Awesome people are awesome, so be awesome!

In my last post I talked about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who make you a better person, or “awesome people”. Awesome people can be found anywhere. They could taking out your trash. They could be packing your bags. They could be waiting your tables. Teaching your children. Cutting your hair. They can be absolute strangers who you have never met before. You may only know them for a day, or a few hours, or even a few seconds. It might be that random runner that you pass who sneaks in a quick “keep going” or head nod. It might be that person that tells you that everything is going to be alright when you are feeling down. Or, it might be a crowd of people you don’t know, cheering you on when you are giving it your all. These are awesome people. People which help or at least try to help you to become the strongest version of yourself whether it be in the realms of mind, body, or spirit.

“SURROUND ME, AWESOME THINGS!”

I witnessed many awesome people yesterday, and I myself participated in being an awesome person. I decided to watch a powerlifting meet as I myself shall be competing in one in a couple weeks. Lifters of all shapes and sizes were there. All ages. All ethnicities. All genders, all two of them. Each lifter, there to test their strength after spending weeks, months, years and even decades, of disciplined training, nutrition and recovery. Each lifter, doing what they love to do. And each lifter, having a supportive cheer squad to back them up during a long grinding lift and to applaud the effort whether it was a good lift or not.

This is the type of environment that I was talking about. The type of environment in which to surround yourself in. It did not matter if you were a male or female lifting 40kgs or 260kgs. There was a 45 year old woman who pulled 170kg off the ground and a 16 year old boy with 100kgs on his back. But none of that mattered. Each and every lift the crowd and fellow competitors were behind you, egging you on. Yelling and screaming for you to push, pull and drive with all your might when your legs are shaking and your face resembles a tomato. It did not matter if you were male or female, Russian or Asian, young or old. Each competitor there was there to give their best and everyone was there to see them get their best. There was no bad sportsmanship, no cheering for a missed lift, but rather applause for the effort of the lift. When a lifter was hitting that 10 second grinder rep where your mind comes to the crossroads of whether to stop or commit to the lift, people would be out of their chairs yelling “UP UP UP”, “GO GO GO” and they would take you to the end. And the cheering and applause when that lifter finishes the lift, just amazing. Even more amazing was the boyfriend who was literally jumping out of his shoes, clenching his fist and punching it to the sky when his girlfriend pressed a new personal record over her head.

I was waiting for this to happen.

I imagine it to be a similar feeling that hardcore sports fans have when they are cheering for their favourite team. The only difference here is you are cheering for everyone, as everyone wants to see you get that weight up. They want to help and see you hit that new personal record. They want to help and see you doing your best and being your strongest.

The whole meet is a big support base. From the spotters preventing you from being crushed when you fail to lift a weight, to the referees telling you where you went wrong in your lift. From the coaches helping you mentally prepare, to the other lifters giving you advice to help you on your next lift. The whole meet is one place where many awesome people congregate and help you kick ass. The powerlifiting community is one of the most supportive communities I’ve ever seen. No one is there to bring you down, only raise you up. I’m excited to become a part of it when I complete my first ever meet. I know I’ll have my training partner, my gym friends, and the crowd behind me, cheering me on and yelling at me to keep going when the lift gets tough. And I’ll be there to do the same.

At the end of the day, we all want to be the strongest and best versions of ourselves. I feel the best way to do that is by associating yourself with awesome people and getting amongst it, and not sitting on the sideline. I myself have been sitting on the sideline for too long. The time for thinking and wishing has past. The time for doing, that’s the time right now. I feel  this experience is going to be a step in the right direction. I cannot wait.

– Sash

When a Simple Dinner changes your Life!

You know when you think you know everyone? I don’t mean you know every single person in the world, but you think you know all the types of people in the world. You put people into categories as they share this trait, or that characteristic. It allows you to make quick judgements based on a few observations whether it be from their walk, their mannerisms, their beliefs and so on. But every once in a while there those who you meet that surprise you. They make you question your knowledge of others. They make you add a new category into your category system. Sometimes for the worse, but sometimes for the better.

From my trip last week I was lucky enough to have experienced the company of two lovely people, who I have had to create a new category for. Currently this category is unnamed and it shall remain that way as I feel it would be an injustice to how amazing they are. If you must, find your thesaurus and look up the word “amazing.” I feel this is an accurate word to describe these two.

