The motto used by the U.S. Army
“The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer.”
November 19th was official “picture day.” It was a good experience and a new application of some things I already knew. And what was that? one might ask.
Several things have come to my mind and I think they are lessons worth sharing.
Since my body is not yet where I want it to be, to fully eclipse, I decided not to take official pictures. My intention and plan to peak on the 19th was a “man-made” deadline. I can see that my eclipse, the “impossible,” will take a “little longer” than I originally planned. I remain committed to the outcome.
We can plan for an outcome and I think that’s good. We can attempt to force things to happen and that may not be good.
Things we decide to do, or deadlines we impose are all man-made. Deadlines like a contest, cosmetic nutrition, training, a certain condition or appearance, are all man-made, or “man” determined.
Can we fit our recovery neatly into a 7 day man made week?
Can we make pin point accurate predictions about variables that we didn’t know exist or things that are out of our control?
The muscles recover when the system has been restored. Period.
Competition- whether its figure, bikini, or bodybuilding- it’s all man-made and even when you don’t use drugs the condition one achieves is not normal. In many instances this can mean that this low fat muscular condition may not be healthy or safe- but it does look good to the eyes- even though it will usually only last for one day!
How long does it take to achieve this condition and still feel healthy?
Each one of us will have to discover that for ourselves.
Yes- I know that we can “Transform” our appearance in a matter of weeks- and even then there doesn’t seem to be any guarantee that this Transformation condition can be maintained– unless we know how to.
I believe what I am expecting from my body is possible, it will just be a question of time.
I am reminded of the motto used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Seabees”) during World War II:
“The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer.”
If we force ourselves to respond to someone else’s program we may experience an injury that will set us back and completely discourage us- which can take us completely “out of the game”. Ask me how I know this.
I believe I need to practice “Regret Prevention” by giving my body whatever time it needs to fully recover while I hold in my mind the image of what I want to accomplish.
I’m going to have to travel at the speed of Carlos if I am to remain healthy and avoid over training or injury.
So I didn’t make my “deadline.” Now what? Have I “failed”? Do I give up? NO! Think about Thomas Edison’s 10,000 experiments to find the perfect incandescent light bulb that would eventually be sold to the consumer and provide light to every household. He never gave up and never considered a “failed” experiment a “failure”!
He made many discoveries about what did not work! What if he would have given up? So…No. It’s not a place to be discouraged, or give up. To take a cue from Edison, we now know what did not work. Or took longer to work based on body recovery time. That’s all! He remained committed to the outcome because he didn’t give up on his desire, and neither should we!
You too will have to “Stay in your own lane”.
So dear reader this quest you are on- it’s really about you. Not what others have done, (whether possible or impossible). It’s not what others have accomplished, how they accomplished it or even how much time it took to accomplish! That information can give us motivation and inspiration. At the end of the day- your quest is about you finding what works for you.
Your Experiment Of One.
I remain committed to the outcome, however long that will take. I hold firmly in my mind the outcome I desire….it is only a matter of time for the “impossible” to be made possible. Watch me!
I maintain my current momentum and shoot for my next picture goal date of December 30th for my next attempt. I’m on course, working with my body, and fully committed to the outcome I hold clearly in my mind.
We must remember that our man-made deadlines must factor in elements of the unknown and may need adjustment when our goal date comes and goes without having realized our desire. Do we use this as an excuse to not be 100% committed to our current goal date? Do we use it as an “out” for not trying as hard as we can? NO! We do this with integrity. Full throttle, as if there were no other option!
Filed under: "Mission Eclipse" |
Carlos DeJesus Exercise Therapy 
Press on towards the goal! Perseverance!
I believe you will accomplish what you set out to do.
Thanks Suzette,
Keeping the momentum that has come from the months of training– I think its possible.
Love this post Carlos!
No failure, because you are still setting out each day doing what it takes, you are making progress, it is just taking a tad bit longer. And that is OK! It IS possible!
Thanks Kim,
It’s true, and we can choose to accept how things have turned out- knowing that its not over till its over or we can have a defeated “failed” attitude. I’m still plugging at the “impossible”.
Perseverance is to cut through a severe situation
To sever that situation.
No doubt you will accomplish the mission!
I am not giving up!
Excellent stuff, Carlos. And, I too, am persevering… at the speed of Helen! Still really liking the workouts. It’s all good.
And, adding another example to your thoughts… Richard Branson says there’s no such thing as failure either. Every hour of work done, is an hour of work done, even if it doesn’t appear to have been successful – that’s an hour you’ll never have to do again. Simple!
“Excellent stuff, Carlos. And, I too, am persevering… at the speed of Helen!”
What else can we do?
I believe it is the sane way to think. I have learned that I cannot travel at the speed of someone else!
The truth is… this is not easy. It wasn’t easy in 1980 and it’s not easy now. But I think it is possible- so I press on. Thanks for your thoughts and comments.
Hi Carlos,
We emailed today about the Quad Blaster and you sent me this link. I read a lot of your blog and find it quite inspiring. I do beleive you can achieve your goal.
My old trainer often asked new clients who were expecting to get into excellent condition in a matter of a few months (this subject would come up with clients who had never trained before when fitness goals were being discussed for the first time); “How long did it take you to get that way?” In most cases people would answer; “7 years or 10 years ago I was in good shape.” He would always answer reply; “And you expect to undo what took 7 years in 3-4 months? They would instantly see if they wanted to be fit they had to be in for the long haul. Many would drop out after a few months, it was just too much work for them.
As you have said shortened recovery is the key to making good progress. My experience has been that as I have gotten older my recovery time has lengthened. I think that you set a very lofty goal. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you can use the results achieved to motivate you to continue to work toward it. Based on what I have read you will be using them this way. As Tom Venuto likes to say “Train hard and expect success.” So much of bodybuilding is mindset and positive thinking. You clearly have that part down. Take care and best of luck. I’ll be watching, not to see if you acheive this goal, but when you do acheive it.
Regards,
Keith
Hi Keith,
Your “old” trainer sounds like a man of wisdom who presented the un-sugar coated truth- to which each person makes their own choice.
Yes I do believe I have set a goal which I expect is unachievable unless one has been drug-free for life.
Thank you for coming by, posting your comment, and having a positive expectation- me too!