I have been competitively powerlifting since 2015; working out with iron since 2006. A lot of people think weight training is strictly for your physical fitness, but there is a certain 'wisdom you can gain from the gym. Over the past few decades, the weights have taught me a number of valuable life lessons. I wanted to share my top seven:

1. A 45 Will Always be a 45

I find it grounding in knowing that wherever I go, a 45 pound plate will always be the same. They may look different, but anywhere you go, any time you go to your gym, it will be constant. Throughout life, we may look different, feel different and even have different opinions on matters. No matter where you find yourself in life, you will always be YOU.

2. “Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever”

OMG, are you serious 🙄? Yes, yes, yes, I know this saying is etched in your brain from your old highschool gym wall or even your drill sergeant if you are a veteran. Good times I know. But I want to say that even though this has been wildly overused, it is true.

One of the proudest moments of in my life, came right after a time that I suffered. I cried like a baby when I was in highschool and I went sub 50s in the 400m dash becoming that years champion. The work I but in HURT, but I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment knowing I put my best foot forward on the daily. The actual race wasnt a walk in the park either. The last 100m of that race had my legs feeling like they were going to fall off and my asthma going crazy. Knowing that I didn’t give up and continued to push myself had me elevated.

This goes for your personal life as well. It isn’t comfortable waking up early for work. It isn’t pleasant having those uncomfortable conversations with your partner. It hurts having to leave your old life behind in efforts to have a better one. After we do these things, we are able to pay our bills, save for the future and give back. We improve our relationship with our loved one, and we level up in the world getting closer to achieving our goals.

3. The Mind is the Most Powerful Muscle of the Body

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right.” This is true. If you are under a heavy load going for a squat personal record, you must have supreme confidence in that endeavor or else your body will fold like an accordion. You get under that bar, tell yourself “lightweight” and execute the damn lift.

In life we tend to get o v e r w h e l m e d. This is because we have been put in an environment we have not experienced yet. We have been thrown more things than we have been thrown in the past making things challenging on our mental fortitude. Same thing with the lift. We have to stop hyperventilating, focus, and control that damn weight making it look easy. Start complaining, falling out, turning to vices and life will fold you like a failed squat attempt. I make a lot of lists and order the tasks in order of greatest to least importance. This makes the big things seem small.

4. Consistency is King

Last year, I did a very strict 75 days of 100% consistency in my physical fitness and I saw faster progress than I have seen in the past two years of being off-and-on with my exercise and nutrition. If you look at rich and famous people, they have been doing what had just now made them who you know them as today. A lot of musical artists have been making songs in their mothers basement for years, perfecting their craft, until one day they finally got some airtime. Some of these people that have invented something mainstream have been pitching failed ideas for decades until they finally landed one and you use this thing on a daily bases, which they get paid off of. If you want something bad enough, you must attach your identity to it.

5. Life is Won Behind the Scenes

Ever seen someone making something look so easy? They must be gifted, right — good genetics, born in the right family, blessed in ways we weren’t? Perhaps . But more likely it is because they but in hours, days, years, decades of painstaking work to get to the level that you are witnessing them at. Apply this in as well as outside the gym.

6. A Little Bit Goes a Long Way

If you go from zero minutes of exercise a day to 15 minutes of daily, intentional movement, you will see progress. “I don’t have time to workout” is probably the biggest life that people tell themselves in my face as a personal trainer. It’s nonsense because everyone has 15 minutes in their day that they are scrolling on social media or streaming a TV show. As long as the movement is intentional, you will see progress.

“What is the best way to eat an elephant? …One bite at a time.”

If there is a huge task blaring in our face, the only way to complete it is to pace ourselves and take it bit by bit, gradually moving that completion bar.

7. No Such Thing as a Bad Day

“The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude.” Sometimes I go in the gym and I am not able to lift the weights that I feel like I should be able to. This is not a bad day, this is a learning experience for how I should not let this happen in the future. I am thankful for these days. I adjust the workout and plan for the future. Things do not always go the way we would like in our personal lives. We use these situations as strength for the future.