very tired

This is going to be short. I am very tired. I stayed up late last night to watch the end of the south carolina college world series game. I am glad to say USC is the national champs. The lost sleep was worth the price. However I felt the effects of it all day. It is interesting to note how i felt.

My fear is that this is how I will have to be at law school. I hope I am able to get more then 6 hours of sleep a night. I know some nights I will not be able to. I am just hoping that I will be smart enough to know I need sleep to function well and that those extra 90 to 120 minutes make a world of difference.

My goal is to put all more learning experience towards success at law school. I hope I am able to, I know I will have failures, but I know that is how you learn. I just hope at the end my achievements are up to my expectations.

Workout: 40 handstand push ups, 80 kettlebell swings. The trick was as many handstand push ups I did, I had to do twice as many kettlebell swings. I came in with a poor time of 11:05. I am crediting the poor time to being tired.

Inspirational quote: "Everything is a learning experience."

Why specialize?!?!??!

For decades people have felt that you have to specialize your training to your sport. There is no need to specialize training. In fact it is possible to get more gains through not specializing. In this case specialized training refers to programs where the emphasis is on sport specific training. If that is what specialized training is, non-specialized training is doing the opposite. This means it is just training hard in a variety of ways to get better fit across broad measures. Non-specialized training is more beneficial to all but a select few athletes.

There can be many reasons why an athlete would choose not to specialize his training. However the reason is not important, the athlete is making a good choice to get better across many measures. Any athlete should always want to get better across the ten basic measures of fitness. Those measures are accuracy, agility, balance, cardio endurance, coordination, flexibility, power, speed, stamina, and strength. When an athlete is able to get better across all of these, he becomes a better athlete. The best athletes in many fields are able to be good at many sports because of their grasp on these ten traits. Look at pro athletes for an example. Yes they are specialized in one sport, but many could probably play another sports at a close to professional level.

The biggest reason though to not specialize is that it is possible to get stronger and faster by not specializing. When you specialize you have to cut out some part of fitness to focus on another. That part missing is no less important to your overall fitness level. The more overall fit an athlete is, the better he will be at any sport.

There are times when specializing is good. If you are an athlete training for the Olympics in 100m dash, by all means just focus on sprinting. However there might be some speed you lose by not lifting weights to get stronger. If you want to be very good at a very narrow focused skill set, by all means specialize. If you are someone who just wants to be better at life in general, non-specialized training will be the best for you.

Workout: Buy in was 100 double unders, then 30-20-10 of sandbag lunges, and sandbag presses. Total time was 7:07. The double unders were about 1:14. This is over a minute improvement over last time. I was able to do 77 double unders in a row! Most I have done by about 15.

Inspirational Quote: “World-Class Fitness in 100 Words: -Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. – Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. –Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. –Regularly learn and play new sports.” –crossfit.com

taste your own sweat

Today the temperature hit a high in the 90’s. This by itself is not to bad. When it is teamed up with humidity and working in the sun it leads to a hot day. This was evident by the fact I sweat through my pants by 1000 today. In fact I was able to sweat through my clothes twice today.

Work and my workout made me think about sweating. Why do I like it? What is it about sweating through my clothes that is enjoyable? Any logical person would say there is nothing. My feelings are the opposite. There is a lot to learn when you sweat hard. In fact I feel bad for people who never have had to produce a hard sweat.

I enjoy the taste of sweat. Sweat stand for a whole lot of good. I know when I sweat I am working hard. I know anything worth my time requires hard work. Therefore if I am sweating, what I am working towards has to be worth the effort. When I sweat it teaches me how hard I can go. I know that if I am not breaking a hard sweat, I have more to give. Also, when we push ourselves to a hard sweat it teaches us that we do not break. There are people in the world scared to sweat cause they might push themselves to hard. I feel sorry for them.

This is why in workouts I try to push myself towards a hard sweat. When I am done I want to be able to taste my sweat. This is because I know I am moving in the right direction when I am pushing myself hard.

Workout: 4rds of 25 push ups, 25 squats. 6:45 was my time. I did the first 2 rounds at 3 minutes. I am happy I was able to keep up a pretty good pace even when my push ups were struggling.

