Moments — Love in my heart

I have five days to bench press 200 pounds; it was a goal I set myself back in January when I noticed I could lift 170 pounds with little difficulty — shortly after, while playing outdoor shinny, I fell and jammed my shoulder… which then took six months to recover to a point that my goal seemed achievable again.

As I started to progress and feel the momentum building, I aggravated my other shoulder and tricep. That took six weeks to work through this injury, and as I looked at the calendar, my runway was getting short — and yes, it does scream “metaphor for life” but that’s for another time.

Today I wanted to see how my shoulders were holding up and how close I was to my target — I felt good and slowly progressed as I incrementally added weight to the bar. There comes a point, particularly when you are reaching your limit, when you need a spotter. A spotter is someone who watches over your lift to ensure you don’t crush yourself. In this case, I asked someone I didn’t know to watch and keep my ego from causing undue harm. He was more than happy to help and offered encouragement as I started my lift. I lifted 190 pounds with some help and made a new gym friend. I told him about my target and what I was trying to accomplish, and as he went back to his workout he said, “It’s good to have goals”.

My shoulders felt good and I was optimistic — just 10 more pounds… just 5% more. I only have five days left and as I said before, I’m working with a short runway — very short if truth be told. I will keep it up until the end and we will see.

As I started a light exercise, I caught the eye of another gym dude who smiled, dropped one side of his headphones, came over to bump fists, and said, “Hey”. In our conversation, I asked him if he was ready for 2026 and he looked at me strangely and said that, He only worries about the day he’s in and maybe the day after. “ He then put his hand to his chest and continued, “I live with love in my heart”.

He smiled, bumped my fist again, then went off to continue his workout.

So, with five days left in 2025, today I was reminded that perseverance brings progress, that the world is full of people willing to help and offer encouragement as you make your way, and love is a great energy to carry with you — whatever you happen to be doing.

iamgpe

*14 more

Fuck you; I am...

I have noticed that when I am dealing with something or trying to make sense of a situation, I go hiking in the forest — I am attracted to nature and something much bigger than myself. This morning the air was fresh and the icy trail forced you to pay attention with every step. As I made my way, I ruminated — I was frustrated, and the more I reflected, the darker my mood got. Under my breath I mumbled, “Fuck you; I am…”. The murmur trailed off as I came to a stop. I stood in the forest on the first day of winter and I was different. My mood had changed: what seemed insurmountable was not anymore, the problems, although not gone, were straightforward to overcome. The person who walked out of the forest was someone totally different than the one who had entered an hour earlier.

But why? Metaphorically speaking, how was a cold, wet blanket that was suffocating me so easily removed? I had the rest of the hike to think about it.

Many will find the term fuck you vulgar, but everyone would agree that it is direct and forceful and pressures you to take notice. This sets the stage for the “You” in the term fuck you and needs to be dissected a bit — this could be directed to a specific person but, and this is important, it can also be directed to a situation or circumstance. More important still, it could be directed to yourself, and with honesty on the table, we all know we get in our own way more often than not… so get comfortable directing this to yourself.

Now to the second part of what I am starting to think is simply a forceful affirmation — “I am”. This really is the reason, or reasons you said, “Fuck you” in the first place.

• I am… skilled and competent.

• I am… strong and resilient.

• I am… honest and trustworthy.

• I am… adaptable and courageous.

• I am… smart!

• et cetera

I think you get my point.

On that cold sunny day, it simply changed the narrative and perspective which forced me to reflect on who I was and how I can overcome the situation. It’s important to remember it must always be “I am…” and never “You are…” because this is about you changing the narrative and owning the situation. You’re not blaming the circumstance on someone or something else, you are saying why you can overcome anything in front of you — I believe this only works if you simply say “I am”… and know it to be true and own it.

So there you have it, a reminder to myself as well as a catchy new affirmation mantra.

Also, if you happen to adopt this, you should keep it as a mind exercise or write it in a journal — running around saying Fuck you is just going to cause a kerfuffle.

iamgpe

*just 15 more blogs.

483 versus 500

Pixabay

The other day I decided to count the number of blogs I’ve written over the years and the current count is 483*. What was interesting about this exercise is my first thought wasn’t that this is a respectable body of work or to simply reflect how far I have come, but rather“500 blogs would be a more satisfying number”.

As I reflect on the journey to get to 483, I can still remember early on in my blogging efforts being questioned (in a rather aggressive way) why I would write blogs instead of doing other things to drive my business interests forward. Answers such as proving domain expertise, developing content for my social channels, improving my writing skills, and attempting something I had never done before were met with skepticism. Still I kept blogging. One person, who worked for a UK Newspaper said my writing style was, “comfortable; like falling into soft pillows”. And still I kept blogging.

500 blogs now hangs in the air. Why is 483 not good enough? It’s 96.6 % of 500, and on a test that would be impressive by anyone’s standards. Is it because of some misguided sensibility for even numbers or that 500 seems more powerful in some way? I think it simple reflects a desire to progress.

prog·ress

noun /ˈpräɡrəs/ forward or onward movement toward a destination

verb /prəˈɡres/move forward or onward in space or time.

As a noun or a verb, it speaks to forward or onward movement and with it, the opportunity to develop the discipline, actions, and character for growth. The underlying golden rule of any progress is you need a goal; something to move you toward. And for the pessimists in the group, yes goals are also involved to regress, but most people who are stagnating tend not to realize the goal they have set for themselves. Progress is growth, and a growth journey is where the joy and fulfillment are found; even when the goal is a challenge. Stagnation not so much.

Ultimately the idea of 500 blogs was a result of an innate desire I have to progress; to keep moving the bar, to keep growing — to keep the journey going! And if you are saying to yourself, “500 blogs is really more of an objective”, you would be correct. In the end though, like a goal, it’s just another tool for moving forward.

Progress is everything and maybe really the only thing for a successful journey. And to that end, I have an objective to bench press 200 lbs by the end of the year — if I’m having a good day and my shoulder isn’t bothering me, I think I have a shot. No matter what… PROGRESS!

iamgpe

*the 483 does not include anything I have written for others.