Seek the Fire

Train to feel. It’s very simple, yet it’s so commonly overlooked. Train to feel the desire that you need. Train to feel the purity of achievement. This is what it is really all about. It’s not about the testing phase. It’s not about the PR. It’s about the struggle and the journey. Forget the sets and reps for a moment. After all, these are just a guide. We all have an animalistic element inside of us. I’m asking you to tap in. I want you to feel that.

Train to feel your soul. Train to feel the deep yearning to get better. Today’s world has done a great job of lulling the warrior within all of us to sleep with substandard expectations and terrible food. In a world seemingly full of mediocre performances and populations of people lulled to sleep by substandard activity, we need to stoke the fire within.

Your journey is your own. While all of our respective journeys will come to an end, we’re here nonetheless. While we are all here, let’s share in the one thing that can and will make us better. Let’s train, and let’s find the animal that is in there. I listened to a man speak of a career in the powerlifting world. Despite making tremendous gains, he admitted a loss of fire. When he spoke, he was sure to mention some moments in his life that he encountered the fire I’m talking about. In one example, he spoke of a man named Bill Kazmaier, who has made quite a name for himself. In this story, Bill bench pressed 315 pounds for twenty-five reps. When our story teller asked him why Bill did twenty-five reps, his answer was simple. He said he did twenty-five because he couldn’t do twenty-six. You see, this man is chasing the fire and it’s no surprise he is where he is in his life because of it.

We can draw a lot of parallels from this fire thing. Lifting is just an easy example. However, the search is what I am after. Are you in pursuit or are you just doing reps and sets because thats what everyone says to do? I encourage you to find a deeper connection to things you choose to pursue in your life.

There was a man, and arguably one of the greatest runners ever, named Steve Prefontaine. He has pockets full of quotes you can find, and just as many crazy stories about his illustrious career. One of them that encapsulates this fire is: “Today’s race will take a suicide pace to win, and today is a good day to die.” If you have ever seen footage of Pre running you know that he was infamous for taking an early lead, and never letting up. He truly was a man engulfed in this fire within. I am not saying that you need to run like Pre or that you have to be OK with taking a suicide pace, but finding a deeper drive in your life allows you to accomplish more than you ever could imagine. Find the fire and hold onto it dammit. We need more driven individuals.

 

Hold the Standard.

 

Danny Lesslie

@dannylesslie