10 Quotes That Changed My Life

By:  Marty Ozaeta, Velocity Performance Training

Hope you’re superb today. Hope you’re playing full out + expressing your genius + making the world better.

I was in a reflective mood this morning and thought about 10 of the quotes that profoundly influenced the way I think, create and live.

[As you know, all it takes is a single idea in small paragraph to revolutionize the way you play out the rest of your life].

So—to inspire you (and move you to action on your boldest opportunities), I wanted to share them.
Here you go and I’ll be reading your comments at the end:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
—Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

“Why do they always teach us that it’s easy and evil to do what we want and that we need discipline to restrain ourselves? It’s the hardest thing in the world–to do what we want. And it takes the greatest kind of courage. I mean, what we really want.”
—Ayn Rand

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
—Oscar Wilde

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
—Jack Kerouac, On the Road

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
—Theodore Roosevelt

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
—Marianne Williamson

“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded.”
—Bessie Anderson Stanley (frequently misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson)

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
—Margaret Mead

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
—Mahatma Ghandi

 

Why are some women not happy for other women who lose weight?

I get a lot of interesting emails that come to me, but this one really got me thinking. It is from a woman I don’t know who does a bootcamp out here in California. She has been reading my blog for over a year and wanted to pose an interesting question. I will share my thoughts a little later in the comments section and will also try to get Abby to do the same.

I know this post with stir up a lot of emotions from many different angles, so I am very curious to hear what you have to say!

Here is the email I received:

So here’s my story: In Jan 2008, I decided to try to lose weight. I was verging on moving up a clothing size (from a 10 to a 12) and although it wasn’t making me happy, I can’t say weight was an “issue” for me and my self-esteem (I’m 5′4″ and I weighed 163 the day I decided to try to lose weight). I started working out and I was doing workout DVDs. I bought used ones, new ones, used weights and started running too.

By spring I had lost 25 lbs and a total of 17 inches off my various body parts. I was surprised that my girlfriends were generally not happy for me. I was even greeted at a family function with family members unhappy that they were now bigger than me. When one friend complimented me on my weight loss, my other friend commented “I liked her better chubby.”

I confided in another friend who had had her own weight loss transformation years before me and she said she had experienced the same thing. I have noticed that when “fit” or “skinny” women join our bootcamp, some of the girls sneer about them and ask outside of class “why are they even there?” I even have had a friend say “I don’t like her–she’s too skinny” about a woman she never even met!! I don’t understand this at all–when I was heavier I loved hearing about other people’s weight loss and it didn’t intimidate me. It inspired me–even if only momentarily at times . Plus, aren’t we all striving to BE the “skinny chick”?

I started attending a bootcamp out in California this past June, when I had plateaued at a size 8 and about 137 lbs (I was a cardio addict like Abby . In December, I was a size 4 and 128lbs and in the best shape of my life (so far). I am training for a triathlon and all of my times have improved because of bootcamp. I do not go to bootcamp to lose weight anymore, although I wouldn’t mind . I am going to get stronger and more fit. Why is this wrong to some people?

When my friends found out I was training for a triathlon the comment was that I was “trying to make them look bad.” Actually, it has nothing to do with anyone but me and a goal I have set for myself. Why is it that when people tell me I look great or “skinny,” they do it with a glare in their eye? Why do I get sneers and negative comments when I choose a healthy meal or choose to stop drinking after one beer–NOT because I’m worried about my “calories”–but because the healthy food tastes better and the beer makes me feel dehydrated. Do I need to explain myself for all my choices?

Am I doomed because of my gender to just have to deal with this? Can you think of any way to deal with this? As a guy, do you have any thoughts or input after your years of working with women to lose weight? Did Abby experience this? I’m so frustrated. I feel like I have to be a closet skinny person!

So What Do You Have To Say To This Person?

Personal Note - The Attitude You Must Have

Last Friday I was walking around in Monterey,


eventually passing by the office where I worked for 3 summers in college.

And my mom was able to get me a job there because she worked there in the office.

Fortunately, I only spent one summer in the office, and the other two I worked cutting the lawn and landscaping grounds. Yep, I spent a lot of hours using the weed trimmer, riding the mower, weeding gardens, and cutting down trees.

Now while I was outside sun weed-whacking (not that there's anything wrong with that), my mom was inside worrying about me - and getting more worried each year.

You see, I was in this "Kinesiology" program in College, and she was worried I wasn't going to get a good job when I finished school.

After all, she thought, what does a "Kinesiology" person do?

And to make matters worse, one day she came home and said in herworryingly motherly tone, "They just hired a young guy to work in the office and he has one of those Kinesiology degrees."

"So what are you going to do when you're done? Are you going to end up working there too and wasting all this money on school?",she asked.

I heard her, but I wasn't listening. Frankly, when she said that, she may as well have been speaking Chinese.

Why?

Because I wasn't worried at all. I knew things would work out fine.

Heck, since the age of 5 years old I KNEW that I was going to succeed something special. I just knew it...all the way back in 1986.

Now that "5 year old's revelation" is another story for another email, but trust me, there was no doubt in my mind at any time, especially during my college years, that I was going to be spending the rest of

my life taking the word of my methods to the masses.

In fact, I remember at around the age of 21 telling one of my good friends Jason about how I was going to write a book and show the world the RIGHT way to eat and exercise for fat loss.

I KNEW it back then just as well as I know it now.

There was NO DOUBT. Never.

I had complete and total confidence in myself. So no matter how worried my mom was about my future, I already knew it was going to turn out amazing.

Now let me pause here and clear something up...

I'm not trying to sound like an arrogant jerk...and there really is a very, VERY valuable lesson in this mindset that relates to your fat loss success.

You see, you MUST have this same attitude when it comes to fat loss. There can be NO doubt in your mind that you are going to transform your body.

As author Dave Kekich says in his Kekich Credo #76:

"I will do this" is the only attitude that works. "I'll try" or "I think" doesn't work.

Of course, you might be more familiar with this version of that quote...

"Do, or do not. There is no 'try.'" by Jedi Master Yoda.

Seriously, when I look at any successful person, whether in business, at school, in fat loss, or even when I look at my friends who are the most successful with the ladies, it call comes down to the right attitude and confidence.

If you don't have it, you CAN NOT fake it till you make it.

You must sincerely BELIEVE IN YOURSELF if you are going to transform your body, lose fat, and get lean. You must.

That's the attitude you must have.

And until you truly believe in yourself, you will struggle.

But that's also why you have to keep trying, building up your confidence with every new program you attempt.

It might not happen overnight or on the first try, but you can never,ever, EVER give up.

To finish, I want to share with you a quote I got from my friend Amy,and her favorite author:

"But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for." - Paulo Coelho

I know that you'll keep fighting because that's the type of person that you are...and I'm proud of you for that.

And when you have that "never give up attitude" and when you decide that you'll never quit, that is when you will build the belief in yourself that will give you the confidence to succeed.

I know you can and WILL do it.

Looking forward to your success,

Marty Ozaeta
Velocity Performance Training
VPTraining10@yahoo.com
831.869.5348
PS - This weekend...


...I'm hoping the weather stays nice so I can relax outside - since it is our long weekend here in Monterey.

Then next weekend I'm off to San Diego for some adventures and to
finish up VPT Bodyweight Bodybuilding 2.0 for VPT Members.

Have a great weekend!