I look around at the people I work with, the people on the street, restaurants, mall…. wherever and I see people who have given up on themselves, their body, and being a warrior in life. I guess you can look at that and see it as a dumb statement “Warrior in Life”, but seriously, thats the way you need to look at it. Everyday you face battles, whether it be struggling to finish a deadline, dealing with home issues, sporting events, or your personal issues. As warriors we need to be strong, not only physically, but mentally. And they are not necessarily separate.

One of my biggest passions in life and something I will probably talk about a great deal is strength training. The “art” of lifting weights or other objects to become stronger. During my pursuit of strength, I have realized that strength training is not only a physical exercise, but a very tough mental one too. You truly have to believe in yourself when you are faced with a weight you have never touched before and a weight you are truly scared of. You ask, how can you be scared of weight? Well think of about this - picture a weight that you think you would never be able to lift. A realistic weight. For me, it was front pressing (standing military press) over 225lbs. For some thats nothing, for me, it was a big deal. Now picture yourself holding 220+ pounds at shoulder level and trying to drive it up in the air and balance it above your head….. just writing this gets me allllll fired up, and in 2 hours I’m about to do it! I’m getting a little off track, but the thing is, I have to believe I am going to do it. I have to have pure confidence in myself that I will be able to handle this task and drive through it. I am going to do something I never thought I would do before. That is strength. Its pure belief in yourself that you are strong, both mentally and physically.

Obviously this is not just about lifting weight, but it carries over into everything you do in life. You may look in the mirror and see a fat ass. You may think you can never lose that weight, but if you find your inner strength and believe in yourself, you can. Anyone can. Anyone can do whatever they want to do.

I believe a key component in having strength, is actually being physical. I think everyman and woman should do something physically challenging a few or more times a week. Physically challenging activity does more for you then just improve your body, but it does wonders for your mind. Personally I think walking on the treadmill, monitoring your heart-rate for the the optimal fat loss zone is gay as hell. Sure you’ll drop some pounds, but what the fuck, go for something! If you like the treadmill, jack up the incline on it and really challenge yourself.

You all may laugh at this, but I think one of the best motivational shows out there right now is Biggest Loser. You know why? You don’t see these people just doing light exercise, or just trying to do what they can in the gym and get out. They are going through HELL, they are challenging their minds and bodies to do something it has never done before. And in the end, these people become warriors. They start winning at life, instead of being that fat ass on the sidelines. I know you may say, “They have trainers” - yup they do. If thats what you need to get yourself going, go get one then! I could think of a ton of excuses that you may come up with that prevent you becoming a warrior. The thing is, every one of those excuses can easily be be eliminated, so stop cheating yourself and be honest with yourself - you’re just making an excuse for sucking.

So if you really want to winning warrior at life, stop sucking on the sidelines and just be stronger.