Day (158) – Personal Records

I broke my personal best last night at the gym by finally breaking the 300lb mark with my bench press. I can’t tell how you incredibly happy I was. My body has come a long way since surgery, and I am starting to reach the point of where I was before it. However, my plan is not to get back to where I was, it is to surpass those previously made expectations. I expect a lot more out of myself these days, and the results will show that. It is always a great thing to attach measurable numbers to your goals. It not only helps you actually achieve your goals, but you have something tangible to work towards. So yesterday I crossed off one of my weightlifting goals and feel fantastic about myself. But as soon as I walk back up to those gym doors today, yesterday didn’t exist. It might sound corny, but the gym is a sacred place for me. It is a sanctuary where I can completely control every single thing as if I am the creator of my own world. I think when you start to see the gym like that…things really start coming your way.

Isn’t that really a cool concept? You are your creator. I really do believe this. Of course there are certain things that you cannot control (freak events etc) but mostly, you have complete control throughout your whole day. You can do absolutely whatever you want. One of the best quotes I have ever heard and I think it was by John Wooden when he said something like never mistake movement with action. I don’t think you can say it any more perfect than that. Just because you are moving around doesn’t actually mean you are doing anything. Create your plan and work your plan. Things may not always go according to plan, but get used to it because that is just life. I have always been a firm believer in putting your butt on the line every single day, rather than putting one cheek on the line. Yeah it is scary but who cares! The only way you can live fully is by putting yourself and your life on the line every day. Who will you be? Completely up to you.

There is something I learned over the summer that I want to remind everyone of. “In this moment, there is nothing. No Past. No Future. Nothing. It is perfect. Nothing to fix or change. From nothing, I create the possibility of being _____________ ” You can insert anything you want there. And this really is the truth. Don’t think that because you are being a certain way right now that you can’t change that instantly. It does take some awareness, but let me give you an example. This guy started arguing with me the other day and I started to get heated, and then all the sudden I actually threw him completely off guard. While he was yelling, I did a gut check and completely changed my demeanor. It actually stopped him dead in his tracks. He literally said, “Wait, what was that.” And I simply said to him, “Hey, I know your upset, lets just sit down and work this out.” The argument was completely extinguished and I was able to actually hear what was bugging him.

It is easy to think that the world is happening to you and you can’t do anything about it. But the truth is, you really have the ability to make your mark on the world. The next time someone is yelling at you, don’t ask the question “why are they yelling at me?” Ask, “Who am I being right now which is making them so upset?” It has taken me a very long way so far.

Be the creator of your world today,

Evan Sanders

 

 

 

 

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Day (157) – A Poem I Wrote

This is just something I wrote today. Hope you enjoy it.

Seek not the answers in that place,
From which society pulls away at your grace,
While looking for the answers in the dark,
Unsure of the journey you should embark

Seek not the answers through the flesh,
The sheets in color and of soft mesh,
For the solutions you will find in the skin,
Will only tear your soul from within

Seek not the answers in the pages,
The experience of those felt through the ages,
For most of the wisdom you will find,
Is that of someone else’s mind

Seek answers from within the heart,
The piece that had been with you from the start,
It is the only guidance you will need,
To give you a life, one that you shall lead

Evan sanders

Day (155) – The Size of Your But

I would go to the gym today, but…

I would write today, but…

I would weigh less, but…

I would try, but…

I would care, but…

We love our but’s. Take the word but out of your vocabulary. If you do, you have just given yourself unbelievable power to accomplish your dreams. Try saying that sentence again and replace the word but with something else. Go ahead…try it. You are going to sound like a fool trying to figure it out. Then, you will wonder why you are giving yourself a reason why you can’t do it in the first place. You will hear your voice, and find a way to make it happen.

I have a big knee brace that I wear to my workouts. There is no reason why I cannot go harder or as hard as other people in the gym. Sometimes though I have to modify what my workout is. That is perfectly okay. The results of eating clean and working hard are showing. I am feeling healthy, my abs are coming in, and I feel powerful. None of this would happen if I had the word ‘but’ in my vocabulary. I always actively try to find ways to make things happen. I might not have the answer right now… and that is okay. I will find it though, or find someone who can help me find it.

There is this Malcolm X speech where he talks about living as a man who died 20 years ago. He has no fear because his fear died with his old life a long time ago. I think that is such a motivational and interesting way to live your life. We all have the ability to live that way. It is a progress however. You have to put your mind to it and really try to achieve that mindset. The mind is a just as important as training the body…maybe even more.

