I came across a thread recently on X (formerly known as Twitter) and I must say it really helped in shaping my mind and perspective concerning the aim and objectives to why we take certain actions in life.
So I happened to stumble on a post of a body builder. He narrates how he got beat up and building when he was 12. He narrates how the bully landed punches on his face, leaving him with bruises. He talked on still remembering the pain despite how many years that passed by after the incident. But that horrible incident is what brought about a change in his life. He vowed never to be weak or humiliated again.
This lead him to start working out with whatever he had; a pull-up bar, and a single dumbbell in his room. He also engaged in push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups and curls. He dedication to fitness gave him confidence and made him a better athlete. But at 15, everything changed…
Source
There came a point in his life when his dad got hospitalized eighteen times in a year. This was due to his unhealthy diet and also as a result of diabetes complications. It was so bad that his father's health battles pushed in fa into depression. And this led to the father making a suicide attempt. This opened his eyes to see what happens when you fail to take care of your health properly and how it can affect certain areas of your life. That's when his mission changed. At 15, he vowed to be the healthy father my future kids deserved.
He became so obsessed with understanding fitness at a deeper level.
He even went further to studying the following:
• Biomechanics
• Kinesiology
• Biology
• Physical therapy
He successfully got in great shape, started coaching others, and thought he had it all figured out. But there was something missing. This became clear to him when surprisingly he gained 30 pounds myself.
Everything he thought he knew about fitness and discipline wasn't enough. He was coaching others but within him he was feeling like a fraud. He was afraid to post shirtless pictures online. There he was telling people to stay disciplined while failing to do it himself. And then it hit him…
He was becoming exactly what he swore he wouldn't. He was using food to numb pain he hadn't dealt with which involved:
• Stress in his business
• Resentment toward his father
• A toxic relationship
• Alcohol to escape
• Porn addiction
He started believing he would never be good enough. That he was broken.
Every day, he would ask God for help, only to betray Him again hours later.
The real transformation started when he started reading his Bible daily. The came across the passage in 1 Corinthians 6:20, which read:
"You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies."
Source
With this light, honoring his body became a natural response to understanding God's love. He stepped into a new identity. He wasn't just a fitness coach… he was a living testament to God's goodness. And most importantly, he wasn't just "not his father"... he was a leader for his future family.
The year 2023 forced him to prove whether his new default actions would hold up under pressure be it business setbacks, travel, long-distance dating, 14-16 hour workdays, marriage, moving states.
He doubled down on biblical journaling, reminding himself daily of:
• His goals
• God's goodness in all circumstances
• Who God created him to be - his true identity
Despite everything, he was able to sustain his transformation. He was able to achieve the following:
• Overcome addiction
• 10x'd his business
• Married the love of his life
• Prepared for fatherhood
He's living a very fulfilled live at the moment.
.
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The first thing that was brought to my consciousness is the fact that your body is capable of far more than you think. From the beginning of the post it was obvious that he hadn't the big frame kind of a body and that's what gave the bully the audacity to rough handle him the way he did.
But he didn't let his physique to limit him. He became determined to getting bigger. I came to realize that transformation starts from the mind and not the gym. This motivated me to take exercise serious this year, because of the transformation that comes with it; not just on the body but to my health overall.
Aside these two factors, I also realized that being intentional about your physical well-being doesn't just affect you personally, it affects your marriage, kids, and your entire family.
And most important of all, all these cannot be achieved just because of will power, it is because of your identity. Realizing my identity is the best thing I can do for myself.
