Hail to the Dinosaurs!
The sudden death of wrestling legend Roddy
Piper caused a huge outpouring of grief among
wrestling fans the world over -- including many
Dinos. Quite a few of us grew up watching pro
wrestling. Heck, some Dinos have done some
pro wrestling -- and some are still doing it.
But this isn't a post about pro wrestling.
It's a post about heroes.
The heroes in our lives -- and what they mean
to us.
Over the years, I've noticed that many of us
in the Iron Game and Physical Culture world
share similar beginnings.
Many of us decided to start training when we
saw a magazine cover with a massively
developed bodybuidling champion on the
cover.
We took one look, and we said, "I want to
be like him!"
Or we saw someone on a wrestling show --
or we saw a champion in another sport --
or a well-devleoped actor in a television
show or in the movies -- and we said,
"I want to be like him!"
Or perhaps we met a champion in person --
and it made such an impression that we
decided we wanted to start training right
then and there.
We also remember seeing feats of strength --
great sports plays -- comeback victories --
the times the underdog battled back to beat
the odds -- world record lifts -- and other
inspiring and motivating performances.
They all come together and help to fuel
our collective strength training imagination.
They make us strong.
Make no mistake about it. We all need heroes.
It's a very deep, primal need. Every ancient
culture had its own heroes. We remember
many of them today: Hercules, Achilles,
Odysseus, Hiawatha. The list could go on
and on.
Here's an interesting exercise.
Take a piece of paper and a pen or pencil --
go into a quiet place -- and turn off your cell
phone, your mobile devices and your computer.
Take the phone off the hook. Give yourself 30
to 60 minutes of silence.
Now start to list all of the heroes of your
youth. Write them down on the sheet of paper.
As you move along, include the great moments
that inspire and motivate you.
Turn off your self-censor. Don't make a politically
correct list, and don't make one that you think
I or anyone else might approve.
Make YOUR list -- and make an honest list.
Include everyone and everything that was
important to you when you were getting started,
and include everyone and everything that became
important to you later on in your journey.
Use stars and underlining and circles to make
the extra important people and events stand
out.
When you're finished, put the list away in a
secret place. It's your list. Don't share it with
anyone else -- and for gosh sake, don't put it
on Facebook or share it on the Internet. Don't
email it to me. It's for your eyes only.
This is your personal list of people, things and
events that motivate and inspire you. Everything
on your list has helped you on your journey to
might and muscle.
Keep the list, and study it from time to time.
Remind yourself of what got you started. Use
the memories to help keep you going.
As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. The Legacy of Iron books bring the greatest
heroes of the Iron Game to life. If you want to
meet them, talk with them, eat with them and
train with them, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/legacy_of_iron.html
There are five books in the Legacy of Iron
series. I just gave you the link to the first
book. You can find links to the four other
books in the series right here -- along with
a link to Legacy of Iron in a Kindle e-book
edition if you prefer Kindle e-books:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
If you want the best shipping rate for orders
of multiple books in the series, email me.
P.S. 2. Here's another book about a hero --
a different sort of hero, but a very inspiring
one:
http://www.brookskubik.com/horatius.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "We all have
heroes. Honor them every time you train."
-- Brooks Kubik
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