These are precisely the words I said to my buddy this morning walking into the gym. He goes, “Hey how you doing?” I said, “My body does not want to be here…but I do…lets crush it today.” To me, there is no such thing as a plateau. Plateauing is an excuse for most who refuse to change up their workouts or push themselves past their comfort zone. I have plenty of moments each day in the gym where I go “I don’t know if I can do this!” What takes over however is my mental attitude of doing one thing a day thats scares you…and sacrificing today for the betterment of tomorrow. With that attitude, you can take on the world. Of course you are going to be scared and have a little bit of fear in you…sometimes a lot of fear. YOU CAN DO IT! If you have a dream, go get it, period.

The critics are allowed to use ‘but.’ Lets leave that job up to them…the men who are not in the arena taking their lives to the next level…just telling you you aren’t good enough. T. R. said this,

“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 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 and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for 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 he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

“Citizenship in a Republic,”

Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Live in possibility today.

Evan Sanders

Day (154) – The Mindset It Takes

 

I often talk about goals, and believe me they are incredibly important to the long-term realization of your vision. However, the attitude of the present is often overlooked. How can I get to my future goals? What do I need to do right now? What will be the end result? These are all fair questions to ask, but one of the first questions should be…Who do I have to be to accomplish this?

What is the mentality then? For me it is: Today, I am going to sacrifice for the betterment of tomorrow. This attitude has kept me in check for the longest time. It puts me in a place where I know I can overcome anything. I realize that any amount of pain I am current going through at take present moment can be overcome with the attitude of sacrifice. I expect the pain to  come. I expect the trials and obstacles. When you go on a journey, and you don’t expect to get tested, that is when you are going to get blindsided. Any transformation in life follows the pattern of “it gets worse before it gets better.” Embrace it. If it’s not hurting a bit, it’s not working.

This mindset applies to live, the gym, and almost anything else. Never shortchange the importance of this moment. Really though, this moment is all you have. Nothing else is guaranteed. You can’t go to the past and change anything, and there is no tangible place called the future. All you have, is this moment, right here, right now. Give it the respect and appreciation it deserves.

 

“Where are you Dan?…..Here.”     “What time is it?……Now”      ”Who are you?…….This moment”    - The Peaceful Warrior

 

 

So the next time you are struggling for the next 5 reps or to finish your work, take a split second to smile and appreciate the moment. I promise that it will put you in a good place.

 

 

Evan Sanders

Day (151, 152, 153) – One Love

I am my happiest when I am in the snow. Period. For me, there is nothing like carving down the mountain hearing the edges of my board cut through the snow. This weekend was about taking a mental break. Not that I needed one, but that I wanted one. It is so important to go out there into the world and do the things you love. Working out inside is great, but going out and doing what you are passionate about is also just as good. For me, snowboarding is my true mind cleanser. And it obviously worked as I woke up at 6 am this morning fired up and ready to go to a 7am workout. Having your mind right is one of the best ways you can succeed.

This is going to be an incredibly short post for one reason: my mind is clear. I have a completely blank slate and am going to do a lot with it this week. Being able to do the things I love is so rewarding, and this week is about giving back and saying thanks for everything. I can’t wait to see what the week brings, and look forward to hearing what is going on with you guys.

Go out there, clear your mind, and run after your goals.

 

 

Evan

Day (150) – Who I Am

Just thought I would give you the chance to meet me, if you haven’t met me already. This is a special piece that I created. Hope you like it.

My name is Evan Sanders and I am an Senior at Santa Clara. But really, I am an avid fisherman, a lover of all sports, aspiring to be the next American novelist, a rock climber, a social media nerd, obsessed with personal development, a reader of all genres, a collector of baseball cards, a developing bodybuilder, an entrepreneur, a brand builder, a long-boarder, a slight Romantic, sometimes an insufferable insomniac, a photographer, an almost drowning surfer, a landscaper, a killer snowboarder, a social Darwinist, an on-call rapper, an explorer, a mildly successful car rebuilder, a reincarnated Robin Hood, an amateur long-range rifle marksman, obsessed with Pawn Stars, an iron-fisted negotiator, a creative thinker, a hard worker, a roofer, a salesman, a Lego architect, a self-proclaimed painter, a Renaissance man, and a deep philosophical thinker. I am best at inspiring others to act and have taken that passion and transformed it into a successful blogging career. My blog is called The Better Man Project and is focused around my journey towards becoming a better man and the lessons I learn along the way. Check it out at thebettermanprojects.wordpress.com. (Like I said, salesman.)

I have genetic entrepreneurial blood in my body and have followed my father’s footsteps in creating unique startup companies. I do not necessarily know where I am going, but I know who I am going to be when I get there. I am a man of unconditional love, fiery passion, and possess a never-quitting attitude. I never demand anything out of anyone that I do not demand of myself (honesty, loyalty, respect), and I strive every day to become a better person. I can grow a full beard. I want to make a difference in this world and have people remember me as someone who went out with all engines burning. I will never own a mini-van. I will have a baseball team full of children, and a white wrap-around porch. I can reel in a 200-lb halibut in 30 minutes. Spiders scare the hell out of me, and bell peppers make me gag. I am a quote junkie and will randomly recite movie lines or motivational speeches to people who care or care less about what I am currently saying. I am, 100%, me.

