athlete, a better boss, a better employee, just better. Well, you will have become better, you will have gave it everything you had IF you have......heart.

Heart. What does it mean to have heart? It means having the desire to fulfill your potential. I'm not sure that there is anything that drives me more crazy than a person with all the talent in world and no heart to see it through. I can't even take interest in those people. I. CAN'T. EVEN. This is what separates winners from losers. In life, winners have heart. And sprinkles.

Growing up, heart was my bread and butter. What the hell am I talking about? Heart was/is/always will be my bread and butter. That is IF I am interested in something. DAMMIT! Academics; not interested. I love learning, but man I hate going to class and doing school work. In the 8th grade I got really into school. Guess what? My grades were freakin awesome. Maybe it was the smaller class sizes. Maybe it was the teachers taking a vested interest in me. In college I took some summer courses one year. I again did awesome. Maybe because it was concentrated and again smaller class sizes? Who knows? Who cares? The point is, I have since realized some things about how I work. I have also since realized that sometimes you gotta just suck it up and get shit done. DAMMIT! If only I could go back to high school sports and college academics! Nah. I'm pretty good where I'm at. But, just for the record, I'd murder that shit.

Potential+Heart+Interest=Greatness

Do you always have all three? Nope. Are you always capable of fulfilling your potential? Yeah buddy.

Now, get to work.


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