12 Crucial Life Lessons I have learned from bodybuilding

1.Anything is possible as long as you set your mind to it. Before finding this beautiful sport I was a very lazy and demotivated person. When you see people being “successful” in whatever you may consider the definition of this, oftentimes many think “I could never do that.” I grew up like this. When I began as a kid training I was very overweight; seeing changes and making goals changed my life. I said I wanted to do competitive bodybuilding and many said I could never do that, or would even laugh at me. Once I realized it, I saw that as long as I set my mind to something I can achieve it.
2.No matter how hard a period of time may seem, you CAN get through it. From that all out interval where you feel like your lungs will explode, to the hour long cardio session, to waiting for that next meal because you are starving, to those last 8 weeks of contest prep that seem grueling. Going through these situations and coming out victorious has taught me that if I can get through it with my training, I can do it in other aspects of life. Whether it is an argument with a loved one, a stressful period of time at work or at school, or even an unexpected situation that set you back financially. Things will always work out if you brainstorm and create a plan of action.
3.Creating a strategy for your goals and having measurable benchmarks. Most people coast through life expecting for the best. I would do the same workouts when I first started training over and over again hoping to get better results each time. I only started seeing true results when I would set goals and create a plan to reach them. Successful people brainstorm, research and create a plan of action in order to be able to increase their chances of success. Having measurable benchmarks allows you to see how great your plan is working. If it is not working, no problem, try something new until you find what works for you.
4.Everybody’s journey is different. We all want to be successful as quick as possible. “How did this person get rich by 25? How did this person reach this milestone so quickly? How is this person Mr. Ontario by 22 years old? I’m never going to reach my goals at this pace.” These words have resonated through anybody looking to maximize their potential at one time or another. Although there are certain people who reach great things faster than others, it does not matter, because your journey is unique to you. Your story is still being written and all you can do is take the power in your hands of working hard and keep pursuing your passions.
5.The only thing you should be scared of is getting to the end of life regretting not maximizing your potential. There are many times I would finish a workout and know that I could have pushed myself harder. That I could have done more reps, or fatigued the muscle to a greater degree. These thoughts haunt me all the way until my next workout. This is a very scary thought for me. If I was on my deathbed I would like to know that I truly maximized my life to the best of my ability. This can be in terms of my personal goals, my relationships and even helping others. As long as I know that I gave life 100% effort and helped people along the way, I will be happy.
6.You will never make everybody happy, so prioritize yourself. If you try to make your parents, your teachers, your coaches, your spouse etc. all happy at the same time you will never be happy. Giving up your own happiness in order for others to be happy with you is one of the worst things you can do. Those who truly love you will be happy seeing you pursue your goals and seeing your happiness on the journey there. I have lost friendships, made people pissed off and even lost opportunities because training was so important to my life. If I had to go back I wouldn’t change a thing.
7.Even when it seems like you’re doomed in a situation, keep pursuing what you love and opportunities will be created. There have been many times where I am without a job, without resources to buy supplements or food, without a ride to a gym etc. But my constant love and pursuit of fitness has brought amazing people to my life that have given me opportunities I will always be grateful for. Even at times when the better option seemed to prioritize something I do not love just for the pursuit of money or stability, I chose to do what I love. An unbelievable amount of job offers have come to me throughout the years because people see I am so passionate about what I do. Knowledge can be taught, but passion, a hard work ethic and personality cannot. I have met my greatest friends through pursuing my love of fitness and even my wife because of this and they have come to my aid when I thought that I could not get through a difficult situation.
8.You have to work HARD. You are not the only person working hard out there. If there is anything you want in life you have to invest effort into it and give it 100%. It will not come easy. As long as you do your research and invest hard work into the things that will give you the greatest return for your effort, you will see great success.
9.Whatever happened in the past, it is the past. So you benched 500 lbs.? So you won you bodybuilding competition? That is awesome, but once it is over it is time to move on. Don’t get me wrong, it is important to be proud of your accomplishments, but you need to let go of the things in the past and move on. This is especially true for negative things but even positive things. We all know that one person who loves to talk about how the one time 15 years ago they could do this and that and won this and was amazing at that etc. Being stuck in the past is something that will hold your future success back. Live in the present and continue improving.
10.Be humble, you’re no special than anybody else because you have a great body or are strong. Having a great body and being strong is no doubt something that many people admire. But many people who have it walk in arrogance expecting the world to bow down to them. Winning bodybuilding shows and having a great physique are not correlated with being a good human being. I am more impressed by the person who held the door open for me at the gym and asked how I was doing rather than the person that is squatting 700 lbs. but is not willing to even say hello or help out the people admiring them.
11.Everything in life is temporary. It is important to cherish the most important things in life. Your physical strength, your body, your job, your bank account etc. are all temporary and variable. Things can happen in life that will make these things rollercoaster up and down. Enjoy it as much as you can when you have it and when you don’t have it, it is okay too. You never know what life has in store for you and what you will have in the future.
12.Having faith and believing in yourself. This is the most important one to me. Having faith that although you may not see the finish line right now, and it may seem really far away, that you will succeed. It is important to acknowledge that you vividly see yourself at the finish line, that you know where you currently are and that even if you don’t know how, you will be successful at getting through the steps in between. At these times you cannot let off the gas pedal, you just need to put your head down and continue to work. The journey of 1,000 miles begin with 1 single step. 
it.