MattyG35: Thanks man! I hope you are right!
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Just posted this on my site for Thanksgiving…
You will not find the word “NEVERsate” in any dictionary. It is a conglomerate of the words “Never” (No, I am not going to waste your time defining the word “Never”) and the word “sate” or satiate which means to satisfy (any appetite or desire) fully.
Not feeling satisfied shouldn’t be confused with unhappy or unfulfilled. The way in which the name is intended, is to imply that you are very thankful for where you are at the moment as well as for the abilities you have been given the opportunity to possess; but you will always have a deep desire for constant and never ending improvement. Feeling comfortable, content and complacent are the antithesis of what the name stands for.
Since it is Thanksgiving, I would like to address this distinction now.
Take one second, close your eyes, and imagine yourself on rep 19 of 30 squats under a horribly overwhelming weight. See yourself grinding out that previous rep and pausing for a moment with that oppressive bar on your back. You have already choked down vomit once and know that you still have 11 more reps to go…You feel your chest heaving so hard that you are afraid your heart may burst right out of your skin. You can’t help but feel that pulling desire to quit…you can hardly stand the unbearable burning in your legs and every neuron in your brain is screaming at you, telling you that, ?you cannot do this…"
Now.
Imagine yourself in a wheelchair. Envision a world where your legs were blown off by a roadside IAD (improvised explosive device) in Afghanistan. Imagine a world where you are paralyzed neck down because of a skiing or boating accident. Embrace a life where you have lost your vision, hearing and balance, one where you cannot even walk to the refrigerator without aid. Imagine losing your entire family in a car accident and with them went your resolve to live…
Now.
Remember that set of squats from a few moments ago that seemed so horrible? That set is a gift. The ability to feel that pain, to have that weight on your back under your own accord and to have the mental wherewithal to CHOOSE to continue is the greatest gift you could ever receive. Too often we get caught up in all of our petty day to day nonsense that we forget just how blessed we truly are and how much we could honestly lose at any second. Every moment you spend in pain is one you should be overwhelmingly thankful for.
Do yourself a favor: This Thanksgiving, wake up! Look around, take in some stock and realize that you are living a life that other’s could only dream of. There are countless individuals out there who would literally give the remainder of their lives just for one more chance to be on rep 19 of that set of squats.
All suffering is relative and there are countless levels of it in any given lifetime. Your “10” in suffering is someone else’s “2” and your “2” is someone else’s “10”. And remember that things can always get worse. Your “10” today could easily turn into tomorrow’s “2”. But If your will and resolve are stronger than your body, literally ANYTHING is bearable and/or possible.
Perspective will make you or break you in this world, and it is time to change.
Fortunately for you, I, and all of the individuals described above, when knocked down, we have the ability to come back to zero and begin to build again. We have all had setbacks; some are larger than others, and there are times when we will have to start all the way back at “Day 1”. The mentally tough find the ability to not be “sate” in their present situation, refuse to accept the hand that was delt them, and start to drive forward again; no matter how many or how hard the setbacks. Day 1 could be as amazing as adding 5 pounds to a 1,000 pound deadlift or as basic as learning to lift your index finger under your own control again.
We all have a challenge in front of us and a choice. What you do with that choice is up to you. Be thankful for where you are, consider what you DO have and reignite the fire toward your next goal, no matter how small it seems.
Now, I can already hear some of you saying, “You don’t know my life! You don’t know how hard it is!” And to those of you saying that or whom have already written me off, I wish I could feel some empathy for you…But I don’t. You are already feeling sorry enough for yourself that you do not need any more help from me.
Studies have shown that no matter how much you accomplish, acquire or conquer…these things will not change your outlook on life. Conversely, and fortunately for most of us, no matter how far you have fallen or how much you have lost, these events will not change your mindset either.
As a matter of fact, whether you win or lose that gold medal, buy your dream car or find yourself bed ridden for the next year, studies show that you will have a brief emotional buffer in which you are extremely happy, or very depressed for a short amount of time, then you will return to who you were before the event occurred.
This is why you see miserable millionaires and paraplegics with amazing attitudes.
It is an empirical fact that your circumstances don’t really change who you are all that much, but your mindset can and will. Problems are nothing more than opportunities that need to be picked up, cleaned off and seen from a different perspective.
Many people will chalk this up to an optimistic mindset. I believe positive thinking is great, but it is like a rocking chair. It may give you something to do, but it won’t really get you anywhere.
Rather, I have tried to adopt “thankful” thinking mixed with a deep seeded desire to become better every single day. Whenever something negative happens in my life, be it large or seemly inconsequential, I attempt to take notice of all of the great things about the situation (and my life in it’s entirety) then formulate a plan on how to improve my circumstance. Then I act. Immediately. All of the correct mindset in the world will get you nowhere without action.
So this Thanksgiving, no matter where you are, whether you have little or have plenty; be grateful for the opportunities you have been afforded, stop complaining and take advantage of the small gifts life has placed in your hands. Your family may be crazy (everyone’s is), but at least you get to spend this holiday with them. There are people all over the world that wish they had that chance…And trust me, you are going to miss them when they are gone…
You may be at the lowest point in your existence, but the pain you feel is a reminder that you are still alive. “Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always”. Those were Dante’s words after climbing out of the seventh ring of Hell…
You can choose how amazing or how horrible today is. Be grateful for that choice. Then work diligently to make sure that tomorrow is better than today. Your circumstances may not change overnight, but it only takes a single moment to change your mentality.
Finally, today, if you have the opportunity to, (many don’t) eat your turkey, go crazy on the pie and drink your wine…Pour love on your friends and family because you never know when or if you will ever see them again…ENJOY your circumstances every moment of this day… you will never get another chance at the same one again. Be thankful for it and make it great.
But tomorrow, when it is time to crawl back under that bar…When you feel like there is no oxygen left in the room and your heart is about to explode from your chest…When you are on your 19th squat and your brain starts playing its old negative quitting games, take some control and tell it to shut up.
This is your party, your choice, and your opportunity that many others would kill to have…choke back that vomit and get back to work because you still have 11 more gifts to unwrap before you are done.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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