Inspirational quote: “I see no virtue where I smell no sweat.” –Francis Quarles

free write....

Speaking that this is half my journal half my outlet and half just a blog of things on my mind. I decided today to do a free write.

Today I had many observations. The main one being you just have to keep moving forward. Last night I realized I have not been as good with a certain subject as I could be. It hurt me deeply to realize this. I had to pick up the pieces though and continue to work. I was able to do that today. During the day I just focused on my work cause worrying about something else will not help it get done. This should be the same during a workout. You should be focused just on the work. If you worry about everything else on your plate and other people you will be disappointed with your results.

Today I also had the pleasure of running into an old english teacher and tutor of mine, Mr. Barner. While I am not sure he would understand the whole blog thing, he was pretty influential in my english development. He taught a love for books. A way to analyze deeper into them which other teachers never did. His ability to do this was unique. He was able to talk about a book and except that there was no right answer always, it was how you saw it. This view is why I love to read. If you read expecting to see what everyone else sees, you will not see what is there for you.

My disappointment for the day. There were no children in the park today at 1500 when I drove by. Why is that? It is the first day of summer vacation! There should be children playing. A co worker and me were talking about this. There are so many young children who play video games. When I was a child yes I played video games. But we played outside the majority of the time. I believe younger and younger kids are taught to play video games cause it is ok. Just like it is ok to be fat. I think this is all horse shit. There is no genetic reason for children to be so overweight. It is disturbing that it is now the norm. I do not know if parents do not want there kids outside because of the scary men outside or if the kids do not go outside cause their parents do not force them. Which ever reason it is I just think it is bullshit. Just go outside and play.

This does not stop at children though. Everyone should go outside and get some exercise. You are never to old to do something active. If you spend hours upon hours in an office during the week then you definitely should be outside on the weekend being active. I cannot stand laziness.

Workout: 2 miles 25 lb weightvest run untimed.

Inspirational Quote: "There is no passion to be found in playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." -Nelson Mandela

Boxing yourself in...

When I was applying to colleges, I was asked to describe myself with one word. While I am good at talking about many things, myself is not one of them. Knowing this I got the help of my mom to generate words. The one word I still remember her describing me as is, “eclectic.” The dictionary defines it as, “deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.” I still believe this describes my life very well.

I am a big believe in being well rounded. I am always trying to learn in a vast many subjects, from how to fix up the house to new ways to cook ground beef. The fact that I am currently reading three books lets you know I enjoy being well rounded. If this is the case, should it not also be the case in my workouts?

The problem I have had over the past few weeks is I was very boxed in. Yes, I was using many different movements but I was keeping the workouts too short. I was almost coming up with workouts just to get a workout done. While this will keep me in shape, I want to push towards elite shape. This being my goal, I decided to break out of the box.

While I did not run out and buy new equipment, I am always looking though; I decided to have a variety of workouts. I was able to come up with a few new movements as well as different ways of timing to extend my workouts. I am hoping this along with other changes will help me push towards elite shape.

I believe that how you are as a person, should be in everything that you do. I enjoy many different things. I like having a decent variety in how I cook as a result. Sometimes I love spicy, sometimes sweet, and sometimes I enjoy it when someone else cooks. The lesson I have learned from this is that you cannot let yourself get boxed into one way of doing things. Everything you do in life should mimic your personality; you should not be changing your personality to the task.

Workout: 4rds of 60 seconds on 30 seconds off of push ups, sit ups, and squats. My goal was to get in the high 300’s while at the same time doing a minimum of 100 push ups. I achieve both. My overall score was 430. I did more then 25 push ups each round so I had to be over 100. I was happy with this.

Inspirational Quote: “Get comfortable with uncomfortable.” –James “OPT” Fitzgerald

Facing the Enemy

Besides working and working out, the other major activity in my life right now is reading. I will read anything that sparks my interest. Right now, being a nervous/excited soon to be law student I am reading a book about law school. While I am sure no book can completely prepare you for anything, it cannot hurt.

The book that I am reading is called One L by Scott Turow. This book is a collection of his journal entries from his first year of law school complied after his first year He attended law school in the mid 70’s but the lessons still hold true today. This is due to little change in how the first year of law school is taught.