 

part of this may or may not have been my cover letter

 

 

Evan

Day (149) – The Mind

The mind is the most powerful thing you have. It gives you the ability to do anything, achieve anything, dream anything. I want to share with you a experience I had at 7 this morning with my mind.

Out workout this morning consistent of the 1200 challenge. Start with 1,000 meter row, 100 heavy (really heavy) rope jumps, and 100 sphinx push ups….in 7 minutes. I hit the rowing machine armed with my knee brace and sore back from yesterday, and mashed out 1k with 3:45 left to spare. I grabbed the jump rope, and hopped my way to 50, stopped at 60, stopped at 70, stopped at 80, almost threw up at 90, and threw the rope down at 100. Then to the hardest part, the sphinx pushups. If you don’t know what a sphinx push up is, its basically a push up on a bosu ball in which you put one forearm down at a time, and then lift yourself up one arm at a time.

20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 85. I hit the wall. With 17 seconds left, I checked the clock, couldn’t see straight, and was ready to give up. Then I looked at the chain my girlfriend got me and the little pendant that says “heart” on it (the one word that truly defines me) smacked me in the mouth because of the pendulum effect.

I finished with 1 second left to spare…flipped over on my back. Closed my eyes, and in a second, the next exercise set started. I had nothing in me, but I kept pushing and made it eventually to the bench press. Here is where I went to my mind for inspiration, help, whatever I could find. I started off with 185lbs for 10 reps. Threw on another 30 lbs for 215 @ 10 reps. Threw on another 30 lbs for 245 @ 8 reps. And lastly, threw on another 20lbs for 265 @ 7 reps. I kept telling myself, be a champion, be a champion, be a champion. The pain does not matter, the end result is what matters.

I finished the whole workout by hitting the bike and visualizing that I was riding at Norseman, the toughest IronMan there is, in Norway. I closed my eyes, saw myself riding up the long windy roads into the hills, and biked my heart out for 7 minutes. I got off the bike, ready to throw up and pass out. I regained my composure, and smiled.

What did I learn about myself today? I learned that all the power you need is in your mind. Never for an instant believe that you can’t do something. You can always do it. If you set your mind to it, your body will find a way to make it happen. There is nothing standing in your way but yourself. I could have let myself say “Evan, you have done enough.” But enough is like death for me. I will never try to be good enough. I will always be searching for my path of greatness. There are little things that I can do each day to make myself better. This morning, was a prime example. That workout will stay with me the next time I need to really push myself in the gym. I continue to look up…that is why my ceilings one day will be decorated.

I wanted to give a shootout to everyone who is posting here and telling me what is going on in their lives. This is exactly what I am trying to do. I think together we can build an amazing community of people who backs each other up at all times and is there for one another. There is no doubt in my mind that I have some of the coolest people commenting on my posts. What I truly get from your comments is insight into other people’s lives and what inspires and motivates them every day. So, I am going to do something special. The first 10 people who leave a comment here ( a meaningful and deep comment ) of why they love this project and what they are getting from it are going to get a free and totally personalized Churchill Vision from me. These things take hours and hours to make and I will definitely get into contact with you about the product and what everything is about. So, ready, set, go!

Thank you again,

Go out today and absolutely show the world what you are made of. And as Winston Churchill would say,

Never, never, never give in

Evan Sanders

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Better-Man-Project-Churchill-Visions/337683046266307

Day (148) – One Step Closer

I was truly inspired by a coworker this morning. She said to me “everything you are doing now makes you one step closer to 100%.” I needed that attitude check. Singlehandedly, she put my mind right back to where it needed to be.

Over the past few days, I had been struggling with symptoms of “holy hell this is going to suck.” But after she gave me that inspiration, I remembered one of my favorite quotes. It goes something like “You can’t move forward if you are looking backward.” So, keeping that in mind, my whole body woke up and I got to work. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be okay. What I have decided to do is bring a list to my doctor of everything that I want to be able to do. I don’t care if it is going to be more painful, or take longer, but I want to be able to do this stuff. As I am looking outside, I realize that I am going to be crutching in the rain to class. Who cares. My joints will be cold as the winter begins to move into California. So what. This time, I am not going to get athletes depression because I am going to be doing ab work every single day. Bingo. I am going to be much smarter about this. There is this great speech where this guy talks about the bad breaks in life. And he says that in a sense, there are some instances where there are things such as bad breaks…but there is also a spirit and a energy inside of each of us that can decide what to do with these breaks and even determine these breaks. In short, we have the ability to change our world.

