What you currently believe you can and cannot accomplish as a bodybuilder is determining your destiny. When was the last time you examined those beliefs and checked their accuracy? In this book, I've identified some of the disempowering thinking patterns and the common fears that limit what drug-free bodybuilders can accomplish.
How we interpret past experiences determines what we believe we can and cannot accomplish in the future as drug-free bodybuilders. Our personal experiences, our tested and untested theories, and our perceptions of events all combined. We also use the experiences, theories, and the perceptions of other people who have some degree of influence in our lives.
These experiences create what we call our references. References are our "evidence" that our interpretations are accurate.
How we interpret past experiences determines what we believe we can and cannot accomplish in the future as drug-free bodybuilders.
The sources of our references, how many references you have, and how strongly you feel about them will influence your interpretations. The degree of emotional intensity you have for these references will differentiate them into opinions, beliefs, or convictions.
Opinions
An opinion is something you are somewhat sure is true. You are not unyielding in your way of thinking and would be open to changing this opinion if you thought a more empowering alternative was available. Here are examples of either my current or past opinions:
· I should do harder cardiovascular exercise sessions to get lean for a contest.
· I am very sensitive to carbohydrates and should do away with as many of them as possible during my pre-contest dieting phase.
An opinion is something you are somewhat sure is true.
Beliefs
A belief is a feeling of certainty. You have either more references or stronger references supporting your belief that something is true than you have for an opinion. A belief is definitely stronger than an opinion, and it would be harder to change your way of thinking. Here are examples of either my current or past beliefs:
• Whether a guy uses drugs or not, there is something valuable I can learn from him if he has become a champion.
· A drug-free bodybuilder can't get striated glutes.
Convictions
A conviction is formed when you feel very strongly about something being true. A conviction is much stronger than any belief and usually has some intense emotional factors that support this way of thinking. Here are examples of either my current or past convictions:
· Training one body part, once a week, is an outstanding regimen for drug-free bodybuilders.
· Becoming a top amateur bodybuilder is better for publicity and fame than being a professional who can't crack the Top Ten.
Take the time to identify your interpretations of what is achievable in bodybuilding-specifically drug-free bodybuilding-and identify your experiences supporting them. How have these references been created? How strongly do you feel they are true? Which interpretations are opinions? Which ones are beliefs? Which ones are convictions?
Your ultimate goal should not be to simply make yourself feel better. The danger of forming opinions, beliefs, and convictions too quickly (and without experience or good sources) is that you could box yourself into a disempowering way of thinking. Oftentimes, what makes you feel better in the short run will not help you achieve what you really want in the long run.
A belief is a feeling of certainty. You have either more references or stronger references supporting your belief that something is true than you have for an opinion.
If you want to become truly successful in your bodybuilding efforts, you must achieve outstanding, tangible results. Only when you have the best mindset and the best information will you be able to create the best results.
Sometimes your opinions, beliefs, and convictions can help you. Sometimes they can hurt you. Let's examine the ones I currently have or have had at some time during my bodybuilding career.
· I should do harder cardiovascular exercise sessions to get lean for a contest.
This is an opinion I came up with through trial and error over time. To tell you the truth, I would love to form a different opinion. This opinion can help me by forcing me to work harder to get in great shape. It could possibly hurt me if I lose a significant amount of precious muscle along the way.
· I am very sensitive to carbohydrates and should do away with as many as possible during my pre-contest dieting phase.
This is another opinion I came up with through trial and error. And, just like the preceding opinion I mentioned about cardiovascular exercise, I would love to disprove this one. This opinion can help me by making sure I don't eat an excessive amount of calories and inhibit the fat-loss process. It could possibly hurt me because not eating enough carbohydrates could limit protein synthesis which is critical for building muscle.
By the way, I now feel most people need to carefully monitor their carbohydrates as they prepare for a show.
· Whether a guy uses drugs or not, there is something valuable I can learn from him if he has become a champion.
This belief comes from my everyday mental makeup in life. This belief can help me because, although I won't model such a bodybuilder's drug-use strategies, I could tap into his successful training, eating, or motivational methods. This belief could potentially hurt me if I follow a strategy that has been indirectly aided by drugs and become frustrated because I don't produce results as good as I think I should.
· A drug-free bodybuilder can't get striated glutes.
I no longer have this belief, but I did in the past. How did this belief get formed? I'm not exactly sure. I think I believed getting lean is very difficult for naturals and I had never seen any drug-free competitors with striated glutes. Obviously, this belief would hurt me because I would never make that degree of conditioning a goal in the first place. I don't know how it could help me-except for the fact that my lowered expectations would take some pressure off me and I would most likely avoid the discomfort of more intense contest dieting.
I now believe that I can't even consider myself ready for a contest unless my glutes are striated.
· Training one body part, once a week, is an outstanding regimen for drug-free bodybuilders.
I have formed this conviction through my personal experiences and the experiences of hundreds of drug-free bodybuilders around the world. This conviction helps me to feel confident about my methods and totally go for it in the gym. It could hurt me if a better strategy comes along and I steadfastly hold on to only what has worked in the past.
· Becoming a top amateur bodybuilder is better for publicity and fame than being a professional who can't crack the Top Ten.
Why is this a conviction? Where are all the guys who were extremely popular when they were top amateurs but weren't good enough to become Top Ten professionals? Paul DeMayo . . . John Sherman. . . Tom Varga. . . Michio Grubbs. . . Darryl Stafford. . . Chris Duffy - the list goes on and on.
A conviction is formed when you feel very strongly about something being true. A conviction is much stronger than any belief and usually has some intense emotional factors that support this way of thinking.
I think these great bodybuilders would still be featured heavily in the bodybuilding magazines today if they had never become professionals. This conviction can help me because I'll be satisfied even if I never qualify to become a professional bodybuilder. This conviction could hurt me because, without having such an inspiring ultimate goal like earning elite professional bodybuilding status, I may not fully tap into all my physical and mental abilities. I may therefore never reach my full genetic potential.
Are your opinions, beliefs, and convictions helping you or hurting you? Are they making you stronger or weaker? Are they putting the pressure on you that forces you to step up and use the gifts that God blessed you with to the fullest? Or are they relieving the pressure by creating convenient excuses? Are they empowering you or disempowering you?
Whether you are conscious of their effects or not, your opinions, beliefs, and convictions are shaping your bodybuilding destiny. Even if you never change the way you think, don't you think it is good idea to become aware of them?
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