Now, I am not one for fancy, expensive, gourmet dinners produced by the most renowned chefs who are so fancy in the pantsy they name their restaurants after their first name. Give me a jar of peanut butter and a spoon and I’m good to go. Hell, forget the spoon, I have hands. But during my trip to Melbourne, I was lucky enough to be involved in a dinner that I will not soon forget.

Cutlery? You mean hands?

These two people only know me via friend association, that is, they were friends of friends. However, I was treated as if I was a very close friend, even a best friend. At least that is I how I felt. My friends and I were there for dinner and we were treated to refreshing water, and delicious corn chips (including gluten free chips) with salsa as a starter. Pizza would be headlining tonight, and I’m not talking about your store bought, frozen, cheap imitation of what a pizza should be. This was to be a real pizza. Made from scratch. Even the dough bases (some regular and some gluten and starch free) were built from the ground up. Never did I realise how many extra ingredients were needed to construct a gluten free dough. But this humble abode catered for both. While the man of the house battled the dough, fist to dough face style, the lady of the house was making the dessert; ice-cream. Armed with cream, sugar and a whisk (among other things) this lady was creating this cream of ice from scratch as well. In the midst of all this, my friends and I were welcomed and humbly encouraged  to taste some house apple cider, made from the apples from the tree in the backyard. Never before had I experienced so many homemade food items.

Next, we had the difficult task of choosing, from a buffet of ingredients, the toppings which to grace our own dough slabs with. All your typical toppings where there for the taking including mushrooms, onions, mozzarella cheese (and gluten free cheese), ham, and gourmet salami. There were even some choices I had never thought of decorating a pizza with such as pumpkin, spinach and anchovies.

While decoration time is happening the room is filled with storytelling, laughter and conversations. I’m talking real conversations and not your extended and polite head nodding of acknowledgement small talk. Real conversations. It was such a refreshing breath of fresh air. I know it might seem strange to think so highly of this, but I have to say I appreciated it so much. Such a contrast it is to the kinds of “conversations” I have at home.

In between stories, the man of the house is darting back and forth between the outside barbecue and the indoor oven. Never have I seen someone care so much for the status of my food. Each pizza was to be cooked just right, and that’s exactly how they were done, and they were absolutely delicious. I was even offered a couple of beers courtesy of the house to drink with the man. I felt more than welcome. I am lost for words with how good it felt to have been accepted into such a lovely home the way that I was. Already in food heaven, bowls of ice-cream graced the table, and our lips. Never before had I tried a “Blue Magic” topping before, but combined with this homemade ice-cream all I can say is Peters or Bulla or Ben and Jerry’s had better watch their backs.

Don’t you just want to roll around in it? Trick question! Of course you do!

After dinner I was offered the sofa bed for peaceful night slumber. I was even given the opportunity to switch off the resident fish’s water filter for the night so that it would not disturb me. I’m sure that fish was not overly fond with sharing the living area with me. Upon awakening the next morning, a note alerted us that we were welcome to anything in the house for breakfast, including a freshly cut pineapple, grape, apple and watermelon fruit salad prepared by the lady herself. In addition, as I returned from my morning run, in unfortunately freezing typhonic weather, I was offered to use the house’s hot water shower and towels. To witness and be a apart of such hospitality, generosity and company I feel truly lucky and blessed. I have never meet the kind of people that I did  on that Melbourne trip and before then never thought these kinds of people existed.

On my trip I met many people, and learned many things, about others and about myself, especially from these two individuals. The experience made me realise that in the grand scheme of things, I know very little about people. It made me realise that some people are inherently good and are willing to help even when it might be inconvenient for them. It made me realise that generosity is out there, and that I myself wish to be more generous in the future, whether it be in giving my resources, knowledge or time to others. It made me realise that I wish to aspire to be as good an individual as these two people. They make me want to be more like them and aspire to treat others the same way.

If they happen to read this I would like to take the opportunity to thank them again. Thank you for taking me into your home and treating me the way you did. It was not unappreciated. Thank you for the great memories, experiences and stories which you have shared with me. My life is now richer from it. I can honestly say if there were more people in the world like you two, the world would be a better place.

