I Hear the Choppers Hovering

I hear the choppers hovering they're hovering overhead....

The other day in the small town I coach in, I heard sound and before I looked up I was already back there, back to the sand. This familiar sound, already visiting that place in my mind, I knew it was a black hawk. It gracefully set down in a small airport in a town 8 thousand miles away from where I envisioned it.

Familiar sounds of loud diesel engines remind me of war machines. Certain foul smells of burning garbage remind me of the desert. Little birds (small helicopters) annoy me cause they flew so low to our CHU's (trailers we lived in) at night, I think pilots did this to piss us off lol. Big helicopters remind me of being safe, I knew if an Apache (attack helo) was up in the air I could sleep like a baby cause anyone outside the gates was about to have a real bad day.

The sense's are a powerful thing. They help me to never forget.

Some Say

Today I seen this YouTube video of President Reagan's first inaugural speech. The words resonated of all the sacrifices some have given for all of us. We continue to enjoy the way we live by the price so few have given.

A cadence we used to sing on marches used to go; "Some say freedom is free" and it continues "Oh I tend to disagree, Some say freedom was won through the barrel of a gun". 

Some may not agree with this point of view, but to me nothing this is the reason I get to live my life to the best of my ability. As long as there are people like these that believe in this crazy experiment that are forefathers planned for us 238 years ago, we will endure another 200 years no matter the cost. 

"Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam."...and the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, and in the streets of Fallujah.

I Double Dog Dare You

I dare you to do something that is uncomfortable. I double dog dare you, now you can't back down!

My observation of hundreds of people doing small things everyday outside their comfort zone leads me to believe this is how you build grit. With each exercise in sheer will and determination comes a strengthening of character, even if you fail.

I believe the gain in failure out weighs that in success. How far can one truly go without risk of failing? Once you reach that point you can regroup and attack it again with courage and resolve!

Even in those moments you are down, and can't pick yourself back up, I know that if you look up someone will be there to help you up. So what do you have to lose, get out there and do something that scares you a little, I dare you!

Conclusions and Inceptions (Challenge Day 7)

This experiance has been an experiment on my resolve to see things through. It's been an opportunity to be afraid and be brave with each keystroke.

Life offers limitless challenges each one is their to make you wiser and stronger. Of course you have the option to concede to fear and declining the challenge.

Trust me I understand the paralyzing idea of failure. The more I do things that make me uncomfortable, the more I learn about myself and the world around me. Those lessons are never more clear than when I completely fail at something.

Failure is not the end of the world, as a matter of fact it's usually the beginnings of something great.

P.S.

I would like to thank my friend Lisbeth for always inspiring the best in people. This has and will continue to be a great experiance. It has broadened my horizon. 

The Bar (Challenge Day 6)

I never stop being surprised when I get a new PR. Every inch forward seems to be met by miles and miles of hard gained ground through epic failures. No matter how many times I fall on my ass after a missed clean, or how much I bend the bar on a deadlift but the iron stays glued to the ground. I know in the back of my mind that the bar will let me pick it up when I am absolutely ready to, and not a minute sooner.

"The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend." ~Henry Rollins

Ends are Certain (Challenge Day 5)

When I find myself getting stuck or feeling to sorry for myself, I think back. Think back to that place where days where uncertain.

My experiance is my own along with my views on life. There was a certain point during my time in Iraq that I just stopped worrying about if I was gonna come home or not. It dawned on me that it was completely out of my control, the randomness of it all was crazy to me.

It's hard to explain but when things get tough, I think about everyone that didn't get a chance to make it back. No matter if I reach in my pockets and pull up lint, I am still in a better place here. I want more, but I have more than plenty in my life.

I would say living your life knowing you are going to die is freeing in a sense, doesn't leave much room for doubt and worry. You just do the best you can with the time you have.

I Learned a Thing or Two (Challenge Day 4)

What sparks my curiosity is human movement. I am motivated to learn anything and everything about it. I want to learn it well enough to teach anyone regardless of their understanding, how to move themselves with purpose in this world.

So far my journey as a coach and trainer has led me to so many different types of people, a spectrum of old, young, soccer moms, current and former college athletes, to the obese, and to the skinny and frail.
They all have different reasons for starting, but all just want to be better. Better sons, daughters, fathers, mothers and just better people.

Some things I learned along the way.

I'm there for them. I try my best to put my things on hold every hour I'm coaching. People are there to improve their lives, and deserve to be guided in that journey.

I know one thing for sure, I don't know everything. I'm never afraid to tell someone that I don't know. My best replies is referring them to a professional in a case when a athlete is concerned about something outside my scope, I am not a Dr.
I am happiest when I'm coaching and being of service.

Be patient, even the worst of movement patterns can be corrected. I might enjoy this the most, it's like being a detective in my opinion. People are uniquely different and learn in so many different ways and it's up to me to figure out what works best. If an athlete is doing their absolute best but still don't get a movement pattern it is completely my fault for not finding the best way to teach it. "I'll be damned if I'm not going to figure out this puzzle", I'll tell myself when looking at someone's squat for instance.

Knowledge. I'll keep this one simple. I wouldn't get my car fixed by a dentist. I am a coach it's my responsibility to know a bit about anatomy, the way different energy systems work, and anything that will help me develop human movement.

Passion. I am passionate about helping people and try and make peoples experiences the best possible for their one hour of "me time".

Fun. If I wasn't having fun at what I was doing, I probably wouldn't still be doing it.