who is building you?
i have come to a point in my training and my life where i honestly could care less what people think or say about me. i am not being cocky or arrogant i am just stating that if someone truly doesn't like who i am or what i am striving for i don't have time for them and will not mold myself to fit their agenda. in essence"this is me take it or leave it". i often see people change to fit someone else perception of what they should be whether its in a relationship, friendship,training, or in professional life. i think that is stupid and ridiculous first of all its NOT REALLY YOU! you are giving that person a highlight real of yourself and not being real with the person so your friendship or whatever it may be is based upon dishonesty, which as we know wont last and eventually that person will find out what the other really is. and that is not the case for everyone there are people out there who are trying to make a positive change and create a new life for themselves and change who they once were because of mistakes of the past and thats a completely different story not saying don't give people chances at all. but dont lie about who you truly are to gain friends and dont become friends with those who will drag you down.
over the past year i have gained many new friends that i consider brothers and sisters. i have extended my roots and made sure i was surrounding myself with others who build me up rather than break me down. i dont have time for those that i call anchors. my definition of anchors is people who keep you in the same place or mindset and will not let you advance because of fear of being beat or being outdone or just negativity in general bringing you out of forward motion. Louie Simmons once said "if you run with the lame, you will develop a limp" first of all let me break that down if you are surrounding yourself with others that are weak minded or display negative actions and mindset over time you yourself will become them in essence. and for those of you who dont know who Louie Simmons is he is a great trainer and powerlifter who has established the most reputable powerlifting gym Westside Barbell in Ohio. and he wouldnt be where he is today if he hadnt surrounded himself with people who supported and built him up. its kind of a different spin on the old saying "birds of a feather flock together" well i want my flock to be like minded individuals and strong.
i would like to give an example of what i am talking about from my training and personal life. i met a group of guys about 9 months ago they were a group of Hmong powerlifters. and they call their group the Average Hmong Gym (the can be found on youtube for those of you who want to look them up). this group of guys inspired me from the first time i saw them lift. they were organized, strong, and determined to achieve their goals and help others achieve theirs. i had the pleasure of befriending them and being supported by them in my training. and i have to say as far as in my training i have never had such support and motivation from anyone before several of these guys went above and beyond and got me achievements i never though possible before meeting them. and it has taken me a while to step back and look at these guys as a whole and think to myself these guys are the hardest working and most dedicated people i have ever met. let me paint this picture for you so you better understand who "they" are. these are a group of guys who based on on family traditions should establish themselves in business go to college and make a career, and in which most of them do. but the focus on powerlifting is a foreign subject when it comes to the Hmong community and some have gained fame in the Hmong community because of their achievements in power lifting for instance James Vang placed 3rd in the world! and has been deemed by magazines as the Strongest Hmong! talk about over coming adversity! and then these guys dont train in some state of the art gym they train in a basement with limited equipment... again talk about over coming adversity. i have had the pleasure of training with these guys and will continue to pick their brains when needed because i truly owe so much to these guys as far as my achieved goals go. and they never act better than anyone, they never break you down their goal is only to build you up. the atmosphere when i train with them has enough electricity to power a city block and the intensity and the focus is unmatched from anywhere or anyone i have ever trained with.
my point in this post is not to say find new friends. it is simply to say...take a step back and look at those around you... are they supportive? are they building you up? are you becoming a better person because of them? are you returning the favor and being the same for them? if the answer is no then yes take a look at your friends and take a look in the mirror and make sure you are getting the most out of your journey in life. and make sure you are being a positive influence in peoples life and make sure you have the people in place that will help you be successful in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.
happy Monday and have a great week!
Wolfman
over the past year i have gained many new friends that i consider brothers and sisters. i have extended my roots and made sure i was surrounding myself with others who build me up rather than break me down. i dont have time for those that i call anchors. my definition of anchors is people who keep you in the same place or mindset and will not let you advance because of fear of being beat or being outdone or just negativity in general bringing you out of forward motion. Louie Simmons once said "if you run with the lame, you will develop a limp" first of all let me break that down if you are surrounding yourself with others that are weak minded or display negative actions and mindset over time you yourself will become them in essence. and for those of you who dont know who Louie Simmons is he is a great trainer and powerlifter who has established the most reputable powerlifting gym Westside Barbell in Ohio. and he wouldnt be where he is today if he hadnt surrounded himself with people who supported and built him up. its kind of a different spin on the old saying "birds of a feather flock together" well i want my flock to be like minded individuals and strong.
i would like to give an example of what i am talking about from my training and personal life. i met a group of guys about 9 months ago they were a group of Hmong powerlifters. and they call their group the Average Hmong Gym (the can be found on youtube for those of you who want to look them up). this group of guys inspired me from the first time i saw them lift. they were organized, strong, and determined to achieve their goals and help others achieve theirs. i had the pleasure of befriending them and being supported by them in my training. and i have to say as far as in my training i have never had such support and motivation from anyone before several of these guys went above and beyond and got me achievements i never though possible before meeting them. and it has taken me a while to step back and look at these guys as a whole and think to myself these guys are the hardest working and most dedicated people i have ever met. let me paint this picture for you so you better understand who "they" are. these are a group of guys who based on on family traditions should establish themselves in business go to college and make a career, and in which most of them do. but the focus on powerlifting is a foreign subject when it comes to the Hmong community and some have gained fame in the Hmong community because of their achievements in power lifting for instance James Vang placed 3rd in the world! and has been deemed by magazines as the Strongest Hmong! talk about over coming adversity! and then these guys dont train in some state of the art gym they train in a basement with limited equipment... again talk about over coming adversity. i have had the pleasure of training with these guys and will continue to pick their brains when needed because i truly owe so much to these guys as far as my achieved goals go. and they never act better than anyone, they never break you down their goal is only to build you up. the atmosphere when i train with them has enough electricity to power a city block and the intensity and the focus is unmatched from anywhere or anyone i have ever trained with.
my point in this post is not to say find new friends. it is simply to say...take a step back and look at those around you... are they supportive? are they building you up? are you becoming a better person because of them? are you returning the favor and being the same for them? if the answer is no then yes take a look at your friends and take a look in the mirror and make sure you are getting the most out of your journey in life. and make sure you are being a positive influence in peoples life and make sure you have the people in place that will help you be successful in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.
happy Monday and have a great week!
Wolfman