I hope this story finds you well. Keep being amazing.

– Sash

But I had much to do. SO MUCH!

Ever get the feeling there is not enough hours in the day? You go to bed, and you cannot sleep because you are anxious about all the things that you didn’t get done even though you were on full throttle? Seeing those disgusting unticked boxes on your list that’s mocking you on your bedside table. Feeling like you have been defeated by your own expectations of yourself. It’s like at the end of the day and some random dude floats into your room the second you are about to fall asleep, and slaps you in the face with a certificate. A certificate of “participation”. Remember those back in the day? How degrading was that? I remember looking to the kid beside me in primary school. Big cheesey grin on their face as they brandish their “credit” around.  Only to be out done by that smug kid who keeps asking whether his “distinction” is any good. Little punk. Stupid random floating “participation” certificate distributor man.

“We don’t have the testicular fortitude to tell you that you failed, so have this instead!”

But seriously, do you ever wonder whether you will get it all done? All the work you have for the day, or the week, or the year? What about all the things you want to accomplish in five years? How about ten? How about by the end of your life whenever that may be? I know worrying too far into the future takes away from the present, which is the most important part, but that is still no reason not to have some sort of life structure. Some sort of life plan. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail……or plan to get a “participation” certificate.

It all started with a bucket list challenge. Write down fifty things that you want to accomplish before you go to that big gym in the sky. I could only conjure up twenty four things. But even looking at those twenty four things, I started to question whether or not I would even be able to accomplish all things? I want to be this, and that, and this, and that, and do this and that. All these things, plans, ideas. I want to accomplish these things. I want to experience all these things, and there are so many things. Where do I even start? How do I even start? Is it too late to do some of these things? This is probably a great spot for me to stop typing and refer back to my over-thinking “Paralysis by Analysis” post, but I’m going to keep going and hopefully an idea formulates.

I suppose I would start by looking at the list and ordering them in terms of importance to me. Those are the ones that I will target first. I guess next I’d give myself goals. As much as I hate the “g” word (just from saying way too much, the word doesn’t even look right to me anymore) I know that is what I have to set. If you don’t have direction, if you don’t have a target to funnel your energy then it will go nowhere. An idea without vision is just a dream. Let’s use the ever popular example of buying a house, or an apartment. The way you would approach it is to see how much it costs. See how much a deposit is, and calculate how much money you need. Then look at what you earn, and see how long you estimate it would take to save that money if you put some away each week. Now you have an idea and a direction and a time frame.

Another way to look at it might be to work backwards. Let’s say I want to be an engineer. Ok, how do you become an engineer? Well you go an study engineering. Ok, where? At this university. Ok, how do you get into that university? You do this, this and this etc. So all of a sudden you have created this visual route, or idea of how you are going to get to where you want. And then you would do this for all the things on your list. Constructing visual routes or timelines for all your life goals. You may choose to hit the little ones first and then tackle the big ones. You may find that some overlap. You may find that you accomplish one without even realising it. You may find you accomplish some faster than you anticipated.

The secret I suppose is just to get started. Get things in motion because the hardest part is to get things moving. Think about pushing a massive rock. At first that massive goal rock is not going to move. You keep pushing, keep applying pressure to it. Next thing you know you start seeing movement, it’s slow but it’s noticeable. Now it’s starting to make some considerable progress. Now it’s moving and you are hardly pushing it. Next thing you know you have lost your giant rock because it has gained so much momentum and now it has smashed some poor guys car that was one day away from being paid off.

“Pfft, I can push that. Hold my beer!”

I invite you to write a list of those things that you desire from this life, and have a think about what you have to do to achieve them. Even Don’t be scared and don’t rush it. Grab a cup a coffee, your ye olde quill and note pad and make sweet love to the page. Even do a timeline of when you expect to accomplish it. It will make it that more real and believable and that much more achievable to you. I’ve got a lot of timelines to do; twenty four to be precise and there is no way  in hell that I’m going to get a “participation” in this lifetime again.

– Sash

To feel alive!

