Inspiration in chaos

5 quotes from author Chuck Palahniuk examined and related to your fitness journey.

1. "No matter how careful you are, there's going to be the sense you missed something, the collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn't experience it all. There's that fallen heart feeling that you rushed right through the moments where you should've been paying attention.
Well, get used to that feeling. That's how your whole life will feel some day. This is all practice."

• Training is not an end, and maybe that's why it's such a big part of our lives. The list of processes that are outlets for our day to day stressors is short, most of them involve indulgent behavior which does little but prolong a rut with the a topping of some guilt or denial. Every step of the journey will be humbling. You'll never feel like you've covered every base. You can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you handle it. And that's what makes this journey the best journey of your life.

2. "May I never be complete. May I never be content. May I never be perfect."

• Lifting adds stability in-and outside the gym, teaches the importance of habits and health, on letting things go if they don't promote growth for yourself or those who matter most to you, you're damn right it's a metaphor for life. You'll never be complete on your fitness journey, you'll never be content, you won't find your way through easily, it's tedious, but you'll walk out a better person, every single time.

3. "Don't do what you want. Do what you don't want. Do what you're trained not to want. Do the things that scare you the most."

• A common fear among clients is the beginning. It's often intimidating and rarely comforting. After how, how could changing your entire life be fun? That's where everyone admits they're wrong eventually. Change is scary, there's no doubt about that. This will undoubtably be the hardest decision you'll ever make, to start a weight loss or fitness related journey. We all have our own personal reasons for stepping into a gym, and it's going to be an emotional journey, but it's worth every step. The most important thing to remember is you're not alone.

4. "We can spend our lives letting the world tell us who we are. Sane or insane. Saints or sex addicts. Heroes or victims. Letting history tell us how good or bad we are. Letting our past decide our future. Or we can decide for ourselves. And maybe it's our job to invent something better."

• why do we as people accept what we're told or given so often? A good friend of mine suffered from severe anorexia, he was hospitalized and given the worst of news. The truth is, he lost control. He needed control of something and food was controllable. Fast forward 8 years, he found his way. He became a top level professional eater, abodybuilding.com spokesperson and shredded as all get out. 
The take away from this vague short story of my friend? Don't be held down by dogma, overweight is not a destination. And happiness is a gift we're put here to pursue. Finding your best self is the purpose of life. Don't be told who you are, create who you are. 

5. "Only after disaster can we be resurrected. It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything. Nothing is static, everything is evolving, everything is falling apart."

• this quote strikes a personal chord with me. I tore my ACL, MCL, LCL and both meniscus. This was by far the hardest and most defining moment of my life, I had my knee reconstructed. 8 months on crutches and having to learn to walk again. Every time I feel my wheels are spinning or progress is stalling, I think back to this time and how far I've come. I'm a healthier than ever, competitive powerlifter and a bionic knee. I lost everything, everything fell apart. But in the process, I gained everything.

I hope the relation to some quotes from my favorite author will help you realize you're not alone, and Your fitness journey isn't going to be easy, and it's definitely not going to stay on track 100% of the time. But also helps you understand that life happens, bad days come and go. Proceed, progress. Persistence wears down resistance. Smile when others are crowning and continue while others are quitting. 

Be powerful, 
Patrick Ciera