The 10 Commandments, According to Rhadi Ferguson…
The 10 Commandments, According to Rhadi Ferguson…
John Wooden once said that “Sports do not build character, they reveal it.” I’m inclined to agree. How you practice (and how much you practice), how you react to winning (and losing) and what athletic goals (if any) you’ve set say a lot about who you are OFF the field as well.
Fitness should be approached holistically. Putting too much emphasis on the physical aspects, while ignoring the mental or spiritual sides can limit your performance AND your performance capability altogether.
If you want to succeed, you’ve got to have a strategy. And a champ strategy begins with strictly adhering to the 10 Commandments of Fitness as revealed to you by, ME – the Strength and Conditioning King!
THOU SHALT learn from the pros. I guarantee that your sport, martial art or training method – no matter how obscure it may be – has a few gurus that you can learn from. Pore over their blogs, bios, books and biographies. Learn ways to tailor their success and make it your own.
THOU SHALT set goals. Aside from winning, the most worthy goal that you can set your sights on is “personal best.” This isn’t just important for chumps, but champs as well. Even if you win EVERY competition (lucky you!), if you’re not giving it your all, you’re playing the part of a chump and your success will surely soon elude you.
THOU SHALT climb outside of your box. True winners are masters of adaptability. They’ve learned that things rarely go as planned. So, they become adept at going beyond the boundaries of their comfort zone.
Train harder than you think you can. Create obstacle courses for your training, practicing as though Murphy’s Law will dominate your next match. If you’ve never entered a “real” competition, go out on a limb and do it! When you aim high, you might miss your target, but your bullet will still cover a LOT more ground!
THOU SHALT NOT get so focused on tomorrow or yesterday that you waste all of today. Your failures (and successes) over the past are just that – your past. They’re over and done with. Tomorrow’s (and next month’s) competitions are beyond your control. All you have is today – right now! Your life is the direct result of all of the little day-to-day decisions that no one pays very much attention to. Stand apart from the rest of the crowd by living in the moment and maximizing your potential at EVERY opportunity.
THOU SHALT rise to the challenge – and do it on purpose! Adversity confronts you on every playing field. There’s no getting around it. Chumps are separated from the champs the same way wheat is separated from the chaff – through fiery trials and tribulations. In life, there are two choices: Whine and make excuses OR take responsibility and make a difference. When challenges rear their ugly heads at you, do more than just grin and bear it – put on a big smile and roar right back!
THOU SHALT remember that your mind MORE than matters! This means more than just wishful thinking. It means knowing your weaknesses and then striving to transform them into strengths. It means taking time out to get away from it all and recharge. Attitude is important, but more important is the inner dialogue you’re listening to day in and day out. If you can reprogram your inner athlete, you may soon see them start shining through in the “real world” as well.
THOU SHALT be proactive. If you fail to take action, you’ll be doomed to merely reacting. Instead of preparing yourself for the future, you’ll be forced to deal with things that are urgent, but not true priorities, whirling your life all out of whack. Take time to step away from the daily grind and take a look at the big picture. Are you where you want to be? If not, what’s holding you back? Are you taking action or simply reacting? Remember, it’s your life! You (not your circumstances) call the shots.
THOU SHALT employ the power of positive thinking. Does this sound like something you’d expect to hear coming from the Health & Wellness Queen instead of yours truly? Well, I’m not trying to scam out using the feel good factor, this stuff is the real deal! Did you know that your subconscious doesn’t recognize negative commands? Words like DON’T, CAN’T and WON’T simply don’t register. If you tell yourself “I won’t freeze up in the next match”, in your brain it becomes “I freeze up in the next match!” Not the best self-talk, huh? Never forget the power of the DON’T think about an elephant trick. Take initiative and re-script your inner command center. Pose thoughts positively and see what happens!
THOU SHALT live abundantly! Life is about a hell of a lot more than the next match or the next trophy. A balanced life demands taking time out for friends, family, vacations, hobbies, education and non-athletic professional development as well. There will come a time in life when you’re no longer able to perform like a pro athlete. What will be left to satisfy you then?
THOU SHALT uncover the Olympian within. Inside of us all, there are two people vying for the forefront and limelight: the person we are and the person we CAN be. Unfortunately, the person we are is devilishly persuasive. “…you don’t really need to train today,”, “Oh, I’ll just eat one more…”, “…but it would be so much easier if…” It takes a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears to make sure that the person we CAN be is the one we turn out to be. The three ingredients to make that happen are DRIVE, DISCIPLINE and DETERMINATION.
While these aren’t the only fitness commandments (hey, there were WAY more than 10 in the Old Testament!), if you don’t take heed to any of my other advice, keep these precepts as a mark that you DON’T want to miss.
I guarantee that the rewards will spill over from your competitive edge and literally flood the rest of your life.
