Realism is for Losers
Posted: September 15th, 2011 | Author: Chad Howse | Filed under: Be Legendary, Build Lean Muscle | Tags: Be Legendary, build lean muscle, How to Be Successful, Realism, Will Smith | 17 Comments »
It’s 1:31 am and I’ve had a great day. I’ve done a lot of work, I’ve had fun with friends, and now I’m back writing.
The day was filled with ups and downs. Great ideas and points of high energy, then stagnant moments and points of low energy. Like any day it was a microcosm of life. We have times when we’re supremely confident and secure in what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Other times we’re wandering with little focus, direction or ambition.
I’m not sure how I got onto the video, but I came across a collection of Will Smith interviews on youtube. Not expecting a whole lot, I clicked play, and what followed was some great wisdom from a man who truly is living life at it’s fullest. It made me realize that even though life is filled with its ups and downs, if we’re passionate about something, and willing to do the work necessary to see it through, we can accomplish anything. Not just what our parents have accomplished, or what our friend accomplish, but we can truly accomplish anything we set our minds to.
Amongst a number of lessons he’s learned in life, a couple lines he said stood out. One, because it goes against the majority of what I’ve heard from other people in my life. The other caught my ear because it’s where many of us falter on our journey to reaching our goals…
1. There’s no reason to have a plan B because it distracts from plan A
Throughout my life I’ve everyone always told me not to ‘put all of my eggs in one basket’. And I see the validity to that statement, especially in investing, but when it comes to reaching a goal, I think focusing on a singular outcome should be at the forefront of our minds.
If you want to be a great athlete, you have to always be thinking that while you’re sleeping, someone else is training. One of my mentors when I was younger drilled that into my head. And I think it’s something that should translate into any career path.
2. Being realistic is the most commonly travelled road to mediocrity
This is a big idea…
Why would you be realistic? History is filled with things that were seen as unrealistic, but strong-willed people came along who thought big. They didn’t listen to those people that were saying they were nuts, or telling them that they were wasting their time. They just did.
If Thomas Edison believed in being realistic, we wouldn’t have the light bulb. If Martin Luther King Jr. thought that it was unrealistic for one man to create change, the world would be a drastically different place… for the worse. If Lincoln thought that it was unrealistic for a boy who wasn’t allowed to go to grade school, who taught himself how to read, who grew up in houses with dirt floors to become President of the United States of America, history would be robbed of one of it’s greatest heroes.
Every single one of us has a story where we achieved something unrealistic.
Thinking back on my life for example: I had a broken right arm in the 7th grade and I wanted to make the basketball team. So I learned how to shoot with my left and made, and started on that 7th grade team. It’s not a huge accomplishment by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn’t all that realistic, and I was reminded of it daily.
Those who care about us remind us to be realistic because they don’t want to see us hurt and let down. It’s a natural human reaction to bring down someone who is thinking big. But the world is also filled with men and women who have lived realistic lives, set realistic goals, and never dared to step out of the boundaries that they have placed on themselves.
When I think of it now, I used to be one skinny ass dude. More importantly I used to be insecure with how I looked. With my ‘genetics’, it wasn’t very realistic for me to transform my body into something that I could be proud of. Especially considering that what I wanted was 20-30 pounds of lean muscle. I wanted to be strong, lean, and athletic. And here I was, a skinny, even kind of fat, young man. But I accomplished what I set out to do.
Will Smith is no different than me or you when it comes to talent, or the gifts he’s been blessed with. Abraham Lincoln is no different than me or you. Neither is Rocky Marciano, Sylvester Stallone, Muhammad Ali, or Mr. Edison. But what they had that we may be lacking, is the ferocious hunger to work harder than anyone, and listen to no one telling them that they can’t. They had the focus, and the balls to go after what everyone else saw as unrealistic, but they saw as a dream, and even as a rite.
How can I help you accomplish the unreasonable?
Have a look at the video below…
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great article chad – all goes back to the fact that there is no secret to being the best – work harder than everyone else and you will be.
Well said Mike – thanks.
I want to bike the Mississippi River Trail. I've never biked more than 50 miles in a single weekend, but I know I can make this trip. It's a 3500 mile round trip, averaging 75 miles a day for 50 days. This is my dream. This is my goal. To me, it is one of the greatest things I will ever be able to accomplish.
