Appearance is everything in the sport of bodybuilding. You hear people all of the time say "Don't judge me." or "You shouldn't judge people." When I think of how my wife describes our sport..., it does probably sound like madness to normal people. We train, diet, bleed, sweat, and pay the price for 18 weeks. That is 126 days straight. Constant pain..., constant sacrifice..., and we are constantly exhausted…, for what? So we can get on stage at the end, wearing almost nothing, stand next to other athletes, and ask the judges to "judge us" and decide who has the best body.
I am used to being judged. Normal people blend in with the rest of society, so they need not worry about being judged by others. I get judged every day…, everywhere I go…, by people who don’t know the first thing about me. I am judged by the people who stare when I walk through the grocery store. The ones who are always watching me train in the gym, and talk about me to their friends..., but never speak to me, and never make eye contact. They don't see "me." They see a freak…, a crazy guy whose ego has gotten the better of him. I am instantly stereotyped as a dangerous and threatening individual because I am bigger than them. So yeah…, I am used to being judged, and the opinions of others who know nothing about me are insignificant and stopped bothering me a long time ago.
What is important is how I view myself. Am I living up to my full genetic potential both physically and mentally? What do I think of the guy staring back at me when I look in the mirror? What do I see in that mirror? I see the potential that I have. I focus on it, and decide what I can do to achieve that potential to its fullest. I see my genetics which were handed down to me by my father. I had better make the best of them. When I look into my own eyes I see the fear that resides within my heart. It is a deep fear that stems from self doubt. I focus on this fear and feel the burden of my own expectations. This fear focuses my mind. It reminds me that as good as I may be I still have some work to do. Then I close my eyes…, I take a deep breath…, and I get ready for my day.
A day at a time. That is my system. I can’t go back and fix yesterday…, what’s done is done. And tomorrow…, it is not guaranteed to even come. So why focus on a day that is more than four weeks from now? I have no control over that. Why focus on my competitors? I can’t control what they do. All I can do…, is make sure that when I lay down to go to sleep tonight, I will have the peace of mind knowing that there was not one single thing I could have done better today, with regards to achieving my goals. I do this every single day. I just focus on today, because the present is all I can control. Eventually…, “today” will be the day of the show, and as I stand behind the black curtain..., I will know that I did everything I could have done to prepare myself for whatever is getting ready to happen. And then..., I will step out into the light..., and I will be judged.
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