I am only partially done with the book but there is one idea that has gotten a hold of me. The author talks about it when he is contemplating law school. He is talking to a friend of his and his friend says he would go to law school to, “face the enemy.” I identify with this concept.

At law school I believe I will come face to face with my enemy. My enemy of course is myself. I have never been the best student. I have been able to get by with my natural smarts. I believe I am now ready to take my studies seriously. And in fact I am willing to back myself big on that bet. This change has come to me through an unlikely source, crossfit.

I feel every time I completely a workout I have accomplished something. In this accomplishment I have learned a lot. I have been through the suck of the filthy fifty, when you are dead tired and you still have 50 more wallballs, burpees and double unders. I have also been at the accomplishment end of it. I know that there are going to be times when the work piles on me and I cannot see the end or a break.

The question in my own head is how will I handle it? I have a feeling I will handle it the same way I have handled many workouts, one step at a time. I know in the middle of the filthy fifty I have to just keep moving forward, school will be the same thing if not easier. As OPT has said, after knowing what the filthy fifty’s are like. It makes all of life seem easier. I just hope he is right.

Workout: Started the three weeks of programming. I am not allowed to alter the workouts at all I have decided. Today was 4 rds of 20 sandbag lunges and 10 handstand push ups. It took me 8:54. I believe some of my handstand push ups were suspect. However, I am willing to take the output on that one movement for now.

Inspirational quote: “hello old friend, Fuck you!” –James “OPT” Fitzgerald

Am I driven?

Do you think this man is driven?

Last night at dinner my parents told me a story. It was a short story without a lot of details. I am going to skip over almost all of them. The basic part of the story that is necessary is that a few months ago when they told family friends I was headed to law school. The reaction was almost disbelief. It was more they did not believe I was serious. It seems to make me think do I have that drive that people see? Was their reaction due to them not seeing me, or me not seeing how people see me?

Driven is used often to describe someone, but what does it mean? Is a driven person someone who wants to succeed? Well who does not want to succeed? I am not sure what it means. I do not believe it really means anything, just a nice sounding expression to give to people who succeed.

I do know these things about myself though. In everything I do, I want to do the best possible. I absolutely hate the feeling of holding back due to laziness. In things I truly care about, I want to be a stand out. I am not scared to admit it. I would love to be a standout crossfitter, I am not, I would love to be though. In law school I want to succeed. I know how to accomplish all of this too. I have to work as hard as possible.

Also I know I do not like to sit still. I constantly am trying to better myself. The fact that I took a year to take care of going to law school drives me crazy. I feel like I am a year behind now. However, that is what I needed to get focused.

Do these things make me driven? The truth is I do not really care. It would not change how I am. I do not think of nice adjectives to describe myself and say that is what I want to be. I just want to be me.

Workout: Rest day.

Inspirational quote: “Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.” –Wendy Wasserstein

Wind out of the sails...

Remmy looking past today.

“Taking the wind out of the sails,” is a common expression. It means stealing the momentum. This is something that everyone has felt at one point or another. You are all excited about something and someone just comes and give you bad news. This happened to me today twice.

When looking at the weather, it was obviously suppose to rain today. It was all planned into the week. Today was going to be half a workday. The other half would be used to do a task list. There are tasks which require a trip to the hardware store. This meant half a day of work fit perfectly into the plans.

This was the wind carrying the sails. However, at 1130 it became evident it would not be raining soon. When the weather was checked, rain was only a 50 percent chance. This meant work until 5 and none of the tasks getting done. At this point work seemed to be pointless. My momentum was broken. However, after a little while it was accepted and rebounded from.

The second time was during the workout. The workout was 5 handstand push ups, 10 kettlebell swings on the minute for 10 minutes. The goal was to get to 10 minutes. This was going to be a task. Failure came at four. This was unforgivable. There was no way failure could come that quickly. It did though. This took all momentum out of the sails.

The rebound was less from this. This is something that will have to change. There is a renewed dedication to harder workouts and handstand push-ups. This workout will be done again, and 10 minutes will be achieved. While this little event initially took the wind out of the sails, it was soon replaced by stronger winds.

Workout: 5 handstand push ups, 10 kettlebells on minute for as long as possible, 4 rounds. Finished with 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings. 90 seconds rest.

