Carpe momento!!

“Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from.”—Jodie Foster

The more I teach courses like “Exercise Testing and Prescription” the more I am bothered by normative data—especially as it relates to age. Accordingly, I am expected to see declines in strength and performance and increases in body fat. I am expected age like everyone else. That is normal.

Normal is what everyone else does—for better or for worse. It is not necessarily what I should be doing. It is not what you should be doing.

Normal is not a “growth mindset.” Growth is a herd mindset.

“No! Don’t think outside of the box! Once you say that, you’ve established that there is a box.”—Walt Disney

Coyte Cooper (Make Your Mark and Flip the Script) taught me not to set “reasonable” goals like we are taught with the SMART goal-setting approach (i.e., specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, and time). Instead, our goals should be unreasonable by ordinary standards. In other words, strive to be beyond “normal”—beyond the expectations of others.

Be (extra)ordinary! “Normal”—ever the higher percentiles for your age, gender, etc.—is what is expected. Normal is not potential. Normal is, by definition, “ordinary.”

People have expectations based on how others perform. We were not created to be normal. We were created to be (extra)ordinary.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?”—James Allen

Those who will never find success are likely to ask only one question: Why me? Note that I did not write “failures.” True success will have many failures along the path. This is inevitable if we have a growth mindset and are focused on the “why not?” questions.

The first question of true success is often the easiest. After all, whoever says to themselves: “I want to be a failure because…”? We know our “why.” We often get stuck in the “why not.” The “Why not?” question too often opens the door to excuses. We make it a bit farther along the path than the person who locks on their excuses (i.e., the “Why me?” person) before discovering their “why.”

Asking the question: “Why not me?” takes ownership of the opportunity. It addresses the obstacles and the perceived limitations.

Asking ourselves: “Why not now?” gives us the sense of immediacy. It denies power to any excuse. It empowers us with the sense of urgency. It demands a plan of action (thus disallowing any excuse for inaction).

Want something? Go for it! Ask yourself: “Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?”

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“It is the hopeful, buoyant, cheerful attitude of mind that wins. Optimism is a success builder; pessimism an achievement killer.”—Orison Swett Marden

Easter Sunday. The last day of Spring Break (for me, at least) and the day before the start of a new term. The last day of March. The first day of a new week. It is cause for hopefulness. It is cause for optimism. It is not cause for dread or pessimism. It (as is every day, week, year, … moment) an opportunity.

Let today—every day—be a source of hope and grattitude (gratitude + attitude).

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

Following an interview for the Aging Well Podcast, my guest, Kim Rahir, emailed to thank me and commented that she wants her “business to be part of a bigger purpose.” (The episode will air on April 7– https://www.buzzsprout.com/1907855/14702016.) It has me thinking about global purpose—specifically, my global Purpose. What am I doing to have a “global impact”?

Part of my mission statement (which I try to reflect on daily) is to “have a positive impact on the lives of others.” I try to do so, albeit on a small scale, through my teaching, this blog, the Podcast, and the small interactions with others. My message (the message that I hope is getting through) is one of growth and change for a greater Purpose. There are times, teaching exercise science courses, that I feel like I am on my soapbox and speaking more philosophically than physiologically. My class sizes are relatively small, and the students overlap courses. I am affecting fewer than perhaps 75 students a year. The Podcast is in its third season. Our numbers are still small but growing steadily. We are reaching six continents. I know a few people read this blog—certainly not in the thousands.

My reach is small. For nearly all of us, our reach is small. This does not mean we don’t (or can’t) have a global impact. “Six degrees of separation” is a very real thing.  We may never realize who we are affecting daily. It may seem like “no one” but that insignificant interaction with another driver or the cashier at the store has a ripple effect. With social media, our opportunity to have a global impact is now even more of a possibility (for better or for worse).

Don’t underestimate your influence. Seek to have a global impact. Choose to….

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.”—Barbara Johnson

Last night was to be my son’s debut fight in MMA. His fight was cancelled. His opportunity is delayed another five weeks. I think he took it better than me. We attended the event and watched the rest of the card. I was disappointed. He took in the lessons he could learn to prepare for when his opportunity would come.

