Go Hard (continued)

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Now playing: Red - Fight Inside
via FoxyTunes
This kinda goes off of Go Hard

Think about all the people who actually made an impact in Life.

I'm just going to name 3

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.

All three of these men had incredible opposition, if they would've thrown in the towel when things got tough, who knows what the world would look like today.

People often ask me, "Why do you push so hard? Why do you do what you do? How much do you have left in you to give?" and the most recent, "Do you know haw many people hate you at the gym, because they are intimidated of what you've done, and how passionate you are?'' Now a truthful, but kinda weak, of a reason is simply that I'm a passionate person. Truth is, I love to help people... When I look at how many people I've helped, I don't care about what a few jokers think about me, because I'm helping people.

When I was an intern For Capital, I had many opportunities to help people, loved every second of it. When I'm at the gym, and people know how far I've come and want some advice, I'm more than happy to give it, and I'll go and workout with them, simply because I want to help them. There is a certain feeling you get from helping people that I can't describe, it simply makes you feel a little bit better about yourself. If you're depressed, you want to know something that will help, give. Give something that is important to you, or just give to someone who is actually in need. It makes you feel better.

I love to help people, that's just who I am. I always tell people, "Smile." Why?

Is it because working at the mall is fun?..

No not really.

Is it because I want to get a rise out of them?

No...

Why?

Because when you smile, it does something inside of you, it makes you feel a little bit better. So if I see someone, and they look kinda down, I look at them and smile as I say, "hey... Smile :)"

I know that life isn't always good, trust me on that one, I've been through my share of hell... but even when you're going through hell, doesn't mean you have to act like you're going through the ringer, bringing your friends down. I've said it a thousand times, and I'll say it again, you have to overcome, and overcoming isn't easy, it's not supposed to be.

If you feel as if you don't have the strength, or you don't know how much you've got left in you, I simply have one question for you, What is your foundation, and what is driving you.?

Neither George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King Jr. would've ever accomplished what they did if they simply did everything for themselves, or were driven by their own selfish motives. So I guess here's the real question, what did all 3 of these men turn to for strength? What was their refuge?

Is it in you?

Never Give Up

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Now playing: RED - Let Go
via FoxyTunes You ever push so hard, and get so close to something you want to achieve in life, just to see it temporarily delayed/possibly slipping away? Thats what I experienced today.

I've been pushing very hard in Wrestling, and mainly Jui Jitsu, for a while now; and today, after doing so well sparring, I injured myself doing the simplest thing, something I've done every other day. It was crazy to me, I said to myself, "I do this practically everyday, how can I possibly be hurt" So I tried to muscle my way through it, but I couldn't I had been injured.

Looking at it now, It takes me back to When I heard a man say, "sometimes, we hit bumps in the road, and we have to pull over and examine the car before we get back on the road. Some bumps don't do much, if any, damage; others can make it so you have no choice to pull over, and may take some time to fix." The key thing to acknowledge in this scenario, is either way, eventually, you get back on the road. Yes one might set you back for weeks, maybe months, could cost you, but that doesn't mean you quit.

Today while simply rolling with one of my friends at Alliance, I bruised a rib. I remember thinking to myself, "this is nothing, I'm fine" as I went on to spar with a few more people. By the time I got to my third partner, I couldn't deny the facts, I was injured, and needed to check myself out. I said, "sorry man, I'm done" and shook the mans hand. But this doesn't mean you quit.

After being injured, I went home, got pretty upset and took some medicine, along with some adrenalin pills to help me cope with the pain at work, then went on with the rest of my day. After Work, I went to Golds to examine how bad the injury was, and set up a time line for when I could get back to working out, and sparing with my friends at Combat Fitness with Mitch Coats, and all the other people that go through Alliance. Just because I'm injured, doesn't mean I give up. You take care of yourself, take the time you need, then get back on the mat. Like the old saying says, "You've got to get back on the horse."

Once you've been kicked in the teeth, that's when you find out who you really are, you find out what's in you. Do you have what it takes, or do you trow in the towel?

The problem we are seeing today in society, is that as soon as opposition comes, we throw in the towel. Hoping that someone else will do all the hard stuff for us, so we can sit back, take it easy, and still reap a harvest from it. All I really have to say to that is nothing good in life, comes for free; and Real men aren't afraid to fall, because they have what it takes to get back up. Getting up isn't always easy, it's not supposed to be, but it's worth it. You have to Break Through

Breaking Through

You ever come to the point in life,
Where it feels like your passion has been lost?
You look back and remember saying how you'd hit your goal,
No matter what it cost.
Remember when everything in the world,
Seemed as if it were going your way?
Now it is a struggle,
Just to make it through another day.
You ever wake up and Wonder,
If there's even a reason for you to get out of bed,
You feel like all hope has been lost,
As thoughts of worthlessness run through your head.
You remember pushing so hard,
But feel like you may have pushed in the wrong direction,
Now you are all alone,
And would do anything for some affection.
I remember a man once told me,
That nothing worth having in life comes for free,
Now I sit here and wonder,
If I've let my own selfish desires get the best of me.
It feels like I've been given a piece to a puzzle,
That just doesn't seem to fit.
But I'll do my best with what I've got,
Because I've come to far to quit.
I don't know how much I've got left,
Or what else I can do.
But still I'll push with all I've got,
Because this is the art, in breaking through.