Nothing makes me feel more alive than running. When I am running, I am free. I am worry free. I am care free. Nothing else matters at that precise moment because I am so in the moment that there is no room for anything else. I’m sure many have experienced this feeling, maybe not with running but with something else. You know that feeling when something you are passionate about has your full focus, your full attention? You are so enticed by it you forget what time it is. You are so entranced by it that you forget to eat. You are so in the moment that you forget to sleep. You might even forget what day it is. Loud sounds become dull hums. Your vision becomes clearer than normal. You see things that you have never seen before. You notice things that you have never noticed before. All of a sudden those little things that plague your mind day to day become non-existent. You are in the moment. You are alive, in that delicious moment.

“I LOVE THIS DELICIOUS MOMENT!”

Running allows me to access this state of mind, especially when I am running hard. If you are familiar with running or any physical activity you will know that more often than not, your mind determines the outcome of your success or failure. Your mind will always give up before your body does. It is your job to train your mind to push the body where it has never gone before. And it is your attitude that will drive your mind to push the body. If you start a training session all sulky, thinking about how long this chore is going to take, then you are more than likely going to have a terrible session. You have walked in with a negative mind set, and have set yourself up for failure because you are more likely to quit when it starts getting hard. However, if you walk into your session excited to hit a new personal best, you are more likely going to have a great session because  when it starts getting hard, you will push yourself out of your comfort zone. And what lies beyond your comfort zone? LIFE!

Now this can apply to anything that you do. Think about your job. If it’s Monday and you have Friday on your mind, there is a good chance that you are going to have a less than stellar week. You are going to come to work, be negative,  and do a worse job than you otherwise would. Then you will  sulk at the end of the day because you have four more days of sulking before you can self medicate yourself with something that will help you forget your previous week of sulking, so you can proceed to the next week (which you hope won’t consist of more sulking). Rinse repeat. However, let’s say you walk into work with a mindset that you are going to smash through today’s workload in record time, so you can enjoy the coming weekend knowing that you earned that sweet, sweet time off. Chances are you might feel a little better about the week, and more importantly, with yourself.

Running is the soil for which my positive attitude seed can sprout and flourish. When I can feel my heart beating out of my chest, when I feel my legs are on fire is when I know that alive state of mind is about to kick in (extra alive points for when it starts raining or storming).  I look for that pain and discomfort because I know what is to follow. If I give up because it starts getting hard, or because my legs hurt, or because I can’t breathe then I know I am not truly alive because I am not pushing myself. If I know I am not pushing myself then I am not being the strongest version of myself. I need to push myself because that is the attitude I need to feel alive. I need that attitude to carry over in all aspects of my life in order to be the strongest me. If I do not push myself right now, I will not push myself later in other life tasks. There is no better time than right now, when I’m in pain and thoughts of stopping kick in. In order to live you must move and keep moving.  But in order to be alive, you must move, and move in a forwards direction. If you are not moving, you are not alive, and if you are not alive then what are you?

So what makes you feel alive? You should do it right now!

“I’M ALIVE!”

– Sash

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s your big fat ego!

I summon the definition of “ego” from the reputable depths of Wikipedia. My university tutors would be so proud.

“Ego” is a Latin and Greek word meaning “I” and is often used to mean the “self”, “identity”, and other related concepts.” – Wikipedia

For most I believe that definition seems a little vague and it’s one of those words in which you know what it is, but have a difficult time explaining exactly what it is. We all have one, but  I’m sure one time or another we have heard “Oh, don’t they have a big ego?” and we generally associate that as being a bad or unattractive thing. No one likes that person who is so up themselves that they can see their own food being digested. We associate people with “egos” as having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Keeping in mind we all have an ego. It’s just they vary in size from person to person, and depending on the situation can be helpful or detrimental.

Now having an ego, can be a dangerous thing, especially when it’s so inflated that you start levitating. Let’s take the gym for example (because that’s where I learn EVERYTHING). There are two types of egos that can be witnessed.

