Happy Valentine's Day!!! <3

It’s funny how content people can be until they realize what else is out there, particularly what else other people have or are benefitting from.  Sometimes not knowing what else is out there is a travesty and unfair to people’s basic rights.  However, on the other hand, knowing what else is out there can make people selfish and greedily begin demanding that they get matched in the same way or something comparable to it.

It’s just interesting to see how character (moral or otherwise) and behavior in general alters when they think they are getting something and then do not get it at all.  The expectation of getting something, the anticipation of it and then the disappointment in not getting it makes us want it that much more as though we are entitled to it.  However, there is nothing wrong with simply being perfectly content with what we currently have because, before we knew about what else was out there, we were perfectly content with what we were originally given.

If you can live happily with what you are given, why demand more just because you realize more is out there?  Sometimes being aware of this information is good, like I said.  However, in the way our society innately seems to be drawn towards a self-serving mindset, it creates this hostile-like environment because all of a sudden people are discontent simply due to the knowledge of a possibility of having something more.  It seems like we want as much as we can have, though we function just fine with what we just need.

The desire and greed to have a surplus whenever we can and by whatever means is disgusting in a way and disheartening.  No wonder we’ve dug ourselves so deep.  We dug in, but the only way to get out is to stop being greedy.  Unfortunately the mass majority won’t stop, so this trend will inevitably continue.  We’ll see what happens.

(This was a newly discovered thought.  Much more thinking and extracting to do on this.  More to come!)

A true definition of how strong you are is not based on how much you lift, but how well you control HOW MUCH you lift.

I was at the gym this morning and this kid, maybe 5 years younger than me, had racked over 300 pounds on a bar for dead lifts.  He seemed to lift them fine, but the truest representation of how well someone is lifting is by listening.  Apparently you could hear the bar slamming against the floor all the way up the stairs at the front of the gym.  The guy was lifting at the back of the bottom level of the gym.

Being able to lift 300 pounds or leg press 900 pounds does nothing if you cannot keep your weight in control.  That is a huge reason why my benchmark for being able to lift something is if I can lift it for a set of 15 repetitions.  Without getting too technical, it’s at the high end of the repetitions spectrum.  However, I figure if I can lift something for 15 repetitions (stroke or no stroke), I am successfully gauging my strength.

Gaining strength, getting stronger and improving yourself takes time.  Find enjoyment in the journey.  Don’t rush to get to some desired end.  All you are doing is hurting yourself by doing it that way…literally.

Wow was I ever exhausted this morning in the gym.  I have been used to increasing weight every month, but the more months that pass means the more weight I’m lifting and the harder each workout becomes.  I get through them all, but the ability to increase weight as quickly as I once was able to has diminished returns, especially now that I am testing the strength and response limits of my right side more intensely than I ever have before.

Perhaps I am getting ever more exhausted because I am now able to push my body to that much further a limit and, if anyone knows me even the slightest, I do not allow myself to slack off in the slightest.  The intensity that I push myself at last month would not be acceptable now, and next month the intensity right now would not be allowed.  That’s not only how you grow, but how you reach into the uncharted abilities that each of us naturally possess.

It’s tough, but going to the gym in the morning allows me to not only get the hardest part of my day out of the way at the earliest time, but the fact that my workout is the basis for the career I am aiming to build, the rush of completing another workout fuels me for the rest of the day.  Everything following that workout is a piece of cake (errr banana, granola, etc) and the day passes that much easier because I know I have made my day worthwhile by succeeding in my morning workout/rehabilitation.

Indeed, nothing is better than starting each day off with the best part of your schedule.  It truly does fuel you across your day and gives you a lasting perspective for why you’re living and what you are living for and trying to achieve.

My determination must be getting recognized.  I have noticed that, before the bus driver can even see me in the morning, he already has his signal turned on to pull over at my stop.  He intuitively knows that I will be there.

Yes, there are times when I wake up first thing in the morning and I do not want to get out of bed, but then I realize the grief that I’m going to get from these bus drivers who expect to pick me up at specific times.  It’s not just that they’ll ride me, but they motivate me to keep going.  By talking to them, I’m reminded that this normal routine I have created for myself is strongly regarded and even causes envy amongst people.

I know that everyone does not have the motivation to get themselves to the gym every day, but honestly it isn’t too hard to rearrange your day to accommodate going to the gym.  Besides, having that time to workout and release your adrenalin and frustration is one of the healthiest things you can do, and the benefit to your body, health and overall wellness is remarkable.

Sure, these people comment on my routine and will nag me if they don’t see me for a few days.  Sometimes it is just that I caught an earlier bus, but still the fact that they take the time to call me out is my additional motivation for going to the gym each morning after hitting my Snooze button for the first time at 4:40 AM.  I’ll get up just before 5 and, by the time I’m ready to leave at 5:32 for the bus, I’m ready to take on the day with the best way I can think of to wake up in the morning: a strong, solid workout fueled by sweat and determination!

It's nice to be recognized.  Now to make that recognition an addictive routine for others!