I recently decided to take a job in construction to increase my income during this time of great opportunity. With the laziness epidemic, combined with the sweeping wave of arrests of those who don't belong in our country, the fruit is ripe for the picking. Pun, intended. Right now, there is a great window to learn new skills and build a business in the process, within a few years. In Austin, a plumber could become a millionaire in a year, there's so much work! There is absolutely no reason for any young man to be broke, lost and struggling. In life, there will be pain. Either you will suffer the pain of working hard towards what you want, or you will suffer the pain of trying to dig yourself out of the hole. Your choice!!!

Today is "National Quitters Day" in America. What this alludes to is the fact that the majority of people who set resolutions for change and a new life have abandoned those goals by the second Friday of January. They should rename the first as "National Liars Day." For those who decide to go to the gym to make change in their lives, many have no idea what they're doing. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people do the same things, for months, sometimes years, with nothing to show but a perfect attendance record. One of the main problems is comfort. It's easy to do the things we're "good" at. In this case, it's easier to do what's easy. For instance, it's much easier to do leg extensions than squats, deadlifts, or lunges. How do you know if you're a strong man? That all depends on what you consider to be "strong." For some, it's how much you can bench press. But what does that translate to in real life, other than bragging rights with the bros? Some think it's being able to run forever. How does that play out when strength is required? I have come to believe that strength that matters, a man should be capable of doing whatever is required. He should be able to run for a mile, then pick up his bodyweight and carry it. I recently saw some data that shined a light on my current weakness. However, it was in comparison to the top 10% of men in speed, strength and endurance. I checked every box in the top 10 percentile, except one. This gave me the information I needed to see where I need to focus some work. Do your own inventory and see where you rank. Run 1 Mile: 7 minutes or under Run 400 meters: 1:15 or under Run 100 meters: 14 seconds or under Squat: 1.5x bodyweight Deadlift: 2x bodyweight Chin Up: 15+ Push Ups: 40+ At 54 years of age, the only thing that I cannot check off, with confidence is the mile run. I seriously doubt that I could run a mile, without stopping at this point. That has already started the process of fixing that weakness in my physical armor.