You want it, Go get it!

2016 is looming, fuck, I remember everyone was shitting themselves about the Millennium bug in 2000, 16 years on and I’m about to turn 30. In my head I still feel 20 but for those of you that know me, I’ve put my body through a lot, and physically, right now, I feel like Mickey Rourke in ‘The Wrestler’.

Injuries have plagued my 20’s, ever since my last body building show at 23, muscle tears, joint problems, a split disc, fractured bones, a litany of emotional ups and downs, I even brandished a walking stick for a while (although quite a cool look, it’s not ideal) It occurred to me while watching ‘The Expendables 3’ not long ago, that I should be at my peak, I’m the same age as these new recruits in the film. Supple, agile, flexible, fast, fit and youthful, young men in their absolute prime. However, as I watched, I found myself more comparable to the older gentlemen in the film, weathered, stiff, sore, tired, drunk, but still a hell of a lot of fight left in them. But before you take me out back like that son of a bitch dog ol’Yeller, I’m not ready to retire into the hall of fame just yet, in fact I’m just getting started. I may be bloodied and battered with my back against the wall, but this is where I thrive, this is when I start to fight back.

So my promise to myself is this: I will be in the best physical shape I have been in on my 30^th Birthday since my peak at 23. I have 12 weeks. I will be undertaking the very transformation that we at EOM provide for our clients. January 1^st, its game time and I’m going to show the world what can be done in 12 weeks. Why am I telling you this? Accountability. I’m happy to put this out there because I will get the job done. If I say I’m going to do it, I’ll stop at nothing to see it through. Now it has been spoken, it shall be so!

 

I like to take milestones like New years and Birthdays to reflect on my life, where am I? Where have I come from? Where am I heading? I want to talk about something that is very close to my heart. The reason I do pretty much everything I do, whether it’s my career as a personal trainer or as an actor and writer. My life’s goal is rooted in inspiration, to inspire others, kids, adults, friends, clients, who ever it may be, to be the best they can be. This comes from my own journey. As a kid I was first inspired by my dad to lift weights and practice martial arts, but when my family, as many are, was effected by parental divorce I found my self looking for a path, who was I going to be, what kind of man would I be, although only 10 years old, I found action films.

Jean Claude Van Damme, Sly Stallone, Arnie. These guys became became my heroes, these physical, strong men taking care of business, never backing down, that’s what I wanted to be. I excelled at martial arts, I took up body building and dedicated my life to it, never a thought of failure, I set my sights on being the best. When the years had passed and the graft had been done, I took the stage and came face to face with one of my biggest fears…. rejection. I didn’t win. I was so sure of myself, so confident, but I wasn’t the best and it hurt, it hurt bad. We all make mistakes, we all have down times in our lives, but what moulds us, what makes us who we are is how we deal with these times, what lessons do we learn? You’re then faced with a choice, do you break down, cry, give in? Or do you brush your self off, drag your self to your feet, bloodied and beaten, hold your head high and say ‘Is that all you got’?

I returned to the stage 4 more times, better, stronger but still not a champion. I questioned myself, but with pure belief and conviction that I had more in the tank, more to give, I returned to the stage. When the MC at the British finals announced my name as ‘New British Champion’ all that hard work, all those hours, all those times I struggled against the hardship were all worth it. I had done it, I had achieved my goal. I was the Champion.

Everybody has there own Everest, what is yours? No matter how big, how small, or what it means to anyone else, everyone has their own personal battles. So my question to you is this, what type of person are you? Are you going to spend your time wishing you had a better physique? More success? More recognition? The career you really want? Or are you going to stand up to it head on and go out and get what you want?

We are all dealt our cards when we enter this world, we’re not always dealt the best hand. However, it’s not the hand you are given in life, it’s the way you play the game with the cards you are dealt (write that down) And if you have to fold then take solace in knowing that the next hand is about to be dealt, there will always be another game. Believe me, to be successful, to win the game, you may have to fold many times, you may have to go through shit, but don’t give in, you have no idea how close you are to a win.