John Wooden once said that “Sports do not build character, they reveal it.” I’m inclined to agree. How you practice (and how much you practice), how you react to winning (and losing) and what athletic goals (if any) you’ve set say a lot about who you are OFF the field as well.
Fitness should be approached holistically. Putting too much emphasis on the physical aspects, while ignoring the mental or spiritual sides can limit your performance AND your performance capability altogether.
If you want to succeed, you’ve got to have a strategy. And a champ strategy begins with strictly adhering to the 10 Commandments of Fitness as revealed to you by, ME – the Strength and Conditioning King!
THOU SHALT learn from the pros. I guarantee that your sport, martial art or training method – no matter how obscure it may be – has a few gurus that you can learn from. Pore over their blogs, bios, books and biographies. Learn ways to tailor their success and make it your own.
THOU SHALT set goals. Aside from winning, the most worthy goal that you can set your sights on is “personal best.” This isn’t just important for chumps, but champs as well. Even if you win EVERY competition (lucky you!), if you’re not giving it your all, you’re playing the part of a chump and your success will surely soon elude you.
THOU SHALT climb outside of your box. True winners are masters of adaptability. They’ve learned that things rarely go as planned. So, they become adept at going beyond the boundaries of their comfort zone.
Train harder than you think you can. Create obstacle courses for your training, practicing as though Murphy’s Law will dominate your next match. If you’ve never entered a “real” competition, go out on a limb and do it! When you aim high, you might miss your target, but your bullet will still cover a LOT more ground!
THOU SHALT NOT get so focused on tomorrow or yesterday that you waste all of today. Your failures (and successes) over the past are just that – your past. They’re over and done with. Tomorrow’s (and next month’s) competitions are beyond your control. All you have is today – right now! Your life is the direct result of all of the little day-to-day decisions that no one pays very much attention to. Stand apart from the rest of the crowd by living in the moment and maximizing your potential at EVERY opportunity.
THOU SHALT rise to the challenge – and do it on purpose! Adversity confronts you on every playing field. There’s no getting around it. Chumps are separated from the champs the same way wheat is separated from the chaff – through fiery trials and tribulations. In life, there are two choices: Whine and make excuses OR take responsibility and make a difference. When challenges rear their ugly heads at you, do more than just grin and bear it – put on a big smile and roar right back!
THOU SHALT remember that your mind MORE than matters! This means more than just wishful thinking. It means knowing your weaknesses and then striving to transform them into strengths. It means taking time out to get away from it all and recharge. Attitude is important, but more important is the inner dialogue you’re listening to day in and day out. If you can reprogram your inner athlete, you may soon see them start shining through in the “real world” as well.
THOU SHALT be proactive. If you fail to take action, you’ll be doomed to merely reacting. Instead of preparing yourself for the future, you’ll be forced to deal with things that are urgent, but not true priorities, whirling your life all out of whack. Take time to step away from the daily grind and take a look at the big picture. Are you where you want to be? If not, what’s holding you back? Are you taking action or simply reacting? Remember, it’s your life! You (not your circumstances) call the shots.
THOU SHALT employ the power of positive thinking. Does this sound like something you’d expect to hear coming from the Health & Wellness Queen instead of yours truly? Well, I’m not trying to scam out using the feel good factor, this stuff is the real deal! Did you know that your subconscious doesn’t recognize negative commands? Words like DON’T, CAN’T and WON’T simply don’t register. If you tell yourself “I won’t freeze up in the next match”, in your brain it becomes “I freeze up in the next match!” Not the best self-talk, huh? Never forget the power of the DON’T think about an elephant trick. Take initiative and re-script your inner command center. Pose thoughts positively and see what happens!
THOU SHALT live abundantly! Life is about a hell of a lot more than the next match or the next trophy. A balanced life demands taking time out for friends, family, vacations, hobbies, education and non-athletic professional development as well. There will come a time in life when you’re no longer able to perform like a pro athlete. What will be left to satisfy you then?
THOU SHALT uncover the Olympian within. Inside of us all, there are two people vying for the forefront and limelight: the person we are and the person we CAN be. Unfortunately, the person we are is devilishly persuasive. “…you don’t really need to train today,”, “Oh, I’ll just eat one more…”, “…but it would be so much easier if…” It takes a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears to make sure that the person we CAN be is the one we turn out to be. The three ingredients to make that happen are DRIVE, DISCIPLINE and DETERMINATION.
While these aren’t the only fitness commandments (hey, there were WAY more than 10 in the Old Testament!), if you don’t take heed to any of my other advice, keep these precepts as a mark that you DON’T want to miss.
I guarantee that the rewards will spill over from your competitive edge and literally flood the rest of your life.
posted by Rhadi Ferguson at
8:05 AM
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