Morning Folks!!
I hate to exercise. I don't believe in it. I think it does more harm than good. I think the fitness industry is basically bogus. All my friends get injured in the gym. Some pretty bad. Yes, I know you don't agree. But I don't care. I still won't exercise.
Do you remember Jack LaLanne? He was called the "Godfather of Fitness". That was before there was a "Fitness Industry". He talked about nutrition when most folks did not know what a calorie was.
There were 3 national channels back in the 1950's and if you were in New York area there were 2 or 3 more local channels. There was no TV at night! It was BLACK SCREEN! Then around 5AM the "Test Pattern" came on to test the signal and tone. That would stay on until 5:30 and then Jack LaLanne would start the TV day on one of the local New York channels. I remember having to adjust the "Rabbit ears" so the picture would not be "Snowy".
Jack was a weightlifter but had only one prop on TV, one machine, just one all in one. Remember what it was? It was a kitchen chair! Why? Because everyone had one! It was a pure show and he wanted eyeballs to sell ads to his sponsors but had not tapped into the direct fitness market because there was none at that time. He learned later on tho. From fitness guru to fitness selling whore. (with all respect and love!)
Walking, swimming and sex are arguably the best exercises. But not many people make money if you walk or get it on. They make more money if you believe this $12,000 all in one is better! lol
But that has nothing to do with this blog post. Let's talk about exercising the brain. the mind. The thought process. The decision making ability. Those are the 6 pack abs I like to focus on.
For me it started back in my early 20's. In those days I drove an average of 300-400 miles per day for YEARS. I had a lot of time to think. There was no cell phone. No Fedex. No laptop. Oh yeah, our computers were 3x5 index cards. I was too lazy to fill them out or keep track. I was always in a hurry! I was unprepared and unprofessional.
I would drive from Dallas to El Paso. There was not much in between. 635 miles of nothing! The exits in west Texas could easily be 50 miles apart or more. I would spend 1 day in El Paso and then start the 797 mile trek to Los Angeles. I would drive over 1400 miles in just a couple to 3 days with an 8 track! Listen to Crosby, Stills Nash and Young, America, Seals and Croft, John Denver. Gives a young man a lot of time to think. Think DEEP!! NO DISTRACTIONS! Something I didn't do much of in High School and even less in college. But now I was in life itself and I had to figure things out to survive and thrive. All I knew is If I did not make $100/day, I would be sleeping in my car.
That is when and where I became a thinker. I had the time to drill down deep to find answers. I used to simply scratch the surface and look for the answer I wanted. But as I would drill down I would find evidence that the answer I wanted was not reality. As a 23 year old, reality is never that easy to swallow. It's like reading the fine print of life!
Ever see a car ad and you can get a brand new Mercedes for $149/month. It sounds great if you are naive. Then you read the fine print. $5000 down and trade in worth at least $5000 and, and, and. And it's only good on the ugly green one with the blue stripe!
Everyone I know is always in a hurry. But when you are in a rush, that is in direct conflict to good decision making and thinking. That thought process takes time and focus.
Some people think small decisions are insignificant. WRONG!! WRONG!! WRONG!! The smallest decision can also be the biggest and I can prove it!.
The smallest grain of sand can bring the biggest engine to a screetching halt!
That's a fact! So when you apply that to decision making and YOUR own personal destiny, it may be life changing! So NEVER EVER dismiss a small decision especially if it has the ability to impact something else.
Getting to the airport at a certain time may be a small decision. But if you did not leave enough time for something unexpected and you are late and the plane takes off and the next flight is in 2 days and then you miss your 21 day African Safari that you already paid for and your vacation is all messed up and you don't get another one for a year and you would have met the girl of your dreams.......
The "Great Gratz" once told me a great way to approach something. He said, "When you are in a hurry, NEVER RUSH!" in other words. Take a deep breath and be deliberate even if you are late.
But then I added a few things to the Great Gratz! I saw his shortfalls and why he needed to learn that. My additions include Postponing s decision if you are being pressured. Sleep on it when you are not sure. But then also know the difference calamity can make and prevent being in a hurry to begin with!! That's why I am always early. I would arrive sometimes a day early as an insurance policy against "CALAMITY"!
I am not a fast runner. But my mind will outpace the fastest.
I don't have the strength to lift even 100lbs. But my thought process can move mountains.
The obstacle course runner uses his or her great overall strength and physical ability to overcome the challenges that lay ahead in a measured course. My mind uses that strength and ability to overcome the obstacles and challenges of life and the course never ends.
The true champions we worship and know do both. That means I am only working at 50%. So I better think harder, faster and smarter to even have a chance to compete. That was the day in life that I realized what made great athletes great. What made Olympians a cut above. It was their minds. Their minds control their bodies. Their minds directed their bodies.
Now it's true that some just had raw physical ability and their minds shall we say were less developed. But even many of those wired that way eventually were able to harness that strength and re-direct some of it to the mind.
When I write, my job is to provoke! Provoke thought! Provoke your mind into action. Provoke enough thought that it would force you to read and comment. If I fail to do that, I have failed you, the reader.
If I come over and just kick you in the balls I am going to provoke a reaction 100% of the time. But MY JOB is to kick us all in the mind! It's much harder to provoke a reaction.
And that is what selling is. To provoke a reaction. The fitness industry are experts at provoking a reaction and marrying it with an emotional reaction as well. The gym equipment, that's just their vehicle. Their MINDS are making money! Salute!
The human mind is perhaps the most powerful force ever known. It is capable of achieving great and unbelievable things and the power to destroy everything in its path! Controlling that engine is a full time exercise. The mind is everything.
Rick Schwartz
PS: I met the "Great Gratz" when I was 29 and he was about 60. He died about 10 years ago. He taught me how to do things in a big and meaningful way. But by observing him in action I also learned his weaknesses and how not to do things. I am grateful for both! RIP Bill.
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