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MAKE THIS YEAR YOUR OWN
 

This article was first written in January 2003, to make it less time sensitive I have re-titled it as above.

I am sure all of us are now hard at work strictly sticking to our New Year resolutions. You know those goals we set on January the first and typically give up on January the seventh.

It’s another year! Another 365 more days that we can improve, go further and learn more. Whatever negativity last year held let it drop. Imagine that the hand ticking past twelve and signalling the New Year is a barrier, keeping at bay the errors of the past. Why let the past mistakes beat you up, make you feel down or impact on your future success?

Big Arnie said this when he was asked how many sets he had to go before finishing his exercise he replied “I only have one set. The one I am doing now”

We only have one day. The one we are living now. If we live for the day our fears dissolve and we can progress like never before. If I said to you this was the last day of your life so make this day for bodybuilding as good as it could be then I bet you would pull out all the stops. Eat every three hours, train like a beast (most of us including myself would want to spend time with our families or having sex if this was our last day on earth but this is only an example. I would not mix having sex and spending time with the family though. If you have a mother in law like mine you will certainly wish that this was the last day on earth if she caught you having sex in her front room! Anyhoo as Homer Simpson would say on with the show!)  This is what all of us can do each and every day, because this day, the one you are in when reading this, is the only day that exists. Tomorrow doesn’t exist and the past doesn’t exist. Live for the here and now.

Some do this automatically. They are the lucky ones that only see brightness in everything they do. But there are others, and they make up the vast bulk of everyday people, whose lack of ability to let go of the past and not fear the future ruins their life. They try to keep hold of the past, or replay negative times over and over again in a way that makes them feel better. But worrying about the past and the future along side trying to live your life today, with all its stresses, can break you. In bodybuilding terms it can keep you small.

Fear is the corner stone of aggression and violence, two things that limit your progress and eat you up inside. Fear of failure, fear of someone being better than you, stronger, or more attractive. Fear of something being taken away from you. All this negative thinking and actions take your eye of the ball. You don’t eat your food when you should because your mind is distracted. When you do it your stress keeps your body from digesting the food properly. By keeping stressed we release cortisol. This hormone is the cannibal of the body. It eats you from the inside destroying your valuable muscle gains and reducing the chances of gaining in the future. Arnold, Frank Zane, Lee Haney, to name a few, all had great control of their minds. They did not let outside or inside stress or negativity impact on their future.

Today you have the power to become the ultimate you. To throw down the shackles of the past the chains of the future and live for the here and now. Live as if each day was your last and live it to the full. You will be amazed at how far you can go each day and if each day is as productive as it can be you will reach your dreams faster and easier than you ever imagined.

Sometimes we fear we cannot achieve our goals so put of the actions that could take us there. We think that our goals are out of reach or impossible. Few things are impossible. Climbing up the biggest mountain in the world is simply an act of taking small steps and not giving up.

So the rest of your life starts today, to make it what you want it to be. So make this year your year today and start on the road to success. If you can imagine it you can achieve it!

We often put our lives on hold whilst we strive for our goals; be they work bodybuilding or new stuff for the house. We think when we get there we will feel great. But why not enjoy the ride? Instead of not living in between, we enjoy every minute. Because the end goal is often only as good as the journey that took us there. I will leave with a great quote from a Chinese proverb.

“When climbing the Mountain. Remember to stop regularly and admire the view” 

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