Our need to be patient appears in many forms. It almost always focuses our attention on the present—what we need to be learning to get to where we are supposed to go. Patience opens our eyes to our weaknesses and allows us time to prepare.

I have no doubt that my son was prepared for the fight that didn’t happen, but that is not as important as what lies ahead for him. He has more than a month to prepare for what will be his first appearance in the octagon. I believe there is a Purpose to the delay—which might never be fully understood. He continues to train and master his techniques (as well as learn new techniques) and strategies. He has the patience to wait for his opportunity.

We want what we want, and we want it yesterday. What we want and what we need are not always congruent. When we want what we want and when we get what we need rarely occur simultaneously. Indeed, we might never see the former.

Patience is weird. We want it. We want it now. However, we need patience to get patience.

Patience is labeled in the bible among the fruit of the Holy Spirit. These fruits can be seen both a gift and as the product of our effort—of cultivation. We cannot have patience without the opportunity to be patient. In such moments, we can idle our motor, or we can strip our gears. The choice is ours. As we wait….

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

In a recent conversation about the movie, What About Bob?, a student pointed to the fact that Bob Wiley continued to live in New York City despite his plethora of phobia—germs, crowded spaces, people, etc. Why didn’t Bob just move? His “vacation” in New Hampshire proved to be healing. Nevertheless, Bob remained where he was not comfortable.

How much of our lack of success can be attributed to simply not being willing to move? 

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.”—Wilma Rudolph

I am blessed to be a part of our local (West Linn, OR) high school wrestling team as a strength and conditioning coach. Yesterday was the Oregon State Tournament. We had sixteen boys and one girl qualify. We ended with four champions (three repeat champions). The team fell shy of the goal of winning the team title for the second year. Four kids (more counting all the state champions) went home happy. The rest went home with varying levels of disappointment.

We should not envy the champions. Some will be returning next year with a target on their backs and a pressure to repeat. Envy those who worked hard and stood on the podium alongside of the champions. They accomplished something and will return with greater desire. Envy those who competed and lost. They have done more than the average teenager. Hope that those who fell short of the gold recognize that they are not “losers”—they are learners. (There are no losers in wrestling—only winners and learners.) Envy the kid who wants to be back next year—better trained, better conditioned, better focused, and… hungry. Be envious of the kid who will pick up after the crushing defeat with the will to win. That kid will be next year’s champion.

As adults, we can’t forget the lessons being taught here. We may not be wrestlers or athletes (ever or anymore), but we can be champions at our Purpose. Me? I have two weeks off, and then I get to take what I have learned from this season and start working to make next year’s team stronger and better prepared to win.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.”—T. E. Lawrence

Dream big. Fail big, if you fail, but fail doing the sh*t that stretches your limits. Reach for the brass ring even if it remains just out of reach. In the end, your successes will overshadow the experiences we call “failures.” Remember that, in life, we are winning or learning.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“The man who cannot endure to have his errors and shortcomings brought to the surface and made known, but tries to hide them, is unfit to walk the highway of truth.”—James Allen

Grattitude and success cannot be found if we hide from ourselves. Growth and change come from acknowledging our weakness and seeking to change.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“I may not be better than Socrates, but if I can be better than I was yesterday, that’s enough for me.”—Epictetus (maybe?)

I saw the above quote in a meme yesterday. Having little faith in Internet sources, I sought to confirm it. I could not find evidence that Epictetus said this, but I like the sentiment, nonetheless.

There is little need to compare ourselves—our value—to others. Our work, our performance, and all that we do should be our best—better or worse than Socrates (I can’t help but pronounce this as “So-crates” like Keanu Reeves’ character in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure). Our best today should be better than our yesterday best. Growth.

Better is a matter of Purpose—our role in the Universe, our calling. We are fulfilling our Purpose, not that of So-crates. We are not our neighbor or our co-worker. We alone are the individual “me.” Trust that you are valuable and valued and….

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!