winners stay, losers walk... really?

for the last couple of weeks, as im sure its the same with some, my attention in the sports are has been focused on the nfl playoffs. some might not know this, but im not a huge football fan. sports fan= yes. so when it comes to the playoffs you can bet that im watching. for the nfl this year has had quite a ride. first it was the lockout, then it was the tebow hype and now its the arguments of who will win the superbowl. honestly, im not really rooting for either team. i will watch the superbowl, and ill be rooting for a good game. but what motivated me to write this post was from a video i saw this morning first on the mike and mike show on espn. im not sure how many people have actually seen it but its from a camera that was recording in the baltimore ravens locker room after their lost last week against the patriots. for those of you who dont know the ravens lost after their kickers missed a 30+ yard chip shot of a field goal-- but going on. .. 

watching this video, ray lewis, who is the heart and face of that franchise really had a moving speech despite the lost. im sure that he was ticked off. frustrated. upset. emotional. and whatever else you can feel--  but what he said couldnt of been said better. take a listen...

seriously? after losing a game, an nfl player can have that outlook and be able to express it the way he did? ray lewis might not be the most liked or the player with the best reputation but dang, he can definitely put some goose bumps on my arms.

youre probably thinkin, so what? how the heck can i implement this video into my day to where it can lead to 2012 being a breakthrough year. many times in life we get knocked down. we might be a step slow. we might of missed out on an opportunity "of a lifetime". but just like he says in the video its about coming back the very next time and being prepared to tackle whatever it is head on. there might of been things occur to you in 2011 that you didnt expect or never thought could happen to you. MOVE ON. its done. its over. you cannot change the past. you cannot change mistakes you made. you cannot change what he/she said about you. you cannot...blah.... move on dude. and thats what i get from this video. 2012 we need to have the ability and be tough enough to move on from situations like this that might knock us down. theres an old saying i used to use in basketball when playing pick up games was "winners stay, losers walk". and yea that might apply when you are playing pick up games but do not let it apply to your life. when you "lose" dont just walk away. you might have to step back, yes, but never walk away. come back stronger. dont let situations in life tear you down. no matter how you feel, get up!  just like he says in the video, "God has never made a mistake"- and that is completely true. He doesnt mess up. the situations that he puts in our lives are opportunities for us to grow stronger in our relationship with him and also to grow stronger as an individual. 

so to answer your question, how can a ray lewis video be used for your 2012 being a breakthrough year. i hope i have answered it. 

breakthrough.

gabe. 

"you've gotta come back and go to work and make sure we finish it next time..."

perceived limits...

for those of you that know me pretty well, know that i am a fitness guru. i mean, im really a guru. i can sit all day on fitness websites looking up new workouts, reading about new eating plans, etc etc. in todays society a lot of emphasis is put on being physically fit. if this is something that you are tired of hearing about please dont read on.
...ok i gave you enough time to close out of this browser so ill continue...
i warned people from the beginning that this blog will be randomly written. as erika made note one evening and i quote her: "i love how on your blog one day you post a nelly video, and then the next you try to make up for it by posting a mercy me- i can only imagine" video. but thats what i enjoy about this thing. i can honestly open up about whatever is on my mind however i want to. and thats no different then what i want to discuss today.
heres a quick question for you. do you set limits for yourself? i mean, do you say i can only do this or i can only do that? it can be with anything i.e- "i can only eat healthy on the weekends" or "i cant do that because im not good enough", how about "my body just wont let me know"? in the past ive caught myself saying this a few times here and there. and that leads me to this blog topic. 2012 is about forgetting perceived limits you might have for yourself. theres no reason to set these limits. physically, emotionally, mentally we can go harder, longer, do more etc then our mind and body tells us.
this past weekend i was in this type of situation. (back to my fitness guru attitude). i competed in my very first fitness competition. it was called the great lakes crossfit invitational. (for those of you who dont know what crossfit is youtube/google/search it and you will find out). so basically what we did were 5 wods (workout of the day) throughout saturday and sunday. it ranged from running a 5k to lifting as much weight as you could to being able to do "double unders" jumping rope 150x. enough about that, but what i found myself doing quickly into the workouts was telling myself "i cant do anymore" "my body just cant"...blah blah blah... i could of quit, i could of stopped-- but what would that of done. they were just perceived limits-- deep down i knew i could go faster, that i could finish the workout and do the best i could. enough about me...
thats what i challenge you to. it doenst have to be just about working out. being able to tell yourself that you can do better, that you can go harder, that you can give more then youre actually giving can relate to anything in life. dont settle for "just enough". go the extra mile. the world around us tells us many times to be happy with average-- but you shouldnt be happy with average. stop listening to the limits that others set for us or the limits that our mind is telling you. make 2012 a breakthrough of the personal limits. step up and do something about it.

below is a quick video of part of a workout from this past weekend (sorry about the quality, it was best i could do). it was a tough workout and i wanted to quit halfway through it. but from what youve read above, thats not what we are making 2012 about. in the weight room, in the kitchen, at work, wherever-- never settle and you will be remarkable achievements soon!

