Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Motivation Monday: Can You Make It Go?

Episode Date: July 13, 2020

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.”  (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. --- Mentioned on The Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: legionathletics.com/shop/ --- Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

When we are faced with a difficult situation, we have two choices. We can either make excuses or make a go of it. That is, we can either invent reasons why it's okay to fail, or we can keep going until we've found a way to get what we want. And you know, I actually believe that this is one of the most fundamental tests a person can face. Can you make it go? No matter the effort, no matter the obstacles, no matter the opposition, are you willing to do whatever it takes to win? Lord Nabashima Noshij was a distinguished Japanese warlord who reigned over the Hizen province of Japan from 1538 to 1618. And he began his life as a lowly vassal. And through his military brilliance and his bravery, he earned the trust and the admiration of the shogun and rose through

the political ranks. In the book Hagakure, Noshij is quoted as saying, The way of the samurai is in desperateness. Ten men or more cannot kill such a man. Common sense will not accomplish great things. Simply become insane and desperate. And I believe his words are just as true today as they were 400 years ago, if not more so, because modern common sense says you shouldn't work too hard. You shouldn't become too obsessed with goals. You should release yourself from the burdens of desire and pursuit and content yourself with what you have. And these philosophies are quickly embraced by the more well-adjusted members of society who think fretfully, speak timidly, and move slowly. Now, to these people, you must be insane to make it. You must be insane to work twice as hard as everyone you know. You must be insane to wake up at the crack of dawn to get in

your workouts, insane to pursue goals they don't understand and take risks they can't stomach. And many of these people will delight in telling you as much as well. In fact, they'll have so much advice that if you were to scribble it all down on pieces of paper, you would single-handedly decimate entire swaths of the world's forests. You shouldn't do that, they'll say, wheeling out a litany of reasons why it's all not going to work, and why you'll regret it if you keep going, and why you should squander your time, energy, and life like they do instead. And then you will say, screw it, I'm doing it anyway. Screw it, I'm going to count my calories and lose those 20 pounds.

Screw it, I'm going to burn the midnight oil to launch that side hustle. Screw it, I'm going to cut down my expenses and save and invest more. You'll probably be afraid too, anxious, uncertain, maybe even embarrassed. And that is completely normal. Remember the first time you rode a bike? This is really no different. All you have to do is grit your teeth, disown the fear and get get to work. Because you put in the work, and you get better. And you get better, and you gain confidence. You gain confidence, and you want to do more good work. You see, it is a virtuous cycle. The hobgoblins of fear and doubt will still hop around in your mind, and that is totally okay. In fact, some of it is even good because it keeps you

moving. It keeps you doing. It keeps you working. It really reminds you the only way out is the way through. Someone once asked the Spartan King Leonidas to identify the supreme warrior virtue from which all others flowed. He replied, contempt for death. For us, think hardship. Contempt for So what are you going to make go? I want you to say it out loud right now. Repeat after me. Screw it. I'm going to what? And then make it go.

All right. Well, that's it for today's episode. I hope you found it interesting and helpful. And if you did, and you don't mind doing me a favor, could you please leave a quick review for the podcast on iTunes or wherever you are listening from, because those reviews not only convince people that they should check out the show, they also increase the search visibility and help more people find their way to me and to the podcast and learn how to build their best body ever as well. And of course, if you want to be notified when the next episode goes live, then simply subscribe to the podcast in whatever app you're using to listen. And you will not miss out on any of the new stuff that I have coming. And last, if you didn't like something about the show, then definitely shoot me an email at mike at muscleforlife.com and share your thoughts.

Let me know how you think I could do this better. I read every email myself and I'm always looking for constructive feedback. All right. Thanks again for listening to this episode and I hope to hear from you soon.