This is exactly where my head is at right now. In order to change the world, we must change ourselves. I am going through an unbelievable process right now, and I have a great appreciation for the moment. In fact, I think that is one of the biggest turnarounds I have had in life. Appreciating the moment for what it is. I am sitting with this bum knee and saying…”One day, you will do great things. But right now, train your mind.”

 

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Day (147) – How I Am Going to Do It

 

It is not enough to set goals. There has to be a system of checks and balances. I have been missing this system for a while. There hasn’t been a system, besides my mind, (which can be highly unreliable) where I can keep and hold my self accountable. So, todays post is about how I am going to do what I set out to do. Don’t get my wrong, I have been pretty successful so far in accomplish some of the goals on my list, but I know there is a much more efficient and practical way. So lets take all the luck out of the equation. My knee injury really got me thinking the past few days. Things aren’t going to be harder, they are just going to be different. Remember those goals I wrote a while back? Let’s revisit them.

1. I finish all my work before I play

- I have started to reuse my daily planner. For a while I was using task lists, other calendars, and to be honest, I really was just all over the place. So, first on the agenda is my daily planner and putting all my work due, extra work that needs to be done, tests, things I need to accomplish for work, and important dates in there. Then, on the right hand side, I will write all relevant notes to that day in a prioritized manner. Secondly, I am writing out my goals every morning for life and my goals for that day. I think that this will keep me focused and my subconscious will begin working on the things I am committed to.

2. I am a 4.0 Student

- I was so close last quarter. I was a couple points off. However, it is time to really get my stuff together. So how am I going to active this goal? Well, I am half way through the quarter and I know what to expect and how to achieve in my classes. So I wrote up a one page piece for each of my teachers of how I am going to meet and exceed the expectations asked of me in their class. I have set up office hours times and weekly check ins to make sure I am doing what I need to in order to perform at the highest level. I know this is extra work, but in the end, it will make all the difference in the world. I will get a 4.0 this quarter, knee surgery or not.

3. I eat incredibly clean and healthy

- I just threw out all the bad food in the fridge. I also created a lifting & food log. Lastly, I have precooked my meals so I know exactly what to eat and how much. I do not want any more negative energy inside of me regarding food. I know that I have the ability to kick ass in the nutrition region and I will. Choice. That is all it comes down to. I have the power and the ability to choose.

4. I write every day

- Sometimes I feel that I have to write a certain length. Well, I just threw that story out. I am going to write here every day and I have delegated 1-2pm where I will post in my blog every day. I do have class on MWF so I will be posting at noon. This is going to help me because I have delegated a specific time where I can sit down and do what I need to do.

5. I am wealthy

- Saving 20% while I can, Churchill Visions, work, and writing.

6. I read / listen to books for 30 minutes every day

- I have audiobooks in my car, I read in the bath while soaking my leg, and I listen to books in the gym alongside my music. I spend a lot of time during my day where I could be throwing in some time to listen and read motivational books. I love listening to Ted.com talks, speeches, and other things like this. I know that this investment of time will pay off in the long run.

7. I am a loving, caring, amazing friend

- I am keeping this one close to the heart. But I know how to do this.

8. I am a leader

- Especially during my knee surgery, I am going to have to be able to lead the volunteers for the Iron Broncos. There are many other areas in my life where I am going to have to step up more as a leader, and I am ready for that. I can hear the calling and I am going to answer it with passion. There are a few things I truly know about myself, and one of them is that I know how to make the ranks rise and get fired up! I will lead.

9. I do everything fast, on time, and with great diligence

- I will turn off all distractions when I am working. I will not stop working on the project I am focused on until I am done. Studies have shown that what truly makes a genius is their ability to fully focus on one thing and one thing only. I am no genius, but I can learn from one.

10. I have a ripped 8 pack

- Every single morning, I am working on my abs for 15 minutes. I have a plan. And I cannot finish the day without having done ab work. So, I will fight laziness with the most energy, and that is in the morning. 15 minutes of hard ab work a morning. When I have surgery, this is going to be one of the only things I will be able to do for a little while. However, I will stick with it.

 

These are the things I am. Since I am proclaiming to be a man of integrity, I shall become my declarations. I am incredibly fired up about this. I know that my willpower will deplete throughout the day, however, I will fight that with a midday nap and all of the motivational videos and links I have in my youtube bank. I know that I can achieve what I set out to do, but I also know that I have to fight the parasites in my life with a smarter version of me.

 

 

Go get em.

 

 

Evan

Day (146) – Its A Process

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

- William Ernest Henley

There is no fear in this heart anymore. No fear of the time to come, no fear of what happened in the past. There is only persistence. The determination to get through this phase, to keep going, to be the master of my fate, and to be the captain of my soul.

There is no fear in this heart I say,

To those who look on,

I keep my fears and failures at bay,

And strive until they are gone,

It is a new day, a new beginning. You are unconquerable. Go out and do what you are afraid of.

Evan Sanders