- Oct 29, 2004
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I see a lot of people on a daily basis that spend a large percentage of their days TOTALLY involved and obsessed with Bodybuilding and Powerlifting. And while there is nothing wrong with this if it is your livelihood or you plan to make it your livelihood, many, if not most of these guys and girls would be well advised to start spending more of their time working on what will really make them happy.
What is it that will make them really happy? While I sure can’t state what that will be for all these people, I can surely state that if they are of the belief that as soon as they get the body they want they will be happy, they will likely be disappointed. Instead they will probably:
1. Want to take it to the next level, thereby starting the process anew.
2. Still will probably not be truly happy.
Being happy comes from within, not from without, and if you truly believe that you will be happy once you get the “body you really want” I can assure you are going to be disappointed. We go through life believing that we will be happy “when”. The “when” is when we get the body we want, when we have our children, when we buy the house of our dreams, when we get the job of our dreams, when we get the car we really want, when we retire, and on and on. And while all of these things are great, and will give us temporary happiness, none of them will truly make us happy in the long-term. As soon as they are achieved the ego WILL ask for more, and will make you damn uncomfortable until the next rung of the latter is achieved.
This is what keeps us going, this is what makes us achieve, and this is what has made America great you say. This is what inspires us to always push the envelope and want more. That is true…….but it’s also true that this is what binds us, and stops us from being truly happy. Look at all the lavishly rich people that have EVERYTHING. They have fame and fortune. All the money and material wealth anyone could ever ask for. And look how many of them are drug addicts, alcoholics, or live abusively in untold ways. Why? They don’t train their minds. A mind left untrained and untamed without a philosophical or religious base, or belief system that is supportive to happiness will always end up disappointed with life and unhappy. For every hour I spend on lifting, I spend at least five hours devoted to training the mind. This has done so much more for me than ANYTHING I have ever achieved, bought or owned.
How to train your mind? There are a HUGE multitude of ways. The first thing needs to be cultivating a belief system that works for YOU. I once listened to a self-help tape years ago where the author of the tape asked a friend of his how it was he was always upbeat, smiling and energetic. The guys response was: I’m above ground, any day I’m alive and above ground is a great day because I know any of us could be dead tomorrow and I am 100% thankful that I’m still here and able to enjoy this life. Pretty simple huh? That technique is not likely to work for too many people, simply because it gets awful easy to lose sight of what we really have, but it sure was effective for the person in question. It starts with key beliefs that are supportive to a state of overall happiness, and then is built on one branch at a time.
Religion is a great ay to find deep and lasting happiness if you REALLY believe and apply the teachings. I am Buddhist and Buddhism is called many things. Some call it a Philosophy, others religion. But the bottom line is Buddhism in most forms is simply mind training through various forms of physical, contemplative, and various states of mediation, Other religions are much the same, but many simply ask for true faith in their deity. And……these religions are WONDERFUL for those with the psychology that this type of religion appeals to. Every single study has shown that deeply religious people are much more happy than those that are not.
If you do not have a religious bent, philosophy is a great way to put together an integrated belief system that can ultimately define and determine your happiness. There are a myriad of self-help systems out there that have happiness as the primary goal and many of these systems are likely to be of real benefit for at least some of you.
The basic goal of humans is to be happy, and avoid suffering. But if you are under the illusion that happiness comes from external sources you will forever be frustrated. Time spent working on disciplining your mind and developing a belief system that will ultimately lead to being happy irregardless if your external environment is what you would like it to be is the key to long-term happiness.
Live long and be happy
Iron Addict
What is it that will make them really happy? While I sure can’t state what that will be for all these people, I can surely state that if they are of the belief that as soon as they get the body they want they will be happy, they will likely be disappointed. Instead they will probably:
1. Want to take it to the next level, thereby starting the process anew.
2. Still will probably not be truly happy.
Being happy comes from within, not from without, and if you truly believe that you will be happy once you get the “body you really want” I can assure you are going to be disappointed. We go through life believing that we will be happy “when”. The “when” is when we get the body we want, when we have our children, when we buy the house of our dreams, when we get the job of our dreams, when we get the car we really want, when we retire, and on and on. And while all of these things are great, and will give us temporary happiness, none of them will truly make us happy in the long-term. As soon as they are achieved the ego WILL ask for more, and will make you damn uncomfortable until the next rung of the latter is achieved.
This is what keeps us going, this is what makes us achieve, and this is what has made America great you say. This is what inspires us to always push the envelope and want more. That is true…….but it’s also true that this is what binds us, and stops us from being truly happy. Look at all the lavishly rich people that have EVERYTHING. They have fame and fortune. All the money and material wealth anyone could ever ask for. And look how many of them are drug addicts, alcoholics, or live abusively in untold ways. Why? They don’t train their minds. A mind left untrained and untamed without a philosophical or religious base, or belief system that is supportive to happiness will always end up disappointed with life and unhappy. For every hour I spend on lifting, I spend at least five hours devoted to training the mind. This has done so much more for me than ANYTHING I have ever achieved, bought or owned.
How to train your mind? There are a HUGE multitude of ways. The first thing needs to be cultivating a belief system that works for YOU. I once listened to a self-help tape years ago where the author of the tape asked a friend of his how it was he was always upbeat, smiling and energetic. The guys response was: I’m above ground, any day I’m alive and above ground is a great day because I know any of us could be dead tomorrow and I am 100% thankful that I’m still here and able to enjoy this life. Pretty simple huh? That technique is not likely to work for too many people, simply because it gets awful easy to lose sight of what we really have, but it sure was effective for the person in question. It starts with key beliefs that are supportive to a state of overall happiness, and then is built on one branch at a time.
Religion is a great ay to find deep and lasting happiness if you REALLY believe and apply the teachings. I am Buddhist and Buddhism is called many things. Some call it a Philosophy, others religion. But the bottom line is Buddhism in most forms is simply mind training through various forms of physical, contemplative, and various states of mediation, Other religions are much the same, but many simply ask for true faith in their deity. And……these religions are WONDERFUL for those with the psychology that this type of religion appeals to. Every single study has shown that deeply religious people are much more happy than those that are not.
If you do not have a religious bent, philosophy is a great way to put together an integrated belief system that can ultimately define and determine your happiness. There are a myriad of self-help systems out there that have happiness as the primary goal and many of these systems are likely to be of real benefit for at least some of you.
The basic goal of humans is to be happy, and avoid suffering. But if you are under the illusion that happiness comes from external sources you will forever be frustrated. Time spent working on disciplining your mind and developing a belief system that will ultimately lead to being happy irregardless if your external environment is what you would like it to be is the key to long-term happiness.
Live long and be happy
Iron Addict