When Inspiration And Motivation Goes Beyond Words:
A Look at Coming Back and Being Able to Inspire the Masses
Too tired to train because it was a late night. Bad day at work. Don't feel like it. Got home late and your schedule is off. Feel sick or something hurts. Sounds familiar... Excuses. Plain and simple. These are all excuses many of us find for those days when we are feeling blah and do not want to head out to the gym to train or to do some sort of physical activity just because. I get it. We have all been there and have tried to talk ourselves out of it - sometimes it works and sometimes you need that something extra to convince you to do it. This is where these wonderful quotes and pictures that each of us has in a special spot to go to, read, look over in order to motivate and inspire us that going to the gym is a good thing and we are doing it for a reason.
For those of us who compete, well the inspiration and motivation stash almost multiples tenfold the closer we get to stage and the more depleted and exhausted we become. Giving up is a constant battle, but these reminders just somehow manage to work. Why is that? What is it that these pictures and words do within us to make something switch from off to on? It seems that for anyone, knowing that you are not alone on your journey gives you that mental perk that you need to move forward.
Now the motivation and inspirational words are great for the 'excuses' or ones similar to those listed above, but what if you are handed a whole other level of set back and those words mean absolutely nothing? Now what? ...
Car accident at 16, wheelchair bound for life. Medical mishaps during surgery, end of an IFBB Pro career. Tossing a basketball and legs give out, torn ligaments in both knees, told may never compete or walk properly again.
Devastating. Yes. Words of motivation going to help you 'snap out' of this low. Maybe in time. The end of living your life. Not a chance.
What do all three of those individuals have in common? Well for one, I have had the pleasure to know or talk to them, and two, they are 3 of the most inspiring competitors in the sport of bodybuilding that have motivated myself and many others to never give up on doing what you love and are meant to do. I know that each and every one of us knows someone that has faced a physical set back and come back from it, and has made an impact, but to me, these 3 men have reached the masses on so many different levels and they all come from different disciplines but are all making a difference and proving it can be done in the industry that I am proud to be part of - bodybuilding and fitness.
IFBB Wheelchair Pro Bo
dybuilder, Nick Scott was 16 years old when he was involved in a horrific car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He was your typical teenager and athlete, when in one instant it was all taken away. At least at that time, that is what many and him included thought. Going through depression, hours of rehab and therapy, surgery after surgery, weight gain and then out of anger and frustration turning it all around and not giving up on his dream of becoming a bodybuilder. Having met Nick just recently at the Toronto Pro SuperShow, writing about him, and seeing him guest pose on stage, I can say that you will be inspired. Nick struggled through years of pain and the smile that is beaming on his face when he rolls out to the stage, you would never know. Nick has broken down so many barriers and is leading the way with so many great possibilities for Wheelchair bodybuilding. He is the first IFBB Wheelchair Pro Bodybuilder and he is looking to have IFBB Pro Wheelchair Bodybuilding added to the 2014 IFBB Pro line up. He is truly a man that inspires and motivates any and all who see him in action and at his best where he seems to be the happiest and that is on stage guest posing. How he inspires and motivates one to never give up, is at the end of his routine where he takes all that anger and the words of him never being able to walk again and ignores it for this one very moment - and that is to get up out of his chair and take a few steps on stage. Even though he knows he may fall in the process, he did it. He walked. An audience brought to their feet and emotions running high all for the man who was told he could not do what he loves anymore. Guess they were wrong about Nick.
