Wednesday 26 October 2011

12 great quotes... and how to make them real!

Hey everyone,


While training last week in a fasted state i had an amazing mind-fart of ideas and eneded up with 8-12 qulaity brand-new blog ideas. The first of these was a "best quotes" type blog. I always read/share/recite memorable quotes almost on a daily basis. They sound cool, they feel good to recite, but there is one problem...


"They (quotes) dont actually mean anything, unless you turn them into an action?"

Here are 12 inspirational quotes, complete with NWT "tough love" action plans to set them in motion:

"Knowing is not enough: we must apply. Willing is not enough: we must do". ~ Goethe


(as some of the text is copied and pasted, the font is a bit funky throughout the blog, anyone who has eplisepsy... Im really sorry about that, i hope you can still read the blog)


1. Albert Einstein

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result"




NWT: I wish every person who hit the gym and constantly weighs themselves could have this stamped on their foreheads. identify your training/physique goal and find out what you need to do to get it done, its pointless banging out sets of heavy bench press if your a) overweight and b) if your goal is to look leaner. Or indeed skinny guys wanting to be big but doing Spinning and BodyPump x 3/week and eating like a mouse, whats that all about!!??


2. Emil Zapotek

"Between the borders of pain and suffering, the men are seperated from the boys"

NWT: I love this quote (and have it as tattoo on my ribcage) because it reminds me that in order to excel at different tasks - you have to put the work in. Its the difference between loving leg days and missing them out - you either have it or you don't.

"This crazy polish bastard started a marathon by sprinting to put off opponents!"


3. Wayne Gretzky

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

NWT: Whatever your goal is, go for it! If you miss then understand why and dont make the same mistake again. Failing at something sometimes is valuable process towards achieving success, dont be afraid of it.


4. Robbie Williams


"Youth is wasted on the young, before you know its come and gone"


NWT: If you have experience, share it with someone who is younger than you. I love training 16-20 year old clients because i know that they are getting a far better introduction to weight training/fitness than i did - that gives me a buzz that i actually passed something on. Yes it was fun to learn and train the way i did BUT i would have loved to have got into the really important stuff earlier than i did. This week i had a chat to a young guy in the gym who has been "smashing" himself 6 days a week - long story short, i told him if i could go back to his age i would warm up and stretch more and not be so focused on chest and shoulders. I think he took something from it.








4. George Burns

"I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate" 



NWT: I dont know what the stats are on "% people who do what they love every day and get paid for it" i think its less than 1%! Im not saying go out and quit your job and become a zoo keeper tomorrow (interestingly enough, i think that would be my second best job), i'm suggesting if you are miserable in your current job and have a choice to re-train without affecting your current income/lifestyle then why not go for something that will make you happy in the long term? Im fully ware that this is not an easy thing to just up and do - but really think about the barriers that stop you. If they are all your own created thoughts then break them down and take a jump!



5. Bodi (Patrick Swayze) "Point Break"

"Why be a slave to the system when you can be its master"


NWT: I think the best recent example i can give here is about nutritional choices that you make every day. If you know you work at a place where all the food outlets are both expensive and not great for your fat loss goals, then prepare food and take it into work. Dont accept a problem, fix it.


6. Mel Gibson (Braveheart)

"Every man dies, but not every man really lives"
The first part of this saying is (unfortunately) true, we are all going to die one day. As this is a blog on how to make things 'real' im not going to say 'seize the day' or bullshit to that effect but you can live out these statements by making better choices, braver choices. Start by deciding what your purpose in life is, what would make you happier than anything? It could be look after injured animals, it could be play football on a beach in brazil, who knows? Decide what that is and do something small every day/week/month to get towards it. BUT (warning) dont bullshit yourself and waste time.

Example (not my own): I want to live in australia one day.

action 1: research places in australia you may want to live in.
action 2: Research the requirements for a working visa and job opportunities
action 3: set dates and save money each week/month

etc, etc, etc.

7. Anonymous

"You are the exact average of the 5 people you spend the most time with"

NWT: If you hang around with assholes, you will turn out to be an asshole. If you live/go out with/ spend time with negative people - you will be a negative person! get rid of the energy vampires in your life and start to surround yourself with people you want to be like.

8. Yoda (Star Wars)

"Do or do not.... There is no try"

NWT: For a 900 year old green dwarf, Yoda spoke a lot of common sense. Confidence is the key to most things. "If you tell yourself you cant do something, you're probably right!" (i stole that quote BTW). Have the confidence to fail at things, try things out and convince yourself you can pull it off. If things dont go as you planned, you have a good idea of how to suceed at them the next time you try.


