With 2½ weeks to go until the 2015 Emerald Cup, I thought it appropriate to shift the emphasis just a bit. I found a great ‘story’ about a parent who talks to a child before the child’s first game. For many of you, this will be your first contest, or first Emerald Cup. I changed things up a little to reflect more of the bodybuilding mindset from a Coach to a competitor. Hope you like it. I did. Enjoy…
This is your first contest, my friend. I hope you win. I hope you win for your sake, not mine. Because winning’s nice. It’s a good feeling. Like the whole world is yours. But, it passes, this feeling. And what lasts is what you’ve learned.
And what you learn about is life. After all, that’s what sports is all about. Life. The whole thing is played out in one day. One morning and one evening. The happiness of life. And the sadness. The ups. The downs. The highs. The lows. The miseries. The joys. The heartaches. The celebrations.
There’s no telling how you’ll do. There’s no telling whether you’ll end up in the Top 5 or the bottom 3. There’s no telling whether you’ll simply walk out onstage at the night show to your name being called or whether you’ll be one of the few people whose name the expediter calls when he says “LISTEN UP.”
There’s no telling how you’ll do. You might be the champion or you might be absolutely nothing. There’s just no telling. Too much depends on chance. On how the ball bounces.
I’m not talking about the contest, my friend. I’m talking about life. But, it’s life that the contest is all about. Just as I said.
Because every contest is life. And life is a contest. A serious contest. Dead serious.
But, that’s what you do with the serious things. You do your best. You take what comes. You take what comes and you run with it. And you don’t stop running until you reach the finish line. The end zone. Home plate. The stage.
Winning is fun. Sure. But winning is not the point. Because after you win, then what?
Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never letting anyone down, including yourself, is the point.
Play to win. Sure. But just in case you don’t win, lose like a champion. Because it’s not the winning that counts. No. What counts is trying.
Author unknown.
Remember, even though this blog series is about you being perfect each day, long-term perfection is an impossibility. However being excellent is not. You CAN be excellent each day. When you do, you’re already in the correct frame of mind to be perfect for a short period of time. You can do this. Two+ weeks to go. You can be perfect for two+ weeks. I believe in you even though I don’t know you. I’ve never met you but I believe that YOU CAN be perfect for a short time.
To help with your mental discipline during your prep, check out our slideshow below! I designed a new shirt from my BuffedWear clothing line – “BE PERFECT TODAY” on the front and “COMPETITOR” on the back. Visit BuffedWear to order yours today. It’s a reminder every time you look in the mirror to be perfect. And be sure to take a look at all of our other gear as well.
Doc