Inspirational quote: “If you are going through hell, keep going.” –Winston Churchill

Just funny video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN5PoW7_kdA

Pushing and Pulling

When you are growing up you are told to not allow people to push you around. This is an interesting statement. In all honesty I do not believe in it. I believe it does have some truth, but I feel you need to let yourself to be pushed around to fully grow.

The truth in the statement is when someone is trying to take advantage of you. I do believe you should never let people push you to do things you know are wrong or unlawful. You have to learn how to stand up for yourself. You have to learn how to push back in this situation. However, I feel there is a lot to learn by letting yourself to be pushed in a positive direction.

It would be simple to say that you accomplish all things in your life by yourself. It would also be a lie. There is no one in this world that accomplished anything on his or her own. There has to be people there pushing you to succeed. If you were to not allow yourself to get pushed around, who knows how little you would accomplish. Successful people always know how to let people push them.

This thought led me to think about when I have been pushed in my life. In the past two years I have been pushed into things that have changed the direction of my life. The first was going to crossfit. It was something I just toyed with doing. Then a friend of mine pushed me into it. All of the sudden I did not have a choice of what to do. I was hooked after my first day and have been for two years now. The list goes on and on though. There are major points when people pushed me to do something I did not want to. I am happy I let myself get pushed. It has led me to become a much better person. If I would have stood my ground here is a short list of things I would not know, crossfit, paleo, law school… The list can go on trust me.

The person I am today would be completely different if I did not let myself get pushed a little bit. You need that push as long as it is well guided. You have to watch out for who is pushing you and why. This goes for the gym and life outside. You need the trainer there to push you. In the gym it is easy to get that motivation by a yelling lunatic. It is hard to get it outside the gym. This is because it is then your job to push yourself. It is important that you are always pushing your mind and body in new directions.

Workout: 3rds of 10 kettlebell snatches right, 10 left, 10 handstand push ups. My time was 8:57. My handstands need some work, but I am happy with them since there were against the shed.

Inspirational quote: “Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough.” –Richard M. DeVos

Stay the course...

One of the most annoying lines which I hear all the time is, “that person just got lucky genetics.” This annoys me on so many levels. The major part is that it is usually from a lazy person who does nothing to change their situation. You can sit there and play the victim and blame your genetics or you can do something about it. I prefer people who to the latter. There is the further part that annoys me. No, you are not an Olympic athlete. Yes, they did get really good genetics. However you want to know what else the majority of people that succeed have? Consistency, they stayed the course when times got tough and now get the reap the benefits.

The biggest trick to getting results is being consistency. There is no short cut, you have to be getting your butt in gear everyday. The results will come with time. I promise you if you decide to go walking 4 times a week for a few miles, over a few months you will lose some weight or whatever your goal is. Lets look at some pit falls people find which causes inconsistency.

The most common problem is people expect results to quickly. People feel that if they are putting the time in now to get fit, they should be fit now. Who can blame them? We live in a society that believes you should reap benefits instantaneously. The reality is that it takes time. Being fit is a lifestyle. It never actually stops. You have to put your time into the process to expect results. To relate it to something I hope everyone can understand it is like investing. Peoples workout perception is similar to saying hey here is a dollar. Then expecting that in a month that dollar will be a hundred. That dollar has the ability to become a hundred. It just needs time.

Another pitfall is not being dedicated over a period of time. These people still hit the gym. There are just huge gaps in between visits. You have to be willing to give a current amount of time each week to working out. You will get more results if you put more in. It is simple as that. It is easier to not go to the gym and sit on the couch another hour. Be aware though that you made that choice to sit on the couch, you will have to pay the price later.

The simple fact is that no not everyone is genetically gifted. However you are not genetically disadvantaged. The people who are in better shape for the most part have just been more consistent over time about being in shape. They have been dedicated to a certain lifestyle.

People are designed to be a powerful hunter. This is how you evolved. You might never be able to beat Usain Bolt in the 100 m dash. But you should at least be able to run down some animals in order to survive.

Workout: 2 mile recovery run. Was going to do pull ups afterword but I broke the pull up bar on the first one. Very upset by this, will have to replace it.