The first are the “wankers”. I’m not even going to sugar coat it because we have probably all seen these guys, whether it be in the enclosure of the gymnasium, or out in the wild public. They wear their egos for the world to see. The wanker is fairly easy to spot. Just observe its walk. The wanker walk is characterised by a fully erect spine, an extremely proud chest which is further advertised by the pulling back of the shoulders. This is accompanied by the exaggerated lateral arm flair which would assimilate a mammal who thought it had wings but had no idea how to flap them. Now add a standard strutted walk and you have the wanker walk. These are the guys who thing they are king shit. Who think they are cock of the walk and that they are the greatest thing since squats and oats.

The second are the “humbles”. I call them this because they come from humble beginnings. They just want to build some muscle, or get their abs showing. More often than not they are the guys who are the newer of the gym goers. They are just doing their thing, getting comfortable with the gym and are getting a taste of the lifting experience. But even the humble humbles are not immune to the aura of the ego. These are the guys to whom wish to speak to. Now let’s say you are doing your thing. You have your lifting plan, and are working the plan like a champ. Next thing you see (and hear) are the wildebeest moans of a wanker, throwing around some ungodly weight that you have trouble even counting to.

You look at his weight, and then back at your weight. You look at his weight again, and back to your weight. Where are you? You’re in your ego, and it’s playing tennis, back and forth. Do you play with your “childs” weight, or do you upgrade to “man” weight? “I can lift that” you tell yourself as you approach the weight. Your hands are shaking but your ego tells you it’s from excitement, so you fear nothing for you are a man. You grab and pick the weight up. Two tickets to Gainsville you tell yourself. Look again, the tickets are now a deliciously regrettable injury. You my friend, have just injured your back and are out of the game for 6 weeks minimum. Plenty of time for your ego to recover from the stitches it  acquired from its laughing fit.

Light weight baby!

Now I myself am guilty of being a “humble” at one point or another. It was not until I injured myself that the phrase “check your ego at the door” really hit home. Since then, I stick to my routine and do not lift beyond what I know I can lift. I don’t care if Egosaurus Rex is lifting the entire gym up, or if the obligatory dolled up female gym bunny who can wear a pair of yoga pants to the absolute limit walks past. I stick to what I can do and do it well.

Let’s apply this information to the real world.

Now remember everyone has an ego, it’s just some people’s egos are the size of an earthworm, and others are the size of the Earth. Becuase the ego isn’t a “physical” thing does not mean it canot have consequenccens to your everyday life. Your ego might be hurting you without you even knowing it. It might be hurting your chances at a job promotion. Or your chances with that girl or guy you like. It might be hurting friendships because there is not enough room for you and your ego. People can pick out those who they think have egos the size of Mars in an instant and they are going to treat you in different ways according to their “ego meters”. Now without you even saying or acting, you are closing doors and opportunities without you even realising it. Your potential is being limited. What wonderful life experiences are you missing out on, all because you put yourself so high upon a pedestal. You are no different or better than anyone else. We all breathe the same, we all bleed the same. The only person you should be competing with is yourself. The only person you should be trying to beat today, is the person of yesterday. So for the sake of everyone else, and yourself, perhaps take that ego down a few notches. The world will thank you.

Check that ego at the door dudes and dudettes.

– Sash

Weight training: The greatest thing since peanut butter! Part 1

Weight training is the greatest thing that has happened to me. I should just stop writing now and leave because that’s all I want to say. But I’m not! I’m going to tell you why whether you like it or not.

What the hell is weight training? In a nut shell, you pick up a piece of object and put it down. Then you pick that mofo up again, and put him back down again. Repeat this process until your back gives out, our arms fall off, or you die. Simple! Hard! Beautiful!

To some that might seem hard, unappealing, boring and repetitive which is totally understandable. Those who think this way don’t fully understand what weight training is. In fact, a fair judgement of something cannot be fully justified until that person making the judgement has actually experienced that which he/she is judging first hand, by doing it. At first glance, to the untrained eye all that is seen is a person moving an object in a certain direction many many times. But to someone who is doing it. Who is getting among it. It is a whole other world.

Weight training has taught me so much about life, and about myself. It has taught me that when things get hard, when things get uncomfortable, you have the choice to keep going, or to stop. And depending on what you choose will tell you something about yourself. I remember when I was doing squats one time. I had loaded a weight that I found extremely challenging onto my back. I wanted to squat down and up 8 times. That was my goal.

For those who live a sheltered life and do not know what a squat, never fear, for I have summoned a picture!