Another outstanding bodybuilder that I have just recently had the pleasure to talk to is IFBB Pro Kris Dim. If you know his story, you will know why no motivational quote can even compare to what Kris is all about and has done with his life - the lessons he has taught us and continues to teach us as he embarks on a journey of life, living and inspiring others in his comeback. Kris has a story like no other:
"Kris suffered a heart attack on June 8, 2007. ...magazine editor David Palumbo reported the following day, "Kris collapsed yesterday and had emergency heart surgery to repair a split in his aortic valve. The split in his valve caused a significant stroke that could have caused significant damage or death." Kris is now fighting to overcome a spinal injury that left him paralyzed and was told "There is a .03% chance that Kris will walk again.” Kris said. “I 100% believe that I will be walking again. I have feeling back in my legs, and I can move my knees and toes.” The injury happened while being operated on to repair a stent. When Kris woke after the operation his doctors told him, “Sorry, you have a spinal cord injury, and there is a chance that you will never walk again.” Despite being told "There is a .03% chance that Kris will walk again,s of June 2013 Kris is making great progress and is walking with aid, while also undergoing extensive physiotherapy. Kris has hopes of a complete recovery and the out look is good for the popular athlete." (Wikipedia)
When faced with an ordeal such as this, where anger, resentment, hatred could all arise and no one would argue with his reasons why, instead Kris seems to find peace and comfort in helping out others through his daily struggles and emotions and uses that all to offer his words of advice and inspiration which to me are more realistic and valued because you know he is going through what he is saying at this very moment. If Kris can make it to the gym to train and spend hours doing painful rehab, then why can't any one of us?
An example of how inspiring and motivating IFBB Pro Kris Dim is, is his about section on his fan page:
"Life is too short, so give all in life beca
use you only have 1 life to make a difference. I live by this standard everyday. After undergoing 3 heart surgeries and being able to survive and do what I love to do everyday I have learned that making a difference is the one thing everybody has the possibility of achieving. Spending quality time with my family is the most important asset I have because you can be here one day and gone the next. Enjoy every quality moment you have in this world and live life to the fullest. Give more than you receive and cherish what you have, you will find it comes back ten-fold. I hope you make everyday a blessing and God bless you."
(Kris has also done the following over his career before the medical mishap)..."1st place at Nationals in 2003, received my Pro-Card, Competed all around the world as an IFBB Pro, competed in 3 Mr. Olympia, and been in magazine articles and on covers all around the world." (Kris Dim IFBB Pro, fan page)
Kris keeps inspiring and motivating each and every day. I know this first hand, because Kris was amazing to myself when I reached out to him to offer some advice to someone special to myself and many in the local amateur circuit in Ontario. Amateur bodybuilder Nicholas Koebel had just began his path in bodybuilding and had competed in two Regional shows prepping for his third, when he had his accident this past year. Jay Cutler was in town and during the intermission, Nicholas' legs gave out from under him as he was casually tossing a ball around. He was taken to hospital where it was found that he had torn all the ligaments in both his knees and would require extensive surgery to fix and repair the damage. The doctors also could not guarantee if Nicholas would be able to walk properly again, let alone compete.
For the past 3 months, Nicholas has gone through every emotion and situation possible that anyone would, yet as he fights through his days, he is always able to keep a smile on his face. IFBB Pro Kris Dim becomes a huge part of Nicholas' mindset change and an overall inspiration and motivator, when in the first few weeks Nicholas was struggling with the unknown. Who better to talk to and knows exactly what you are going through than an athlete going through the same thing...and he is an IFBB Pro. Nicholas was and is able to see, all thanks to Kris, that a comeback is possible, it will just take time and believing in yourself. With Kris' words, support and being living proof of overcoming daily struggles and defying the
odds, Nicholas has been able to do the same. He has healed faster than the doctors expected, and was able to by pass the phaseout braces for his legs. He has started to walk again and just this past week has slowly been using leg machines with no weight added. For all of us that are part of the Ontario section and know Nicholas, it is motivating to watch it happen and be inspired by his accomplishments. His positive attitude and determination make any excuse to not train just that, an excuse.
As helpful and supportive the quotes of inspiration and motivation are, it is something completely different when you can see and/or meet individuals who are facing life changing challenges and setbacks, who are in the industry, and are overcoming the odds against them, pursuing their dreams and maintaining a positive, inspiring and honest way about them that motivates fellow competitors or others in this industry and not. I understand that for a quick pick me up, the inspirational words are a great tool to go to when one requires motivation to continue to do what you need to do. But when you can see fellow competitors fight for it daily, that is motivation and inspiration that no simple quote can ever compare to.
Subscribe to RxMuscle on Youtube