Inspirational quote: “Stay the course”

who pushes who?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf5M

I saw this video a few hours ago. It caused me to think. It is right on target on its point. I would like to expand one point from nutrition focused to full lifestyle focus. The point I would like to broaden is the point when he says just cause you are fitter then a fat person….

I have said before, the only person to compare yourself to is yourself in that moment. You know when you have given it your all. There are times when you have done a great job, but there was that little bit more you could have given. In these times it is wrong to settle for good enough. There should never be any settling that at least I did better then blah. This means that every workout you have to give it all you have for that moment do not compare yourself to others.

Continuing on this, it is wrong to even compare yourself to yourself. Last week I might have been able to do a 30 push ups in a row in 30 seconds. However this week it might be only 25. This does not mean I gave less effort. There could easily be circumstances which led to the drop in five push ups. I could have a cold, did 150 push ups the day before, etc. That means that you have to give it your all.

This by no means says that competing with others is wrong. I am just trying to bring to light that it should not be your final measuring stick. Competition can cause you to push it to places you never thought you could. This is a good thing. Where constant competition can hurt you, is when you only care about beating someone. The only person you should always want to beat is yourself.

There is only one person who knows when you have given it your all, you. This should not be kept to your workouts either. You should be given it your all at work. By being complacent in the fact that you are a better worker then blah, does not make you better. You should be comparing yourself to yourself. Did I give that letter, project, planting job all I had? If the answer is yes, then you are on the right track.

There is a problem when you start settling for just being better then someone else. There are people just naturally are not as good as you. To say you are just stronger then a 5 year old sounds ridiculous. However it is essentially what you are saying when you say you can relax cause you are in better shape then a big old fatty.

Workout: It was a rainy day so had to workout inside. I did 4 rds of 25 sit ups, 15 supermans, 15 push ups. My time was 8:05. It was a good quick workout in the middle of the week.

Inspirational quote: “ I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.” –Vince Lombardi

Continuing old processes...

This is a picture of how I like to think Remmy looks when I am gone.

There were a million of reasons running through my head how I could justify skipping today’s workout. However none were strong enough to overcome the one good reason I had. That reason was that I have to. I was tired, had a normal day of work but just felt exhausted, but I knew I had to workout.

With my body aching I still felt the need to go. I had to workout. And when I was done, I was happy that I did. This reminds me of years ago when I was big into running. I would dread the run everyday which led to a lot of skipped runs. On days when I would run I was happy when I was done with it. However, now a days it is different. I no longer run all the time. I am in better shape and hit workouts in short intense burst. However the process is still the same.

There are days when you stand there and think of everything else you could be doing. All of the chores you have to get done. Then you take that first step and it feels so good. It makes you question why I though of skipping this. Back in the running days, I dreaded it 90% of the time. Now I dread it only 10%. However, the same thoughts still skip through my head. It almost seems to be a left over process from my running days.

When you are done you feel productive and that you will never again dread doing a workout. This is simple not going to happen. The difference is taking that first step towards the workout with consistence. There is no short cut in getting into shape, just constant hard work. There is no way to get into shape by skipping workouts. You need every workout. This is because every workout is a lesson.

Workout: 21-15-9 of walking lunges each leg, holding 30lb dumbbells, shoulder press, and thrusters. My time was 10:28. It took a few seconds to stop the clock, so I took a few seconds off.

Inspirational quotes: “A road well begun is the battle half won. The important thing is to make a beginning and get under way.” –Soren Kierkegaard

DEVIATION!!!

Missing: the green bandit! If found please contact Joshua McMahon. (pictured above)

This post is dedicated to when you deviate from your diet. When I say deviation I mean eating outside what you normally would consider healthy. This on other diets is celebrated as this great time. I feel if you have to deviate from you diet for a great time, the diet is not working. I eat how I eat cause that is what makes my body and spirit better. The reason I do not call it “cheating” is that I feel like I am not cheating. The deviation is what helps stay the course.

There are three reasons to deviate, to help stay course, if mood calls for it, or hospitality. The first one, to stay the course is tricky. This is not to say that I need the deviation to stay on the diet. It just sometimes is necessary to remind your body why you avoid certain foods. I eat the foods I want to eat, when I feel like I want them. The same urges that tell me to eat brussels sprouts instead of bread are the exact same urges that tell me I want ice cream. A side note, I have been doing this for a while and it takes a while to listen to what you body wants and not what you desire.