Ya, you'll see me back on the mat, you better believe that. In fact, I'm going to do what I can till I can go all out, but believe me, when the time comes, you'll see me tearing it up, you can count on that. So I guess this would be a charge, never give up. Opposition comes, learn from it, if the world starts pressing in, push back... Never Give Up

Go Hard, Or Go Home

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Now playing: LeCrae - Go Hard (feat. Tedashii)
via FoxyTunes
So the Other day, I was hanging out with one of my old Friends at Golds, and somehow we got on the topic of going all out in the gym, "Max out, or Get out!"

Then I started thinking, why don't we do that in everything?

Why is it that people only tend to commit to what is easy and comfortable?

If it is really worth having, then you aren't going to get it easily, and probably not for free.

Take a football game for example, You want to win, but Your opponent wants to crush you, if you only go half way in, game over...

Or take a wrestling match, if you don't give it your all, leave it all on the mat, you will loose, because the opposition isn't planning on going easy, and you shouldn't either.

But this just doesn't go in fitness, it goes in every area of life. If you plan on doing something, do the job, don't commit half way and quit when it gets difficult, it's called overcoming...

Just because School is hard, doesn't mean you quit; that means it's time for you to be discipline, and press a little harder. What I can't stand is when someone tells me they are going to do a job, and they only do a halfway decent job, and expect respect. I would've done the job myself if I would've known you were going to do a crappy job, why would I pay you for that. You need to put pride in what you do.

When I wrestle someone, I go as hard as I can, and when it's over, I look my opponent in the eye, and I shake his hand. If I loose, I gave it my best, what do I have to be ashamed of, or to be upset about? Now if I win, I shake my opponents hand in respect, because he gave it his best, and I wish him the best of luck. But you have to go all out...

So Ya, I think that's good for now...

Go Hard, Give it your all; and if you don't, step down, and go home.

A Compromiser Never Makes An Impact.

So the Other night I was studying James while watching the Olympics, and a thought ran through my head, the thought was "compromisers never make an impact." I started to think about it, then read James 2, and came to realize that compromising is the easy way of saying, "I quit," or that "I'm not strong enough, make it easier." Then I started to wonder, why do Christians compromise?

Where in the Bible does it say we can live like everyone else, or that we should just act "normal" and try to fit in? When thinking about it, two main verses pop into my head, the first of which is 2 Corinthians 6:14 - 17 and James 2: 17 - 19

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil[? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
"I will live in them
and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don't touch their filthy things,
and I will welcome you.

James 2:17 - 19
So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds." You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[a] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

So if we take a look at the first chunk of scripture, it says "come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves form them…" This is huge. So many people say that they are Christians, but fail to back it up with a lifestyle which leads right in to James 2 where it says Faith without works is Dead. Saying that you believe that God is real simply isn't enough, you have to have something to back up what you believe in, you have to live the Lifestyle.

"Don't call yourself a Christian if you are going to act like that." Pastor Judah Smith said this in a sermon addressing people who don't live up to what they claim to be. He continued to say, "Don't mock the sacrifice of Jesus, of what the disciples went through, of my life by calling yourself a Christian if you act like that." He was very passionate when talking about this, and I started to wonder, do people even know what being a "Christian" means.

Back when the Romans were persecuting the Church, the name Christians came around because they said they acted like little Jesus', they acted like Christ, and they had nothing else to call us. So you call yourself a Christian, do you act like Christ, do people confuse you with God?

I hear so many people say, "I believe in God, that makes me a Christian." when in all actuality, saying I believe in God doesn't really mean anything. James 2 says that Even the Demons in hell believe in God, and Tremble at his name. Faith without works is dead. Faith without the lifestyle to back it up, accounts for nothing.

This leads me to babying people, if you call yourself a leader, or even a Christian for that matter, I've only got three words for you, suck it up. Seriously, when I see someone going back and forth, back and forth it really only tells me two things. All, it tells me is that either you never wanted to quit, and never truly repented, or you simply aren't committed or discipline. I say never repented because when you repent, it's saying, "Lord I'm sorry, I'm going to try not to do it again." That's why I don't Baby people, people need to commit.

Being A Christian isn't supposed to be Easy, that is why you have to pick up your cross daily, you have to die daily. Nothing worth having in life comes for free, it costs you something. What does being Christian cost you, your life. Only when you loose your life will you truly find it. That is what makes Galatians 2:20 so significant. It says, "My old self has been crucified with Christ.[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

There is nothing fun about a crucifixion, it's painful. Galatians 2:20 screams out, "I give you everything." It's more than just an idea, or a statement, it's a lifestyle. When you give your life to Christ, you submit to his authority, and are choosing to do his will instead of your own.

Christ asks for all you've got, is it in you? Are you discipline enough, or are you compromising.