The back squat! Revel in its glory and simplicity!

1…..2…..3………..4……….

I start fatiguing………5……..

My legs start shaking, vein throbbing out of my neck, eyes beginning to blood shot, my body starting to lean more forward as I tire……

5.5……………….6 as I grind up the dirtiest looking squat I’ve ever done. I rack the weight up. A bellowing “FUCK!” echoes throughout the gymnasium. Two repetitions off my goal. A swirl of emotions run through my head. Disappointment. Anger. Frustration. Internal voices in my head tell me I’m weak. Memories of past failures start flooding my brain and I start associating myself with those failures because I failed here in this moment……yet again. Needless to say the rest of my training session was shouse (shit-house). I couldn’t let it go that I failed on my main lift of the day. And in great Sash fashion I go home, and eat my anxiety, frustration and sadness away. I even go so far as to have a pathetic nap. Blinds closed. Door locked. Retreating to the shadows of solitude and submitting myself to the abyss of my own self-loathing. (HOW DRAMATIC, POETIC AND PATHETIC).

Later that day I leave my cave and lose myself in the world of Youtube. Weightlifting motivational clips are on the menu and it doesn’t take long before I pack my gym bag and walk back to the gym. This time, my mind is in a different place. I’m still angry from the previous failure. So angry that I tell myself that I am not going to stop squatting until I squat that same weight 10 times. The bar is not going to leave my back until I do 10. I was so angry that I was honestly willing to die to get 10. If I couldn’t commit myself to this one thing 100% then I don’t deserve to be here. Sounds a bit extreme and over the top right? Probably, but that is how much this meant to me.

Headphones in. Angry music blasting my ear drums.

1….2…..3….4…………….5

Fatigue kicking in. Legs shaking. I start talking to myself. Calling myself a coward. A pussy. 

6………………..7………………

I’m yelling. “COME ON YOU FUCK!” Face as red as a tomato. “NO MATTER WHAT!”

…………8…………….”TWO MORE!”

………………………………..9..”ONE MORE YOU FUCK! COMMIT TO IT!”

The next 10 secs of my life were the longest 10 seconds I’ve every experienced. Strength coaches would be having nightmares about how bad the form was. I grind the weight up for my 10th repetition. Rack it up, and then fall to the ground. I then start crying like a baby. Nervous laughter and tears fill the gym. I can only imagine people thought I was nuts but it didn’t matter. I was so in the moment that I just let it out as I stared at the ceiling of the gym, legs on fire, shaking as if my thighs had been removed from my pelvis and I was going into shock.

What I was feeling more than anything in that moment was relief. Not relief from knowing that the set was over. Not relief from knowing that I didn’t have to go through that pain again. But relief from knowing that I was still able to accomplish something I set my mind to. Relief from knowing that if I give it everything I have, I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. All I have to do is be willing to put in the effort, have the drive to do it, and have the courage to follow through with it till the end, no matter what happens or how hard it gets.

That is one thing that weight training has taught me about life. The big thing is the attitude that you walk into the gym with. The attitude you walk into life with. The gym has trained my body but also my mind, to take my body out of it’s comfort zone, and this attitude has carried over into my life. I must take my body out of its comfort zone. I must take my mind out of its comfort zone. I must take MYSELF out of my comfort zone if I am to truly grow and see what I am capable of achieving.

Life is like that squat session. Weight is on your shoulders, and starts bringing you down. Now you have the choice whether to stay down, or get back up and learn to live with that weight. The further you go into the set, the harder it gets, as with life. But you will always have the choice whether you stay down, or rise. And even if you fall short, if you go into it giving it everything you have then you have not failed. To attempt that extra repetition even when you don’t know what will happen takes courage. Courage to take the leap, to go down with the weight and not come back up, but knowing you tried anyway. That attitude right there is what life is all about. I didn’t learn that from a personal development book, or a motivational speaker. I may have heard it from those sources but I didn’t really know or understand it until I was really in that world, doing it myself.

I encourage everyone who is able to weight train and see what you learn about yourselves. I encourage you to not judge by face value, but only judge when you truly know it, until you have experienced it.

Now go out there and see what you are capable of. And of course:

 

– Sash