Today I travel to the U.S.A. to complete the final, and most grueling, leg of my 2011 competition campaign. The Natural Oympia. A prestigious world championship event and the summit of natural body building.
Last week I described the physical and emotional effect from 43 weeks of intense and relentless contest preparation, and how it acted to temporarily disrupt my focus. Once I acknowledged the impact of this on my standards, beliefs, behaviour and outcome (i.e. my physique) I challenged myself to honestly examine my commitment, motivation and values.
What was I doing this for?
Why does it matter so damn much?!
To commit a whole year of my life, to deprive myself of food, to spend hours in the gym training and doing cardio, to forego social interaction and deny myself of other things I could have bought with the money spent on travelling, supplements, and the myriad of costs associated with this sport, all for 15 minutes on stage?? What’s the point?
To become everything I am capable of being.
And I do this by going beyond any place I have ever been before. It’s rarely comfortable. It’s usually painful. It’s always worth it.
From that examination I extracted an even more powerful, deep-seated desire to demand the absolute best from myself. To dig deep, stay strong, keep attacking, and invest all of my resources into creating the outcome I need. This is a situation that dictates, no, that demands that I find a way to get on that stage in the best physical shape of my life!
Reigniting my drive mentally and emotionally has translated into the physical energy that will propel me to higher standards. To the next level. To a better understanding of my mind and my body. And I will be one step closer to understanding my true potential.