The mood calls for it is another tricky one to judge at first. Of course you are always in the mood for ice cream. However is your spirit always in need of ice cream. When I say mood I mean you have had a bad day and it will help you feel better. In these times food can give my spirit a boost it desperately needs. In these cases ice cream or dark chocolate is what I eat.

The final reason to deviate is hospitality. This is a strict rule of mine. Under no circumstances do you refuse food that is a gift. If someone is willing to bake or cook you dinner you eat what they cook for you. The only exception is if it is family that cooks for you often. However, if anyone every makes you food for a special occasion, you eat it. It would be rude not to.

The final part of deviation to discuss is the frequency. If you are deviating every day, you are no long on the diet, but a completely different one. The number I like to think about is 90%. This does not have to be exact. Just like weighing and measuring food, I feel to go over board with exactness of deviation is an eating disorder. If you think about it this way you have 21 meals a week. If you deviate 2 meals a week, you are at 90%. This is not the golden bar though. If by all means you had a rough week, eat what you spirit needs.

There is absolutely no point in torturing yourself over your diet. It takes time to understand your body’s urges, especially after big changes like cutting out sugar. It is best to make many small changes. Do not be scared to take a step backwards every now and then, you might find it was unnecessary to cut out. You should eat how you like because it is best for you body and spirit. If you are not enjoying your diet, you are not going to stick to it. It is the same with everything; you should do things because you love to that is when you produce your best results.

Workout: 100 burpees with 25 lb weight vest. 8:49 was my time. It felt good, the vest shifted a lot on me. I missed my workout partner, but he is spending some time with his mommy.

Inspirational quote: “Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” –Mark Twain

Why do I do it?

Why do I do these workouts all the time? This is a question I often thinking about. I find answering it extremely difficult. I have yet to find out really why I do them. I have had many conversations about it with people. There are two great answers that I believe help formulate why I do it. The two answers are, “Because we can.” The other being, “because I would not not want to.”

The first one, “because we can,” comes from a girl names suz. I am unaware of her last name. She is a member at Crossfit 908. I was in the middle of a workout one day and said out loud, “Why do we do this to ourselves?” She quickly responded, “because we can.” This lead me to think. It is true, it is partially simply because we can. The fact is that many people physically cannot. It is not just because they are lazy, it is cause they have some physical impairment. I owe it to all those people to give it my all in every workout.

The second quote was from a friend of mine, Brandon K. We were talking about why we come in when we are tired and sore and do a workout. Then he simply said, “because I would not not want to come in.” I know it is not the most correct English, but it is a correct statement. There are definitely days when we do not want to workout. The workout that day however makes our day that much better. I have skipped workout on days and feel like a piece of my day is missing. It is as simple as I do it cause I would not not want to do it.

There is a third reason has come from personal reflection. I do it because of the positive it has had in my life. Before I started working out I was in bad shape inside and out. I was a 230 pound 6-1 softy. I was not capable of a pull up, could not squat 200 pounds or snatch anything. Physically it has changed my life. Mentally it has changed me too.

Mentally before I started I was shy. I would not want to challenge myself because I was scared of failure. Because of these workouts I know you have to take yourself if you do not take yourself to the point of failure, how do you know how well you can do? This has been taught to me through many brutal beat downs in workouts. It was paid for in sweat many times over. This lesson is the most important. I had the ability to extend it to my life as a whole.

I recently applied to law schools. I decided I was going to go for the best I could get into. I was not going to be scared of not getting in. How am I suppose to know the best school I could get in to if I do not fail? I got into 3 out of the 8 schools I applied to. Those numbers are not to great. Especially if you look at that 2 of them were safety schools. However, I do not have to wonder if I could have gotten into a school I wanted to. Did it suck getting a rejection letter from University of Texas when that is were I really wanted to go? You bet ya. It would suck more if I never applied and just wondered for the rest of my life.

Those are some of the reasons why I do it.

