How Your Mind Makes You a Victim or the Victor

Recently, I read a magazine article where they interviewed a guy who is training for the World's Strongest Man competition.

In the story, they talk about his background, his family, how he got started in the sport and more.

The thing that jumped out at me about this guy was not his physical gifts – although they are astonishing.

Most men that compete in the Strongmen contests are giant, beer-bellied bulls that are strong enough to lift cars, but look like they just got up off a barstool.  Not this guy; he literally looks like he was carved out of stone.  6'1', 330 pounds, giant wrists and knees, no neck and every inch of him screams "Man". By his own admission, none of this is what makes him one of the greatest powerlifters and certain World's Strongest Man.  Nope, what makes him the best – in his own words…

"My mind."

Listen to how he describes pain and fear: "Pain is a lie your brain tells your body 'cause it's scared and doesn't want to keep working.  Once you know it's fear, you learn to gut past it – and that's where they big gains are."

Listen to that – "Once you learn it is just fear, you learn to gut past it and that is where the big gains are."

He realizes that while the physical is important – he couldn't be doing what he is doing without favorable genetic gifts – that all of it would go to waste if he didn't learn to use his mind to push past what his body "thought" it could or couldn't do.

The Navy SEALs are know for the same sort of attitude that they breed into their trainees as they try to survive through BUD's, which is essentially boot camp for SEALs.  They teach the trainees that your body can do ten times more than you think it can – if you are mentally strong enough to make it do so.

There have been several people I have worked with recently who gave me the "Yeah, buts…"  As I worked with them and they told me their story – ironically, they both had the same story; they both had bully bosses and jobs they hated but were afraid to stand up for themselves because they were afraid to be out of job – I coached them on how their attitudes and mentality was the real issue and if they fixed that by taking back their power, everything else would take care of itself.

Both of them looked me in the eye and said the same thing; "Yeah, but you don't understand; my situation is different and that won't work for me."

Here is a mental picture I want you to imagine the next time you hear yourself , say, "Yeah, but…" when you are dealing with something scary and you have been given the answer…

I want you to picture yourself in a crowded room of your peers, and I want you to picture me jumping up, pointing at you and screaming at the top of my lungs, "WIMP!"

That's right – wimp.

How could I be such an a-hole and tell you such a thing?  Besides being the World's First Motivational Insultant, I am trying to shake you out of your B.S. and get you to realize something…

Your mind is what makes the difference between you being a chump or a champion.  A whiner or a winner.  A victim or the victor.

If you tell yourself, "Yeah, but…" you are wimping out.  You are making excuses for yourself because you are afraid of what might be on the other side if you DO the thing that sounds scary.

Just like the strongman in the article said, fear is your brain's way of lying to you so you'll stop.  Once you figure out that it really is "all in your head" and you start to actively direct and control what is going on up there, then – and only then – can you take any situation or event and use it to your advantage.

I know because I have BEEN the victim before.  There have been several situations in my life, from childhood to adulthood that I carried around and allowed to hold me back, rob me of my power and not live up to my potential and gifts.

World-class coaches, therapists, books out the bazoopy, you name it – I did them all and when I was given answers or shown what to do – and it was scary – what did I do?

Yep, I said, "Yeah, but…"  And more time passed, more opportunities wasted, more mistakes repeated, more talent wasted, all because I was wimping out, afraid to do what I knew deep down was the right thing to do and the thing that could move me to the levels I truly desired.  I had people pulling for me, telling me I could do it, letting me know I had the talent and ability if I would just ACT.

It wasn't tell I STOPPED beating myself up for all the B.S. in my past, started getting tougher on myself to "push past the fear"and to ACT – that things started to turn around. 

You can do the same.  No matter where you are, what has happened, what your financial situation, who is in your life that you think is holding you back, the state of the economy – none of that matters.

The only thing that matters is YOU and YOUR MIND.

Decide what it is you really want – forget all the "yeah, buts", the fear that pops up, what people might think or any of that B.S. – and focus solely, 100% on what you want.

Once you get that figured out – DECIDE – that you are going to have it…then take a deep breath, swallow your fear and take the first step towards what you want.  Now.

It's your mind and your life.  Make it turn you into the Victor.  Win a victory at the game called, "Your Life".

You are worth it.

To your best,

Sensei Harrison Huff