|
|
By
Phil Stevens |
|
"The credit belongs
to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred
by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes
short again and again because there is no effort without error
and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great
devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows
in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst,
if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that
his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
have never tasted victory or defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
|
 |
It couldn't be said much better or
more thoroughly then the quote above. It is disheartening to see
the amount of people who acceptingly drone through their days, letting
their lives pass them by minute by minute. They seemingly lose the
ability to even dream due to never letting themselves break out
of the box they live in, that box they have allowed society put
them in - yes, that THEY have allowed. You must take control and
regain that passion for learning, for life, and for exploration
that we all were born with; that underlying instinct to excel and
try new and exciting things.
We were all born with these passions,
if we were not, we would have never made it past the first painful
breath of air in this world. We never would have made it past our
first steps and consequent falls, or went past our first attempts
to speak our first words. Somewhere along the way we get reserved,
embarrassed, knocked down and we never venture to get up again.
Even worse many lose the ability try a new step out of that comfort
zone again to anywhere near a point of failure.
Take your control back. You
are the only one holding you back from achieving greatness. Fall.
Relish in the fact you had the heart to push yourself at an endeavor
hard enough to reach the point of failing. For in failure greatness
is born. It is in each wrong step, misplaced word, or loss to a
better prepared, stronger, and greater willed athlete that we learn
to excel. We learn that despite our perceived effort, we can give
more. We must give more in order to reach a pinnacle, and know that
once on that summit, our journey has only begun.
|
|
Despite our performances
of the past there is and always will be a better one. There
always will be more you can do, or those behind you on your
coat tails who are willing to do more. You are, and never
will be the strongest, smartest, leanest, fastest, most beautiful
or most complete in any field you choose.
Perfection is a
great goal to set for yourself, and it is also very healthy
and a must to realize and find joy in the fact that even though
you seek perfection, no matter how far you soar you will never
reach it - you can always do more.
Your life and
achievement is not over until you give up and pass on. Start
living this life while you still have the chance, this may
be the only one you get. Make your mark and learn to enjoy
the ride.
|
About The Author
|
Coach Phil Stevens is an accomplished
strength athlete with considerable experience in both powerlifting
and strongman competition. Phil is the 2007 APA World Champion
in the 242-pound class (total). He currently holds the APF
275-pound class raw National bench, squat, deadlift, and total
records. Phil’s marquis lift was his 700-pound raw deadlift,
performed on February 14, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Phil has been ranked in the “Top 10” in the deadlift Nationally across all powerlifting federations, also serves as the Arizona State Chair for the North American Highlander Association, as well as the founder of Lift For Hope, an annual strength-competition
with proceeds donated to Charity (www.Lift4Hope.org).
|
|
 |
|