Climbing is not about conquering the rock; it is about

conquering yourself. – Jim Collins, Author, “Good to Great”

breakthrough.
gabe.

a friday pick me up

i had a whole post just typed up and ready to submit. then i thought- my words don't do justice to what this video can say. so i deleted everything and im going to keep it simple. take a few minutes, seriously do it now, listen to this song--close your eyes and enjoy. its a true friday "pick-me-up". unbelievable.

breakthrough.

gam. 

yesterdays tomorrow

heres a question for you. every morning when you wake up what is the first thought that comes to your mind? is it: "i have way to much to do today", "i just need a few more hours of sleep", "i cant wait until the weekend" or something along these lines? 

i dont know about you but these have been my thoughts many numerous times. and every time i justify telling myself those because "its what every one else says". its the norm in todays society for us to just go through the motions monday-thursday and only live for friday-sunday. think about that. having that mind set is losing out on over half of the week that we are blessed with. 

so here i go again on my 2012 breakthrough soap box. forget about how we have approached "today" in the past. this year i challenge you to approach "today" with the mindset to get something done. stop using the excuse that itll get done tomorrow. today is yesterdays tomorrow. its the time to get up, get going and make something of the twenty four hours that we have. 

one way that i have changed my attitude for the day is how i approach my morning routine. instead of laying for as long as i possibly can until my alarm clocks snooze doesnt work anymore, i get up and get excited about the day. i have recently started reading more books (another one of my 2012 goals). i tell you what, a little time to yourself each morning reading an inspiring book totally can change your outlook. so far this year i have read "God's Story- your story" by Max Lucado and also "Outliers- the Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell. just a chapter each morning or two can really kick start your day. if reading isnt your thing, which i would highly suggest tryin, what about listening to a little music? no better way then to kick start your day then having a little music to help out. dont always just rely on the tv. do something different this year each morning. 

the key to havin a great day is how you approach the day. 2012's breakthrough for myself is havin an approach to each day to make it a great one. life is too short to have a bad day, to be in a bad mood, or to let little things in this life effect us drastically. change it up with me. no more "ill do it tomorrow", or "theres not enough time". make time. make a change. make a difference. and see a breakthrough. 

below i have added in a little music video that i have used this year to just start my day. try it out, listen to it one morning--i mean really listen to it, the words, the beat, everything. dont just have it on in the background. then after sit there for a few minutes, dwell on it, and attack the day to get something done.

breakthrough.

gam. 

"This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

just between me and you...

this post is just between me and you... i'm just going to give you a little advice, a few tips, a couple of pointers, but it's just between me and you so dont go around tellin others about it. how did you do with your 2012 resolutions? are you still on track? are you struggling to keep up 1 week in? what did you want to change? i am aware that a "back to work" schedule can really throw off some of your wishes for 2012. i know that the "i'm too busy", "ill do it later", "tomorrow ill finish it", "ill be back on track tomorrow" excuses can creep up rather quickly. re-read that last part-- and zone in on the word EXCUSES. that's what those are. nothing but excuses. a favorite quote of mine says, 'no one ever excused his way to success'--
this is where i made a change. 2012 = breakthrough. a breakthrough of not makin excuses. if i want something- im going to strive to do it. if i need something- you can bet ill go get it. im not waiting for tomorrow. i wont be 'to tired' to do it. i wont have 'to much on my plate'. its a new year. a breakthrough type of year. so stop makin excuses. get up. move forward. get something done today. excuses : 0
do you need some help? some motivation to get back on track or to just get on track? check out the list i found on a website (linked below) on the 25 tips to live by for the happiest new year of 2012.
print the list out. put it somewhere where you can look at it daily. these are 25 rather good tips. tips to make a change. tips to help 2012 be a breakthrough year for myself and for you.
dont make an excuse, do it.

TIPS FOR A HAPPY 2012 (click here)

"Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave." - Proverbs 12:24


gam. 

first things first.

first things first. let me explain the purpose of this and my motivation for this. some might be wondering why exactly am i starting this blog. well i'm starting it for a couple of reasons. 

one. this is something that ive been wanting to do. be able to write down things that i'm thinking, feeling, or just want to talk about. its going be about anything and everything. from what i ate for lunch, to what my workout was, to what my daily devotion with God was about. but thats the point of this. to just be able to write whatever i want. 

two. for 2012 i wanted to challenge myself. ive always been pretty comfortable with who i am. ive always been pretty happy with things ive done. but ive never really challenged myself to anything. i mean really challenge myself too. like going out on the limb and seeing exactly how much i can grow as a person. so for 2012, my "new years resolution" was basically to have a motto or phrase for the year and plant that into my life. whether that is in my relationship with God, my relationship with Erika, my family, my workouts, my diet, whatever that is i want to make it apart of my life. my motto for 2012 is "breakthrough". i want to be able to push past whatever obstacle is every thrown at me. i wanna be strong enough, confident enough, happy enough, to be able to breakthrough whatever life throws at me. so before the beginning of the year i made a little poster (very uncommon for me, trust me) that i placed at my desk to remind me of what i want my 2012 to be about. (its shown below). when i was making this poster/sign or whatever you want to call it, i was excited about. i was exciting to find phrases, words, pictures whatever it was that i wanted to describe myself for 2012. i want to stop making excuses. i want to be more grateful. i want to take every advantage that life throws at me. i want to see results. i want to strive for excellence. but most of all, i want to do it for Him. i want my relationship with my Savior for 2012 to be such a huge breakthrough that i dont care what life ever throws at me this year- that im strong enough, confident enough, happy enough to say that my relationship with Jesus Christ is first and foremost in my life for 2012. this is a huge thing. a huge commitment. but im excited about it.

 2012 is going to be a breakthrough year for myself and im looking forward to it and looking forward to sharing whatever i can with you out there.

gam. 

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." -Matthew 6:33