Mr. Olympia

I am expanding myself

When I was about 15 years old I hit a growth spurt and shot up 4 inches.  I had always loved playing basketball and at 6'3" I was suddenly taller than most of my classmates.  I got the opportunity to play for the High School team and although I had a great time playing I did not enjoy the mandatory weight room sessions.  

Growing up I had experience helping my dad haul wood every summer as well as working for a local farmer moving sprinkler pipes and bucking hay.  Those activities gave me what I like to describe as a "wiry" toughness but with long arms and a thin frame I was behind the curve when it came to bench pressing or the other types of weight lifting exercises we had to routinely do before practice.  I usually did my best to conserve my energy and just do what I had to in order to get by without being noticed.  I was afraid to try and get better because it was something I was not very good at.

One week my coach decided to hold a weight lifting contest.  I did not fair very well on most of the upper body contests but when it was time to do the squat I decided to push myself.  The contest went back and forth between me and another player and even though each lift felt like it was all I would be capable of  I just kept adding more weight.  I benched nearly 80lbs more than my previous best.  

 

Until I am tested I never know how strong I can be. Sometimes the tests come from external challenges but I must also be willing to stretch myself when I have become complacent or comfortable.  I often hold back for fear of failure but regret does not come from doing my best and coming up short, it is a result of having never pushed myself to see what I am capable of. Each time I feel I have hit my limit I will persevere and expand myself.  I will not see my limits as failures or fixed borders but as opportunities to grow and work towards reaching my full potential.     

"If we wait till we're ready, we'll never get started."  Eleanor Roosevelt