9. Roy Keane

"Do not compromise in what you believe in"

NWT: Stick to your guns, don't sell out. If you believe in something then stand by your own judgement. This quote came from footballer Roy Keane who left the Irish world cup squad in 2002 because he beleived the Ireland squad were not taking the tournament seriously and was annoyed that the management had below par expectations and preparation for the tournament. he stood up, took a lot shit  and was kicked out of the team. He wouldn't compromise hi high standards and missed out on what should have been the pinnacle of his footballing career.

I liked very few things about 'keano' as a player, that changed after i read his book

10. LL Cool J

"To be a champion you have to live like a champion. You cant eat cupckaes every day and stand in the mirror expecting to look like some else"

NWT: Stop kidding yourself about getting into great shape if you train lousy and eat shit. Set aside 12-20 weeks where you lay off the booze, spend all the money you save (from not drinking/partying) on better quality food and possibly a trainer if you need one. Get on a structured training program that focuses on your training goals and get more sleep. Doing the same shitty routine and drinking 2 nights a week and expecting to have miraculous results is just f*cking silly - get real.









Swayze... what a man!

11. Christian Thibadaeu (T nation training master)

"Complexity is the language of simple people. Always beware of the guy who sounds impressive"

NWT: Don't listen to people who talk, learn from people who DO. Knowledge is great when applied! Which is why (in my opinion) every trainer should be in decent physical shape - i know some disagree but i personally believe you should 'practise what you preach'.


Inspirational physique for someone nearing 50 years old!


12. Thomas Andrews

"You can't fire a cannon from a rowing boat"

NWT: Train your Goddamn lower body! This was shouted at me by my new training buddy, Thomas - during our 2nd leg session of the week. If you dont train and prioritize your lower body in your training schedule, you will end up suffering... either through muscle imbalances (and ultimately pain) or aesthetically. XL vests and skinny jeans is a look only Johnny bravo should go for! 

Look familiar? don't answer if its you



Okay, i have done my 12 best quotes but here are some that i had to put down... with some 'tough love' one-liners!


If you’re bored with life — you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things — you don’t have enough goals. ~ Lou Holtz






NWT: In the words of billy Connolly "Get a fucking job ya like!"






 Whether you think you can or you can’t—you’re right! ~ Henry Ford


NWT: Stop talking yourself out of things.




Go out on a limb—that’s where the fruit is. ~ Will Rogers


NWT: Get out of your comfort zone, try something new.




A ship in the harbor is safe. But that’s not what ships are built for. ~ Anonymous
NWT: Give your body the odd test run, see what you can do, push the limits




If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business. ~ BC Forbes, Founder of Forbes Magazine


NWT: Dont ever stand still, always look to better yourself and your product




Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get. ~ Ray Kroc


NWT: Put in the hard work and you will reap the rewards




"Jump off the cliff, learn to fly on the way down" anonymus


NWT: Take a chance, dont overplan the perfect plan, act out the imperfect one




Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly. ~ Stephen R. Covey

NWT: To achieve anything, you have to want it bad enough (attention PT clients on that one)



Selected others (that need no additional comments)
Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. – John F. Kennedy

 

The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince. – Vincent Lombardi

 "i feel the need, the need for speed"  Maverick/Goose (top Gun)

60% of the time it works every time (Brian Fantana, anchorman)

Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. ~ Napoleon Hill 



"Everybody wanna be a Bodybuilder, but don't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight!" - Ronnie Coleman



Hope you enjoyed reading some of these, i loved writing this one! If you can take one quote that resonates with you and your life and work on the 'tough love' action plan - its been a worthwhile 10 minute read.


As always share with FB friends and enemies :)


Comment and add your own favourite quotes.



2 comments:

  1. Great post, Nathan! Thanks for the tough love/motivation and for calling out the skinny legged guys!

    Just a few I recently came across in my running calendar but can be applied to anything.

    "If you want to be the best [runner] you can be, start now. Don't spent the rest of your life wondering if you can do it." Priscilla Welch, British marathoner

    "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." -Juma Ikangaa, marathoner

    Some good 'life' quotes:
    "Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." Lou Holtz

    A long one but the second to last sentence nails it....

    The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts.... We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes. -Charles R. Swindoll

    ReplyDelete
  2. live in peace, not pieces.

    omshanti.
    =)

    ReplyDelete

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