Workout: 50 kettlebell presses, 5 each arm rotation I did this twice. The first time was 4:28. The second I was able to do 3:26, I got motivated. I think I more was able to mentally push, I was not happy with the first time. Extras were 5 sets of 5 deadhang pull ups.

Inspiratonal Quote: “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” –Vince Lombardi

Giving it your all

It is very easy to say you have to give it your all. It is difficult to understand what that means. The question becomes what is your all? Does your all change day to day or hour by hour? Does just because you are doing more then someone mean you are giving more?

Everyday you have to give all that you have to give. When you think about it that way, it has to vary day to day. There are going to be good days and bad ones. Giving it your all on a bad day is not going to be nearly as much as on a good day. That does not mean that you should still not try. Also, it shows more character when on a bad day you still stand there giving it everything you have.

The other thing is to never measure yourself purely against someone else. Me giving it my all is going to be different then you. I can do more work in a day then you and still not have given it my all. However, the man who is able to give it their all everyday builds his character and will succeed in the end.

When giving it your all there are no corners to cuts. It is simple on a bad day to say this is all I am going to do. In this situation you are failing to give it your all. You are also showing bad character. That is why no matter how bad of a day you are having never cut corners. There is no shortcut to success, just a road paved with hard work.

My final thought is that you learn more about yourself on your bad days then on good. The bad part is you have to have learn from your bad days. They have to be seen as learning experiences. You never know when something you learned from one might turn a day into a great day.

Workout: 5rds, 6 kettlebell snatch each arm, 4:03ish. There was a mishap with the timing. Remmy decided to roll on my watch as I was finishing. The extra today was a 15 down to 1 pyrmiad of normal push ups, wide, and narrow. It was a fun one.

Inspirational quotes: “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

Changing the perception

I came across this story and found it interesting. There are many versions and this is just one. One day a traveller, walking along a lane, came across 3 stonecutters working in a quarry. Each was busy cutting a block of stone. Interested to find out what they were working on, he asked the first stonecutter what he was doing. "I am cutting a stone!" Still no wiser the traveller turned to the second stonecutter and asked him what he was doing. “I am cutting this block of stone to make sure that it’s square, and its dimensions are uniform, so that it will fit exactly in its place in a wall." A bit closer to finding out what the stonecutters were working on but still unclear, the traveller turned to the third stonecutter. He seemed to be the happiest of the three and when asked what he was doing replied: “I am building a cathedral.”

It has caused me to do some thinking about my daily work. I work for a landscaping company. No, we do not cut lawns, it is a lot of digging holes and planting plants. It is not the most rewarding job, but it is a job. I am stuck doing work for people I do not know. However I have realized I find it rewarding.

I am able to work outside. I get a good amount of physical work. Mentally it still leaves a lot to be desired. However, at the end of the day I get to see a physical difference I have made. It is not just that, but when you get a client who is extremely excited about the work, it is very rewarding.

One time last week I had the chance to mulch a lady’s yard. It was an area that was overgrown with weeds. Her husband has cancer. The two of them normally keep it up, but given the circumstances it has slipped. By going and doing that work for that lady, we were able to make her day. I am not just saying that, she told us. It is when I get to work on those jobs that it reinvigorates my desire.

I guess it really just comes down to perception. Most of the time I use to perceive I am doing this work for wealthy unappreciative assholes. I think though if I change my perception as it a job I am doing just for pay to a job I am going to do my best out it will help me.

It will help me enjoy work more. I will be able to be more productive from the extra pride I will take in my work. I also am a firm believer in doing the best that you can in every thing that you do. I do not believe there is an on/off switch. I believe people who always take pride in their work and work hard, finish ahead. The people that do the bare minimum at work always will do the bare minimum in the rest of their life. This is why I challenge all people to do the best they can in everything that they do. This will force your whole attitude to change.

Workout: Today I wanted to get a quick 5 to 7 minute workout in. I had a desire to work my upper body. The lower body gets plenty of work at work. I did 5 rounds of 20 double unders, 4 broad jumps, 10 sandbag presses (60lb.), 4 broad jumps. The time that I finished in was 5:39. I tried the best I could to make all broad jumps as far as possible. I strive to do the best in everything.

P.S. Good luck Sara! I know you will pass easily.

Inspiritaional Quote: “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.” -Buddha