12 Things I Learned in 2012
Well it’s already December 22nd in a few time zones, and the world has kept spinning. Congratulations to us all!
Anyway, today's post is a bit different from my normal topics, as I wanted to puttogether a list of lessons I learned throughout the past year. Forgive me for getting a bit nostalgic, but I figure it's only fitting given the time of year. Enjoy!
1. Hard work isstill king. I’ve always been a bigbeliever that people tend to make their own luck, and that luck is simply wherepreparation meets opportunity. It wasn’tuntil I read “Wooden” by John Wooden, however, that I really began to appreciate how hard work and mastering the basics is the key to success. Two of my favorite sayings of Coach Wooden's are “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” and “Make each day yourmasterpiece.” I take a lot of pride inconstantly trying to make myself better (both as a trainer and an overallperson), and I’d like to think that it’s my hard work that landed me in such anincredible situation.
2. You must lovewhat you do, and I feel sorry for those that don’t. Having had the privilege of working in twodifferent careers, I can definitely tell you what it’s like to tolerate, hateand love your job. The former can make you feel really unfulfilled, while the latter makes you love your life.
Want to know if someone is on the right track? Ask them if they love what they do. If the answer is anything but a definitive “Yes, I love it,” then theanswer is a resounding no.
3. Deadlifting may supplant the squat as my king of exercises. I’m pretty sure my love for the squat has been sufficiently documented on this blog. But the more I learn (and mature?) the more I think the deadlift is the king of exercises. For one, you get a bigger bang for your buck with a deadlift as you get so much more engagement in your upper body. As with many exercises, the deadlift is very technique intensive which initially drove me away from advising it for the general population. But, take it from me, there’s nothing that leaves you feeling sexier than a well-executed, heavy deadlift.
4. If you canrespond to an email in under one minute, do it! This is a tip I read somewhere, but can’tremember where. There was a time earlierthis year where I was juggling three different gigs and didn’t have a smartphone. Suffice to say, from 4:30 AM to 9:30 PM I hadabout one hour where I could actually reach the internet and get any sizableamount of work done. I credit this onetip with saving me a lot of time and keeping me organized.
5. No one does italone – you need support. We alllike the stories of the “self-made man” and the tales of millionaires that madeall their money through hard work. Wellthere’s a reason why some people succeed and others don’t – it’s whom youknow. You’re really only as good as yournetwork, and there’s a reason why the most connected people tend to also besome of the more successful. Never beafraid of asking for help in any capacity, because if someone likesyou or what they’re doing, they’ll be more than happy to lend a hand.
6. Besupportive. No one likes a DebbieDowner. This lesson is one I learnedfirst hand when I was going through my career change. On one side, you have the cheerleaders whowant to see nothing but the best for you...but on the other, you have those thatfor some reason or another, don’t want you to succeed. While I’ll never understand these "scrooges," Ican only think that they have some very personal issues (in addition tosome deep rooted jealously). And to behonest, I feel sorry for them.
7. Each week, callsomeone you haven’t spoken to in a while. You know that excited feeling when your phone rings and it’s someone awesomethat you haven’t caught up with in months? Well, be that awesome person on the other end. I’ve been trying to institute this routinemore and more regularly, and I've really enjoyed it. Best case, youget to speak with your friends. Andthose that never answer? Maybe theyweren’t worth calling anyway.
8. Everyone needs to get stronger! While I may change my mind on this statement in the future, I’m convinced that many of the physical issues that people develop could be cured if they were simply stronger. Now, there’s a fine line as people have to move well before they can add strength, and it's hard to tell if a lack of strength preceded any movement dysfunction. But, the more I see, the more I buy in to the statement above.
9. Soft tissue isthe cause of a lot more problems than we think. Back when I thought I knew everything, Ithought foam rolling and soft tissue work was for sissies. I couldn't have been more wrong, as I now turninto a crying, whining mess if I ever have to miss my daily date with a foamroller (yes, I’m being ironic). Whilethis short paragraph is not the time to explain the benefits of myofascialrelease and autogenic inhibition, I encourage everyone to try out a foamroller. It doesn’t take a team ofscientists to realize that you will feel better once you stand up.
10. Don’t make decisions based on money. Instead, ask yourself "is this the right thing to do in order to get where I want to go?" If I had made decisions strictly on money, Iwouldn’t have this blog and I’d still be working a boring desk job, hating mylife and counting the days until I’m 65 (which are higher than I cancount). The more I learn and pickpeople’s brains in this industry, the more the “do what you love and the moneywill come” mantra seems to appear.
11. Never stop learning. I thought I had an appreciation of thissaying…then after a few months I actually understood what it meant. While it’s less frequent now, I rememberearlier this year when I would have to swallow my pride every single day as Ihad a plethora of “teachable moments.” Anexample? Try having current Red SoxStrength and Conditioning Coach Mike Boyle tell you in front of everyone thatyou’re doing a specific warm up incorrectly…talk about getting served a big ol’fat piece of humble pie! While no onelikes to look like they’re clueless, I think I’m beyond the phase where I carewhat other people think. I hope it never stops.
12. All foods are not created equal. Grass fed beef, and organic, local foods arebetter than the alternatives. Why? Because of the quality! In the case of animals, it’s what those better fed animals have eaten that makes those meats so much healthier thanconventional animals. In fact, beefitself is actually pretty good for you…but it’s the way conventional beef isfed in warehouses (corn, grain and forced cannibalism, as opposed to natural grass) that raises theunhealthy profile, diminishing the great omega 3’s in beef. I'm not quite sure why we ignore the quality of food - which, after all, is important to keeping us healthy - but don't ignore the quality of our cable TV, cars, or smartphones. When it comes to our health, quality DOES matter, and once you realize the facts, it’s impossible to ignore thetruth.