We are, after all, a product of our environment, but this is not to say you cannot change your path. Be the one to break the mould, be the success story that everyone reads about that inspires everyone else to get off there ass and make their life happen.

Nobody who you see as successful has had an easy ride, there will be up’s there will be down’s, what matters is your attitude to the journey, your devotion and utter belief in your own success. Focus, believe in yourself, work hard and you will one day be the product of your journey. It may take 6 months, it may take a year, it may take, 5, 10 years, what you need is an unwavering sense of belief in your self, a positive strong attitude towards your goals. I have, as you should, a list of short and long term goals and every day you have the opportunity to take a step towards achieving these goals and living your dream. Not to get all mystical and magical, we have all heard of ‘The Secret’ and by no means will just thinking about what you want mean you will get it. But having such a positive outlook and having your goals constantly on your mind will have a positive knock on effect to your work ethic. The harder you work the more opportunity you make for yourself the further you get, simple.

So how does this all effect you, well if your reading this I can only assume you are seeking advice to build a better, stronger physique. Now I haven’t always had the physique I have now, I am not gifted with a great metabolism, where I am now is product of 14 years worth of dreaming, and acting upon those dreams by training and eating. 11 of those years I have spent helping others realize their own potential, helping build bigger, stronger, leaner more powerful physiques. Some excelled in sport, some stepped on to a body building stage, some just wanted to look better, feel better, to boost their own self confidence and self worth, and I am proud of every one of them.

The point of this blog is to point out the attitude you need to succeed. Firstly, what do you want? What kind of physique do you want? Why do you want it? Then you need to set yourself some time frames, some short and long term goals, be realistic, you’re not going to be Mr Olympia in 3 years. However, you can strip body fat and be leaner in 8 weeks, you can have a much improved physique in 12 weeks, you can build some very noticeable muscle in 6 months. Then the most important thing, decide to succeed! Make the decision to get what you want, no one or nothing will stand in your way, you are a fucking freight train hurtling full speed to success. Be obsessive, fuck what anyone else thinks, go to bed dreaming about it, wake up thinking about it. This will have a knock on effect with your work ethic, make you stick to your diet, make you drag your ass to the gym at 6am. So when you have those days where you just don’t feel you have it in you and the comfort of your bed is convincing you to stay, let that defiant little voice in your head say, ‘Stop, you are a fucking lion, put your feet on the floor, shut the fuck up and get on with it!’ decide to succeed and it shall be yours, no matter what obstacles life decides to put in front of you, smash through them and it shall be yours.

So if it is what you want and you believe you can pull 200kg off the ground, you will, If you want to be shredded and believe you can strip down to 8% body fat, you will, and we will be there every step of the way to guide and support you.

Now we can’t do it for you, we can’t lift the weights for you, we can’t eat the food for you, but what we can do is give you the tools, the tools to build the foundations for you to take that wall as high as you want it to go. So if your excuse is ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’ Well then go an find out what to do! Seek professional help, ask someone who has been through it all before, you will save yourself a lot of time and heartache, believe me! ‘I cant afford it’ you say, Then find a way, invest in yourself and everything else will fall into place. How bad do you want it? What sacrifices are you willing to make?

In closing, we are all made of the same cloth. You are no different to me, just as I am no different to my childhood heroes who inspired my journey. We all need oxygen, we all need food, we all have times of need, we all need love and a purpose in life. I have found mine, I am on my journey. I will take all the knock backs I have to to succeed in life. The difference, the game changer, is the belief in yourself, you can do it, you can be the person you want to be, you can create the life and the physique you want. We will help you as much as we can, after all that is my goal in life, to inspire. FOCUS, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE and SUCCEED (and watch the Rocky anthology) Now what are you waiting for, go out there and get it!