to feel, i felt

9// Foundation for Life

2017 was the year I started going to the gym. I've been at it for over a year and a half now and I have grown an intense passion for it. It wasn't always like this though. For a year and 3 months of relatively consistent 'gyming', I went from machine to machine, forced myself on treadmills and basically had no plan to follow. I was there, and that was pretty much it. I wouldn't say it was a waste of my time, but by no means was I being productive or seeing the results I wanted just due to the fact that my muscles weren't being worked properly, or even at all.

February hit me pretty hard in 2018. February 18th, 2017 marks a day that had severely affected my life, one that took a lot of power away from me. It ruined my entire year, but I met someone who would temporarily change that. I forgot about that misfortune (thankfully) and was able to put all my efforts and energy into this one very significant person. I was so sad for so long and it felt like the universe put him in my life to reverse that.

It worked. I was so happy.

Then, on February 18th 2018, he left and made the decision that this just wasn't going to work for him. I hadn't told him anything about the horrible experience I had a year before so this was just pure coincidence.

Most likely the worst coincidence ever planned and I crashed to an all time low.

I didn't take care of myself after this. It was really, really hard; I stopped just about everything and was totally gone from reality. This continued for a couple months, but the night before the 1st of April, I had an epiphany. I was going to go to the gym everyday and train like a bodybuilder. No more silly stuff, no more giving up: I was going to reverse my depleted mental strength by improving my physical strength. That night was the best thing that had ever happened to me because this was the solution I have been looking for for years.

I didn't miss one day in April. I went 6 days, sometimes 7 times a week, training and building my muscles. March crept up and I wasn't seeing any results, but somehow I felt no discouragement or disappointment. I continued through March until maybe the last week, which sent me into a spiral of excitement. I saw definition! Slight shadows outlined my delts, my biceps and triceps. Striations appeared in my collarbone and shoulders as well as my calves and I thought I was addicted then! I couldn't get enough of the gym because of this foundation I built and I knew it was only uphill from here.

When I progressed further in my hypertrophy training, it was easier to physically see that progression when those shadows darkened and the striations deepened. That's when I realized that the foundation I built for my muscles to grow is the same ethic I should be applying to my life and when you look at it, success, stability and attainment ultimately rely on that strong foundation. So I asked myself, how would I actually facilitate that?

Well, I made myself first priority.

I only put in energy to people who had a positive influence in my life because the rest of my energy was strictly devoted to myself. As a disclaimer: this is not selfish, but simply crucial for success. One way of looking at personal progression is coming clean with both your current mental and physical state. I believe that both aspects work hand in hand, meaning that physical health cannot be achieved if you do not have the mental strength to balance, (and vise versa).

Training for me was that balance.

I began to understand that a healthy body takes time to mould and a healthy mind takes practice to build.

This is our foundation.

With this strength I have allowed myself to gain, my smiles have never been more genuine and my headspace has never been more clear. By building your foundation, you too will find prosperity, success and most importantly, happiness.