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Courage

April 6, 2012 –

When I hear about someone embarking on a new program, I always stand up and applaude. It takes serious courage to dedicate and commit yourself to a 90 day journey of self improvement. And let’s be honest, all us are not quite sure how we are going to do. All of us at some level are…gulp…scared.

Michael Jordan said that “You can’t tell the true heart of a champion until they compete”. Words are cheap. But action and results are undeniable. I remember my first day of P90X. I am pushing through Chest & Back and thinking “Wow, I made it.” Then Tony says we are only halfway through! . At that point, it is so easy to quit and say, “Look…this is just too hard!”

It takes courage to push through. It takes courage to put yourself out of your comfort zone. It takes courage to change eating habits you have had, for what was in my case, my whole life. It takes courage to ignore the H-A-T-E-R-S. And you will come across them. For sure!

Life is really not about “Not having time”. It is about prioritizing your life. There are 168 hours in a week. Now write down all the things you do in a week. Sleep, Work, Eat, Pray, Exercise, Watch TV, Facebook, etc. It is an amazing exercise. You will see where your priorities lie. When I started P90X, I had to reprioritize in the middle of one of the crazies times of my life. And many times, I prioritized exercise over sleep.

We all get reved up at the beginning of a program. We see the results people have had, we look at the shiny new discs, and we say “I’m In!” But the high only lasts a short while until it becomes hard work. And depending on your starting point it may be really hard work. This is when you find out if you have the heart of a champion. This is when you see if you have that courage you thought you had.

Today, I upped my weights in P90X2 P.A.P. Upper. I have 1 more week of Phase 3 before my recovery week and concluding the program. I need to admit that I was nervous. Could I make it through? I honestly didn’t know. As I was holding Med Ball Plank for 60 seconds, I was not thinking about the next round. Rather,  I was focused on making it through that 60 seconds without worrying about the next exercise. I was really proud that I made it through. And there were definitely times I was not so sure.

So whether you are new to a program, in a bit of a plateau, or just plain aren’t really feeling a challenge anymore, ask yourself whether you are acting with courage. Then you will see your true heart…the heart of a champion!

4 Responses to “Courage”

  1. Fred Lee says:

    Way to go, Mike! Great results! Nice article!

  2. Mary Gibbs says:

    Great article, thanks so much for sharing!

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