Stay The Course

Stay-the-CourseOver the past few early January 2013 evenings I’ve been thinking deeply about my mission in life.  Some of my thoughts formed themselves into the lines below as I sat writing in front of my computer.

My goal here is to reach out to all those people who never quite manage to keep their resolutions and to help them.  They begin an exercise program, a diet, a martial arts class with the best of intentions, but somehow lack the ability to Stay the Course.  This is my advice to them, and to you too.

I haven’t really written any poetry since college when I took a few poetry courses, so bear with me!

 

Stay the Course

The road is hard and fraught with pitfalls,

Stay the course.

Intense effort, concentration, and focus are sometimes required,

Stay the course.

You will fall, get distracted, wander off the path every once in a while,

Stay the course.

The greatest part of it all is the journey, not the destination, revel in it and

Stay the course.

Redouble your efforts, push hard, live like a champion and,

Stay the course.

Do not allow your will, momentum, or motivation to falter,

Stay the course.

Seek guidance from others farther along the path than you.  They will assist in helping you to

Stay the course.

Do the work, reap the rewards.  Consistency is the key,

Stay the course.

Know that difficulties and doubts will arise along the path, keep moving, they will evaporate as you

Stay the course.

Understand the rhythm of your own body – some sessions breaking limits, some days moving lightly,

Stay the course.

Open the body. Breathe deep.  Stretch.  Feel your life force pulsing inside.

Stay the course.

Results come from constant effort, you must

Stay the course.

Nothing comes from quitting.  All that effort is wasted.  All steps in vain.  Therefore always

Stay the course.

 

I don’t think this poem is quite finished yet, there’s still more percolating around in my mind on this subject.  I have a feeling that I will be adding lines to this over the next few weeks as the thoughts crystallize.  But for now, it is an unfinished work in progress that I want to share with you.

Let me know what you think – drop a comment below or hit me up on the Warrior Fitness Facebook page!

Don’t quit.  Keep going!

If you need help, ask.  Whether you are local to Hainesport, NJ and want to train at Warrior Fitness Gym or you are far away and need online coaching.  Ask.  That’s what I’m here for.

 

 

Quit or Destroy

When faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle in life, you really have only 2 options – go forward or go backward.  Backward is to quit, to give up, to walk away.  Backward is not a viable option unless you don’t mind living with regret.  But regret is a pain that does not go away.  It haunts you forever.  It’s like dying a little bit each day, over and over again for the rest of your life.  No thanks.  Not for me.  Pass. Continue reading

Motivation

Everything sounds like a great idea when you are thinking about it and planning it out. The problem, as they say, is in the execution. Sunday afternoon you are superbly confident of your plan to get up at 5 AM Monday morning and do your prescribed workout. However, when that alarm goes off, suddenly your mind finds every excuse in the book to hit the snooze button and sleep “just 10 more minutes….” How do you remedy this? What do you do in the early hours of the morning to drive the demons of laziness out of your head and get up to get that workout done? Well, there really is just one way. Force yourself. Drag yourself. Make yourself get up and do it. I know, that’s not what you wanted to hear. You expected something magical, something logical, something practical, something that wouldn’t require you to exert any effort to make it happen. Me too. I used to think the same way. Why isn’t there some sort of crazy mental trick I can use to motivate myself? Why does it have to be so hard to force myself to get up and get the workout done? There actually is a trick, in a way. It’s called the law of accommodation. Whatever you keep doing over and over again becomes easier. If I’m lazy and unmotivated, then as I repeat that action of hitting the snooze alarm, it becomes easier for me. If I drag my lazy ass out of bed and make it to my basement gym just one day, it becomes slightly easier the next. As I keep pushing, prodding, coaxing, cajoling myself to get up at 5 AM and workout, it becomes habitual. It becomes easy. My body and brain naturally “accommodate” me. Don’t just do it. Get it Done.

How do you get and stay motivated?  Discuss!