“Strength training has helped me find a physical and mental strength I never knew I had”.
Whether you workout at home in your basement or at a local gym, your workout space is your SACRED PLACE.
A place of reflection.
A place of progress and self-improvement.
A place to challenge yourself to become the best version of you.
A place to see the truth of your limitless potential.
A place to fall in love with yourself.
Many of my greatest life lessons were taught in the gym.
I’ve crawled under bars and squatted my body weight.
I’ve griped dumbbells heavier then my children and lunged meters across a room.
I’ve completely transformed by body seven times, taking 1st place in both provincial and world level fitness competitions.
I’ve stood behind the lenses of some pretty talented physique photographers and I’ve never felt more proud, empowered and accomplished.
l wear my muscles like a badge of honor not just because they represent physical strength or finely crafted aesthetics, but because they represent discipline, work ethic, mental toughness, and self-love.
The journey to sculpting my very best physique has cultivated within me a deeply rooted sense of confidence, and belief in myself that has carried over to every other aspect of my life.
It has taught me how to be strong in face of what has sometimes felt like insurmountable challenges.
Over the course of this week I’m committed to sharing with you a 3-Part Blog Series highlighting the Top Life Lessons That Strength Training Has Taught Me.
Today’s lesson is all about FEAR.
Fear is the biggest dream killer of all. Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.
The challenge is letting go of it.
We fear failure yet in the same sentence we fear success.
We fear being alone yet we fear falling in love.
We fear change yet we dislike our present circumstances.
The list goes on and it affects every aspect of our lives, personally, professionally, emotionally and physically.
Here’s what strength training has taught me about fear.
- PUNCH FEAR IN THE FACE AND JUST DO IT!
Fear of failure holds us back from so many things in life. We focus on the ‘what ifs’ and let them keep us from reaching our greatest potential.
In the gym, failure is a good thing and 100% necessary if you want to transform your physique.
Lifting a dumbbell until you’ve reach your very last repetition means that you have felt and acknowledged your limit, TODAY! It doesn’t mean that you can’t improve TOMORROW.
The first time that you set foot in a gym you will feel weak, you will feel intimidated, and you will feel completely and utterly out of your comfort zone.
But with patience and deliberate practice you WILL get better, you WILL get stronger, you WILL see changes in your body.
And the same is true in life.
If you want to get good at anything, whether it’s advancing in your career, meeting the man of your dreams, or getting stronger in the gym, then you need to punch fear in the face and just freaking do it!
And the more frequently that you force yourself to “Just do it” the more this attitude will permeate every area of your life.
Every person who has ever achieved anything worth doing will attest to the important role failure has played in their journey.
It teaches you resilience, it teaches you patience, and it teaches you that each and every time you are knocked down, you have a choice whether or not you will stay down or get back up and try again.
It’s taken me many years to realize that failure is necessary in order to know success. Rarely do we “get it right” the first time.
We only truly fail when we give up.
Whatever it is you desire in life you’ll find it on the other side of fear.
Whether it’s personal happiness, professional success, or the body of your dreams, it is within your reach.
Punch fear in the face and destroy its ability to control your life so that you CAN start to live the life of your dreams, in the body of your dreams!
What surprising life-lessons have you learned from lifting weights?
Let me know in the comments below.
Stay tuned for Part II of the Life-Lessons Strength Training Has Taught Me.