The gym gives me the freedom to feel what I want to feel. In a profession where I have to rationalize everything—to validate why I did something, how I got this number, how I got that number—there is simply no requirement to rationalize anything in the gym. The gym is the perfect escape. It’s my serenity. The place where the real me can be unleashed.
This morning was a phenomenal, energy-filled day at the gym. I hit that flow state and maintained my focus on every contraction, every relaxation. I felt free. I felt like the shackles of my mind were removed, and I turned loose. For that 2 hour period, I was present. I was mindful. And I let myself feel how I wanted to feel. I was in the moment, enjoying it, and truly experiencing every sensation and stimuli affecting my body. There are very few places that allow you to attain that natural high. The gym is certainly one of them.
Rep by rep, set by set—I worked my legs with complete focus and flow. With my headphones thumping, legs burning, I had complete tunnel vision. I was in the zone.
I distinctly remember 2 years ago being one of 2 people in the gym on Christmas day. It was just me and a trainer, zoned-in within our flow states during our respective workouts. He was doing walking lunges, I was hitting chest. When you can find happiness and safety within that place in your mind—your serenity—and when you are in your element feeling complete contentment, that’s when you know you are drawn to something special—a passion that moves you forward.
I am the happiest when I am training. And I only hope that people find their true passion that draws them, no matter how distracting or how hard life can be. For me, there is no better place to find that serenity than in the gym. The only place where you can either set a limit for yourself, or set the bar as high as you want it to go. I choose to be limitless.
Some people try to find fulfillment through drinking, smoking—whatever it is. In my earlier years, I tried doing that because that’s what everyone else did. And a lot of times, self-medicating is what people still do as professionals. They want to find that escape—that distraction. I tried to use that as my escape, just as many people still do. But I found quickly that it simply did not work for me. It was empty. It just was not purposeful. I was stagnant, not moving forward.
But the gym opened my eyes to possibilities that I could never imagine. A place where I could move forward, strive, and “level-up” as much as I wanted. That’s what gives me purpose. My message gives me purpose. The sky is NOT the limit. In my mind, there are no limits.