That would be amazing. Are you taking steps to make it happen? Any plans or set dates?
I'd love for you to accomplish this – that would be a great feat.
You can bet on it. I'm planning on leaving in late May, and ending in June. It'll be difficult starting from scratch, as I don't even have a bike yet, but I'm taking this in strides right now, and come next summer, I'll be off.
A random quote I read the other day: "My goal is to bench press an aircraft carrier. Withou the planes, of course. Gotta be realistic"
Chad, I'm slow-clapping the shit out of this one. I'm sure you watched this video of Will Smith – http://youtu.be/M88uMRwsj0U – I love his lines "2+2 only equals 4 if you accept that 2+2 equals 4. 2+2's gonna be what I want it to be." and "I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill." Honestly that whole 6 minutes gets me inspired.
A concept that I really like that I recently heard was changing "goals" into "expectations". Instead of setting a goal of "i want to", set expectations of "i will". Then get after it. Yeah, you'll be uncomfortable, have adversity, distractions, and negative reaction to deal with. Doesn't matter. All that matters is that you KNOW it's going to happen. Want to know what I've been doing this week? Getting up at 4am for the first week of an internship to experience (and no doubt test my desire/commitment) the bootcamps. Then going to class all day. No excuses, just high expectations and the willingness to die on a treadmill to.
Great article Chad , think one of my goals for the next year and a bit is to work towards fighting for a featherweight or lightweight title in mma.
Though my coach keeps telling me to dream big so you never I might surpass this goal
That's great to hear man, congrats!
Kasey that's great to hear man. 4am is intense! I've been doing 5 am, maybe I'll give 4am a shot.
Glad to hear you're kicking some ass bro!
Ciaran keep me in the loop man!
Let me know how you do with that. That's a great goal to have, you'll get there!
Great inspirational post Chad!
I've been "wanting" to pursue something in the fitness business for a few months now, but have just been too scared of all the "what if's" to actually do anything about it. I think it's time to start chasing this dream and start believing that it is an achievable goal if I want it bad enough and I'm willing to work at it! I know that building my ideal body is definitely an important step in the right direction and the confidence boost will also help immensely. Any tips or helpfull stories of how you became a personal trainer? And thanks for the inspiration and motivation to become the best version of ourselves, keep at it bro!
Hey Miguel,
Definitely start training hard, testing what works for you, and what kind of training/nutrition you don't like. I know trainers that are completely out of shape, they know what they're doing in theory, but haven't even actually tested it. You want to be the best, so get in great shape yourself is #1 – and I know you're on your way with that!
First get certified though. You seem like you want to get in the fitness biz to help people, so I know you'll be successful if you work hard. If you need any help let me know!
Good luck man, take your first action step today – find out where and how to get certified, schedule a test, and start studying.
Thanks man, I really appreciate the time you take out of your day to help all of us here. Since you've been where we are, you know the importance and the difference that this makes in our lives. That's a big part of why I want to do this: I want to be where you are now (figuratively), to be able to say that I took action and made it to the other side to where I am now able to help and motivate people like you do everyday! I will get into getting certified asap! Other than that, what is it that made a difference for you when you started pursuing this?
No problem Miguel, glad I can help.
The thing that helped me a lot with my business was something that I actually still struggle with a bit: putting myself out there. You need to seek out people who are where you want to be, learn from them, and to not be afraid to look like a fool yourself. You really want to push yourself and stretch yourself. Other than that, just have a story that you've accomplished what others want to accomplish, and be there to help people. If you're helping people and working hard you'll be all good.
Good post, but I think you need to be clearer. There is a difference between a Plan and a Goal. A Goal would be to add lean muscle mass. Plan A is to follow the workouts of a Mr. Olympia from the magazines. After three months with little improvement, is it better to stick with Plan A, or go to chadhowsefitness.com, find a Plan B that works and implement it, or doggedly stick with Plan A to try to reach your goal.
Interesting Gary, I like your thought. I could have used some more clarity in the article now that you mention it, thanks.
Change the word plan with the word goal in that quote and you'll have the right meaning. It just sounds better by saying plan A and plan B – as the saying goes – rather than goal A and goal B.
Thanks for the comment man!