Motivation
The Powers of Man
I want to share a quote I came across today:
“Because your own strength is unequal to the task, do not assume that it is beyond the powers of man; but if anything is within the powers and province of man, believe that it is within your own compass also.”
A lot of people will tell you you can’t do this or that because they believe it’s too hard. They may have tried and failed themselves, or worse, never tried because someone else said the same to them and they believed it. While there are limitations to what is possible, I think most people grossly underestimate their potential.
An often overlooked but essential part of being successful is to choose the right goals to begin with. Objectively evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and focus on maximizing your potential. You may be better suited to some goals than others, and while it is important to focus on improving weak areas, it helps to play to your strength when setting extraordinary goals.
Set your goals high - almost unbelievably so. Then break them down into smaller, incremental goals and focus on accomplishing those, one at a time. With the achievement of every smaller goal, your major goals will become more and more believable.
Look at the accomplishments of others. Something you might have once believed impossible suddenly becomes achievable when you find out someone else has done it. You may even exceed their accomplishments, and even if you don’t, you will have succeeded in being better than you were before, and possibly inspiring others to do the same.
When you set your goals for 2009, set them high.
“A man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions”
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
- Marcus Aurelius
Motivation
I decided to start posting and writing more motivational material for the site, and create an entire category for it. All the technical, how-to stuff doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t do it consistently and with a high level of effort, and doing so requires motivation. While everybody has a unique set of values and is motivated by different things, I hope people will find something here that inspires them to improve in some way.
The training studio I work for is owned by professional wrestler, Marc Mero. A big part of the reason for the success of the studio is Marc’s emphasis on keeping clients motivated and his effort to inspire them to acheive their goals. While every personal trainer and fitness studio out there talks about motivation, Marc walks the walk. Although he isn’t currently training people due to other commitments, he is still here several hours every day talking with clients about their progress and motivating them to continue to improve. Marc also does motivational speaking at schools, encouraging kids to make better choices in life.
Marc is good friends with Diamond Dallas Page, another professional wrestler who developed a system of yoga and calisthenic based bodyweight training he calls “yoga for regular guys“. A while back, DDP sent us a link to a video showing the progress of one of his clients, Arthur Boorman, a disabled Gulf War veteran who dramatically transformed himself through exercise and healthy eating. Arthur is a great example of what can be accomplished through consistent, hard work, and I hope you find the following video inspiring.