Create your Dreams Internally

I was out of town the other day, visiting my father-in-law, and decided instead of hauling so much stuff there for one overnight stay, I would not go to the gym in the morning (at his place), but instead sleep in and train when I returned home the following afternoon.

Here I am after the 2 1/2 hour drive, dressed to go hit the weights. Sleeping in is not something I usually do, in fact, I very rarely do it. I slept until 7:00 a.m. and heard it was marked on the calendar as a special event. 

I have many readers now, and I love hearing from them. What is the most common email I receive? People telling me what an inspiration I am. I was messaging with a new friend on Facebook while I visited my father-in-law, I could see by the ever so tiny pictures on my phone that she is gorgeous, fit, cut, muscular and a competitor herself. She said I was inspirational.

How could I be an inspiration to her or anyone else? What am I doing that is so inspiring?

I thought about it a lot on the ride home.

I recounted in my head why I even started writing. 

There are thousands of blogs out there about this same topic; however I believe they fall into a few groups. There are the formerly obese people who changed their ways are are now fit. Not me, I have never had a weight problem.

There are those who have overcome a debilitating injury or disease to become ripped and cut. Nope not me, I have broken a rib a few months back, that's about it.

Then there are those who were famous, or at least well known in the particular circle they lived in and they decided to make some money with their advise.

None of it really fits me, surprise surprise!

The seed was planted by another competitor working with my trainer at the time, she struggled to lose body fat, and I would always seem to lose it so effortlessly. 

Believe me, it takes a great deal of effort, but I don't think I struggle as much as most others do, since I don't ever let myself get overweight. 

I started writing because I have a lot to share. People would always ask me for advise, so this seemed like the best way to do it.

It all started with how to lose body fat, but I soon realized that it was way more complicated than that. It was about me as a person. 

I told my new friend that I just "put it out there" and she said that's what makes it so special, so real. I guess that's right. You will see people show their one "fat" picture in the beginning, then they never show you another picture until they look stunning.

Or the "famous" or well know personalities, you only see them at their best, who could possibly hope to live up to that?

Me? You see me at 6:00 a.m. with no make up (a lot), when I am white and "pudgy" (at least for me) in the off season. I don't get dressed up except of course when I put on my competition suit. ..I think Sub Zero really should pay me for all those pictures in front of my fridge though! 

You see me when I am mourning a death, or celebrating a birth. When I am struggling, when I am celebrating. You see me everyday, and almost every picture is recent, I take them every couple days and have done so for years (yeah, I know it's a bit odd).

I share a lot, and I do it because I want others to feel good about themselves.

I think that the only "remarkable" thing about me truly is the fact that I am 50 and look a hell of a lot younger, without the aid of cosmetic surgeries or androgenic ergogenic drugs. I look great year round, and "greater" at competition time! Will I stop writing as soon as it all hits (or drops) and I look my age?

Nope. And, that is the other remarkable thing about me, you see, I believe.

In ME.

And I never act my age either!

People are motivated many different ways, but there are two categories you can divide them into. There are "externally" motivated people and "internally" motivated people. 


I think you will generally find that those who are very successful in one particular aspect of their life, I mean really, really driven to constantly improve, are internally motivated. 


I am internally motivated.


I don't need someone to push me, someone to help me, someone to train with me, someone to lean on. I am my own in all of those areas.


I am driven by the desire to improve, so seek near perfection in my quest, whatever it may be. I look around and if I am alone, I never stop, I run harder. I feel that we all learn best by falling down and getting up on our own. I learn best by doing. I am not afraid to fail. 


I don't follow the crowd and if everyone thinks it's a good idea, I probably don't agree. We don't need to be stiff, frail, slow and in pain. We should be fluid, strong, fast and high (on life).


I can "create dreams internally", or control the endorphins by just thinking about training.


Endorphins: 

From the Greek: word endo "ενδο" meaning "within" (endogenous, Greek: ενδογενής, "proceeding from within") and morphine, from Morpheus, Greek: Μορφέας, the god of dreams in the Greek mythology, thus 'endo(genous) (mo)rphine’.


I believe we write our own book, our future is what we decide it will be. While none of us can control what happens to us and around us, we can control how we react and deal with it all.


We are in charge of our own destiny. 


I feel that I am inspirational because of my outlook on life. I look for the positive, I make it fun, I seek adventure. It's not like I get to do this all over again....


And, although I don't "need" anyone, I certainly do love to train with others, share their triumphs and their failures and learn form people. I will never stop learning, and as long as I can, I will have a trainer that helps me to expand my horizons. And most of all, I will never stop trying to inspire those around me to be the best they can be.


I believe in you, do you believe in you? Reach for the stars, they are yours for the taking.