The Battle with Yourself

I often receive letters from bodybuilders who are struggling with their inability to follow through. The challenge is so common among us that I receive this type of letter on a weekly basis:

"I often struggle to maintain the extreme mental focus required to adhere to my goals and dreams on a daily basis, especially during or after a stressful day at work. My problem is that I all too easily let my diet or training slip a little. I'm full of guilt afterwards, but that does not help me during the time when I let myself down."

The battle with yourself to control your mental state is never-ending. I don't care what you did last month or even last week; failure is imminent if you don't continue doing the same things today that brought you to this point. "Use it or lose it!" and "What have you done for me lately?" are popular sayings that come to mind as I try to drive this point home. It doesn't seem fair, but that's just the way life is sometimes.

The battle with yourself to control your mental state is never­ending. I don't care what you did last month or even last week; failure is imminent if you don't continue doing the same things today that brought you to this point.

The more often you can get yourself to follow through, the more successful you will eventually become. At the very highest level of most competitive endeavors, the difference between a champion and an also-ran competitor will come down to who has the highest standards for himself or herself-and who has been able to continually strive to meet those standards. You must strive to meet your own high standards every hour, every day, every week, and every month. It's that type of consistency, year after year, that will create a physique and a lifestyle that you'll be able to look back on with a tremendous sense of pride.

As I look back over my bodybuilding career, there have been many times when I felt absolutely unstoppable! I 'm sure you've felt that way at times as well. Am I right? Some of those times lasted only for a few hours or for a single day. Some lasted for several days. During those periods, I had an abundance of self­confidence that I could eventually achieve my bodybuilding goals. In that state of mind, I was ready, willing, and able to work even harder. I became a "big thinker" and I was determined to do everything it would take-no matter what obstacles were ahead of me-to become the best I could be. It's probably no surprise that, during those periods, I followed through consistently and performed my very best.

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't share with you the fact that there have been many, many times when I have felt totally inadequate! Can you relate to the state of mind that I'm referring to? I'm sure you can. Just like those times when I was riding high on self-confidence, the downtimes generally lasted for only a few hours or for a single day. Sometimes those feelings lasted for several days, and then achieving the goals that I had set for myself seemed impossible. In that state of mind, I had a difficult time getting myself to do the things I needed to do to become my best. I felt it was pointless to try to overcome the challenges and obstacles that stood in my way.

I'm always amazed and, at the same time, somewhat puzzled by the times when I can get myself to do almost anything. I'm equally amazed and stunned by the times I can't get myself to do the simplest bodybuilding tasks. I sometimes feel totally inadequate-within hours of feeling absolutely unstoppable!

Have you felt the same at times? We all have! Why do I ask? If we can figure out why we feel this way from time to time, we have a better opportunity to control our mental state, emotional state, level of motivation, and actions.