Imagine
this: as you are reading this, taking a little moment to relax; somewhere Justin Bieber is possibly choking someone out. It is very
likely in fact that he is facing off against a larger, stronger opponent,
and punching that guy in the face... hard. That's right; Justin
Bieber, the tiny pop icon that many of us find so ridiculous and make our jokes
about is fighting a motherfucker because Justin Bieber trains
in mixed martial arts. (no offense to the Bieb, it's just the example that comes to mind)
(Training in MMA is
no joke. There is no just-sort-of training. If you do it even
for a short time, you will most likely find yourself in the best shape of your
life.)
Now, I
don't personally know if young Mr. Bieber has any intention of ever
stepping into the cage. I like to imagine that he has taken up mixed
martial arts for the sake of the intense physical and mental discipline that
one can achieve through its practice. But know that even an ordinary
day's practice takes immense physical and mental strength and devotion as
well as the capacity to transcend every last limit of the body you
have. MMA takes everything you've got and then requires of you the
courage to push forward still when you have absolutely nothing
left. In gyms all over the world, there are people driving
themselves beyond their own strength; broken and bloody, sometimes hurt badly,
sometimes with consciousness fading or with limbs, bones, joints,
ligaments, etc. on the verge of snapping, they reach deep within themselves and
find just enough to push for one last move, one sudden strike that can change
everything.
Know
that and think about it every time that you tell yourself that
you would rather stay home and watch tv instead of doing the work; when you
make those excuses and you tell yourself that you just can't make yourself better
today, know that people you hate, people you think are a joke, the Justin
Biebers of the world are doing what you simply cannot begin to achieve. You are
less than Beiber; sub-Beiber. Does that sit right with you?
If there is a single person in this world that you think is being handed more than they deserve; people that you think you're better than, until you can prove that you've got something more in you than they do, you are just another lazy couch potato running their mouth. Know that some of those people are putting in more hard work every single day than you may be willing to put in any day. You can change that though and it's easier than you think. Maybe its time you got started.
