Mind Power - What YOU Choose To Focus On
When it comes to achieving the pe
rfect physique, mind power is undeniably huge. Many have talked about it, how it's helped them achieve certain goals, how it's transformed their lives, and so on. However, mind power can be just as destructive as it can be empowering - it will help you with whatever you focus it on.
What I've been noticing amongst a lot of competitors is that, yes, they do focus on what they want to achieve, but at the same time they create a huge emphasis on what they have to sacrifice in order to achieve those certain goals, and on what they can't have - “forbidden” foods ("ahhh, I can't wait till I can eat all those cookies, cakes, chips, burgers....", "I'm just going to smell this bag of chips for another 3 weeks, and then...", etc..), social time spent with friends drinking and dancing all night long ("can't party all night cuz i have to get up early in the morning to do my cardio"), sleeping in ("ugghhh, that morning cardio... AGAIN!"), etc, etc... In most cases, the balance always shifts towards the negative, making you (the competitor) a slave to that goal, which in most cases is a specific competition 16, 12, 8 weeks away... So what started out as "I WANT TO" slowly transformed into "I HAVE TO". So, here you are, climbing a mountain, constantly looking up to the peak you HAVE to reach no matter what, or looking down to the ground counting steps till the end... You see that peak as something that is going to put an end to your struggles, when you can go back to "normal" - eat-all-you- want, drink-all-you-want, no-everyday-cardio - life.. So, basically, you're going up to the cliff, only to fall off at the end and die... Well, ok, I'm not being literal here, but you get the point.... But really, what is the point??? Suffer, suffer, suffer, then have a glorious moment on stage, maybe even get "crowned" for your accomplishment, and then "fall off the cliff" only to get up and start suffering again??? Hmmm... Doesn't sound like a very happy scenario. Nor is it healthy.
So, back to that mind power. With a slight chan
ge of direction in your thoughts, you can completely transform the whole experience. Imagine a slightly different scenario: you have a mountain - the goal you choose - in front of you. Beautiful, monumental, breath-taking! How awesome would it be to climb it??? You start going up... It's slightly different than walking on a flat surface, you use your body differently, you breathe differently, but you're strong and capable of doing it, and, sure enough, soon you get used to it. You climb up farther, you feel a fresh breeze of air, you like it. You feel alive, you keep moving. You look down to the ground and start noticing different types of growth, you pick up a flower you haven't seen before, smell it - ahhh, so good! Little discoveries like that - which in reality would translate to new-found friends, for instance, - those bring unexplainable joy to your heart. You look around, you see farther out now that you're higher up, your horizons expand, your perspectives change. You feel empowered, you feel enlightened. You're not really concerned about reaching that peak NO MATTER WHAT, you're just curious to see how far you can get, and if you do get to the top, you just wonder how it will feel to stand up there??? It's not a "crown", a "trophy" you're going after - it's merely a feeling that you WANT to experience, and you might not even know what kind of a feeling it will be, you're just curious, so you keep going. It's a journey, an adventure, but you chose it because it sounded appealing to YOU - not to your parents, not to your coach, not to your trainer - YOU chose it for YOU. You're not a slave to any goal, you chose a path to explore, to satisfy your curiosity, if you will. You were happy when you started because you wanted to, and you will probably be even happier as you get higher, but there's never a need to climb up so fast that you get exhausted, fall down and roll all the way to the bottom with a broken leg. You just keep climbing, or take a pause and take in everything you experience at that point, enjoy the new heights, get used to it and then choose your next step, whether to keep climbing or start in a lateral direction around the mountain or even to go back down - it's always YOUR DECISION what you want to do next.
In both scenarios, you might achieve the same results, and to those who look up to you - your fans, your followers, friends, family - it might look about the same and they will admire your achievement in both cases. However, what's more important is what you get out of it: if you choose to focus on suffering and earning that trophy to prove something to others, well, you will have your mind power working in the direction of negativity, making it more difficult for you to achieve anything. But if you set you mind on wanting to experience something new, explore new feelings of physical and emotional achievement, and be 100% responsible for your choice, then, trust me, you will find this journey a much more pleasant experience and your goal will be something you still WANT in the end. So, that's the power of mind - you give the mind a direction, and the body will follow. Your choice!
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