TC-
I feel like such a small fish in a very big pond. Nothing that I have posted would betray even a trace of intellect.
To capture the zen of T-Nation in 500 words, or less, is akin to emptying the oceans one spoonful at a time. My own idiocy aside, accept my submission for what it’s worth. Even if all that’s done is to print several copies to put in the Biotest bathrooms when toilet paper is running low, it will have served a purpose.
“Oh my God!! Why am I doing this? What the hell am I doing it for?! F*** this!!!”
These were but a few of the questions and comments running through my mind one day. The occasion? Well, in my mind, it was Day One and I was running. To the outside world, I was probably a blind epileptic having a seizure. But, there I was. I didn’t really know where I was going, so to speak, but I was heading there.
What is T-Nation to me? To the uninitiated, I would say that it’s more of a where. It’s the kind of where that’s really close, but so many people just never arrive there because the journey is ‘just too hard’ and they don’t have the courage to begin. You see, T-Nation is that fire inside of you that motivates and propels you headlong toward growth and improvement. It’s inside everyone. Pull back the veil and see for yourself! For most, the fire will smolder until the embers cool at the end of their lives. Still, in others, it will burn with an intensity and with such brilliance that, like moths, people will be drawn to them.
There exists a certain, dare I say, utopian component of this community. People of both genders, all professions and disciplines, all ages, and every conceivable body type can cohabitate without the usual degree of rancor that exists in most other places on planet Earth. Many of the very best minds in every field of health and performance mingle and circulate with others who are less accomplished. Personally speaking, I am a 35-year old husband and father of three. I am a janitor in ‘real life.’ But, as is the case with other community members, my work doesn’t define me. Rather, it is me that ‘fleshes out’ and defines my work.
This society of the super-achievers and underachievers is a place of relativity, realization, and remembrance.
In the relative sense, you come to understand that success is different for everyone. And, no matter what one accomplishes, there will be others that far exceed that accomplishment. So, be humble about what it is that you do, and compare yourself to nobody. Measurable success is only relevant when applied in a more personal sense anyway.
However long the duration of a member’s stay (Some, unfortunately, ‘move away.’ Perhaps, this is indicative of their never having truly been part of the T-populace.), a steady stream of realizations will wash over you. First, maybe our creator was onto something when we were designed with two eyes and two ears, but only one mouth. Seems to me that everyone should spend the better part of their time watching and listening, so as to better facilitate learning. Open your mouth if you must, but make sure you have something to say (Yes, my posts loudly proclaim my guilt here). Second, beware of the person who speaks of ‘giving 110%’ or ‘150%,’ or whatever. There is no such thing as this, and to suggest otherwise is ludicrous. In the T-Nation, members either give 100%, or they give less. That’s right. They either give their best or they come up short on effort. Now, isn’t that revolutionary? A third realization is that there are no obstacles more formidable than what each member puts in place to impede their own progress. In more sanitized terms, excuses are the bain of forward momentum. Nobody has so much time that they can wait for the perfect alignment of celestial objects, the perfect weather, or the perfect day. If a member of the T-Nation wants their goal with enough ferocity, they will run over those obstacles, and not around them (even if it means passing on those cocktails, or on one more piece of cheesecake).
Always, a person must remember where they came from and where they are going. This means that sharing knowledge is crucial to the succes of other society members, new and experienced. Perhaps, you were once a 265-lb. amorphous blob who used to have to suck in a deep breath before bending over to tie your shoes (me, once again). Then, through bulimia and anorexia, you get down to 130 lbs. 10 months later (yeah, still me). Now, you’re about 180 lbs. and around 9% BF (uh huh, me again). Wouldn’t it just feel better to share with someone the information about what has worked and what has been truly damaging? You might change someone’s life for the better. Then, there is always going to be someone a little further along on the ‘accomplishment curve.’ Perhaps, just maybe, they would be gracious enough to share with you their information and insights. To allow them to do so would be an act of humilty on your part, and selflessness on theirs. Everybody feels better. Everybody wins.
In the end, each and every member of T-Nation will meet the same inevitable end as those who are not members. But, along the way, they know that will never truly arrive at the end of their journey without having touched, improved, or offended someone along the way. If they are honest, they will realize that it will often have been themselves. This will be because they refuse to stop learning, and they refuse to be satisfied. Goals will have been reached and reset. Good enough will not ever have been what they yearned for. Like the wisp of smoke from a burnt out candle, the members of T-Nation will have made every attempt possible to grasp and achieve their own immortality, only to close their hands on their own last breaths. In life, they would be pissed off. But, what they leave behind will hopefully serve as a blueprint for another’s ideals and success.
“Oh my God!! Why am I doing this? What am I doing it for?! F*** this!!!”
November 4-5, 2006. McDowell Mountain Park, AZ. The occasion? My first 100-mile trail run, the Javelina Jundred. Those are still questions that I will be asking myself. But, with the help of T-Nation, I have answers.