There are moments in life that are given to you; you know, those moments where the light shines through the window just right and there is a radiant glow across the street. You look out the window and while the sunlight burns your sclera, pupils, cornea (eye anatomy) a bit, you manage to continue staring, albeit you're squinting much more strenuously than Clint Eastwood. You see a living Adonis, as if he was sculpted from the finest marble, with the finest chisel and hand drill -- it was like his naked body was an iron armor forged by Hephaestus himself. The man's trapezius, deltoids, and sterno-cleido-mastoid are large tumor-like masses that connect to his protruding peoctralis majors. Sweat from his forehead streams down in the shape of salty rivulets, leaving a moraine of salty deposit mixed with pride and accomplishment. The sweat doesn't hit the muscles below as the overriding glacial-like mass of chest muscle oversee the rectus abdominis, and the sweat vanishes down from the cascade that is his lower pectoral muscle. And you notice how he has on shorts, but he might as well not be wearing anything as his rectus femoris, vastus laterals, vastus medialis, and gracilis (thigh muscles) show through the tightly bound shorts anyways. His entire body reminds you of a cartoon that you saw once when a superhero makes a sudden entrance, and the muscular figure, strapping jaw line, and powerful stare makes you shudder.
That's him. You notice the fleshly masterpiece from inside the restaurant, through the glass, while eating your 1300 calorie lunch served with a side order of 400 calories fried fries topped off by a pint of god-knows-what liquid slab.
And you think to yourself, "fuck. I wish I looked like that. I bet he must get all the girls. I bet he must have an easy life. I bet he has such high confidence. I bet he has a good job and a healthy love life. I bet he has great friends. A great car. A great house. A great everything. Fuck, I wish I was him. I wish I had it that easy."
And do you want to know what's on his mind? The guy across the street, waiting at a stoplight, on his way back to his house that's another 3 miles away having already jogged 5 this morning? He's thinking: "Don't stop. Don't stop. It's hard, but don't stop. Once you stop, you lose. I don't want to lose. I'm competitive. I'm a winner. I won't stop. Nobody can stop me. No pain, no gain. I can't win in life if I don't first go through hardship. Don't stop. Must fight."
What you didn't know was that two years ago, the living sculptor you see across the street was obese and suffering debt, living out his life day by day without any provident thought about what his future might be. He was like you, sitting in that restaurant, hoping for some miracle to happen, but ultimately deciding against hard work because of this idea that "only lucky people win in life." And while you may understand the consequences of hard work in life, you might have strayed from that path, and instead, opted out because being comfortable was much more of an appropriate choice than being uncomfortable. But for him, the meaty gorilla you see across the street, for him it was a battle. A constant one. He's still fighting it. But he wasn't born like that. He became that. He sought his own future by one day deciding that a hamburger tastes nasty. By deciding that his debts will only continue if he continues his lifestyle. By deciding that his brain is more useful thinking about philosophy, economics, politics, religion, psychology, and so forth and not about who's eliminated on Hell's Kitchen, the contestants of American Idol, what kind of beer and weed for the weekend.
It's tough. Life is tough. Sometimes it gives you an opportunity, and it makes you wonder about your own meaning.
But. Don't wait. Make your own opportunities. Be your own mentor. Don't be a slave to your own procrastination and lethargy; own up to your flaws and improve on them. 1 step at a time. Muscles grow gradually and so does improvements. Accomplishments are only given after the work. And a sculpted body as well as a sculpted mind only manifests through the arduous labor of sculpting. When was the last time you cooked your dinner? To enjoy it. To taste the fruits of your labor. The struggle is often times so much more rewarding than the actual product.
So. Cast the voices that say "you can't" and invite the ones that say "let's do it." Carry the burden of not being comfortable with who you are so that it strengthens you and eventually it's not a burden at all, but a part of you. Never be comfortable. Take on more weight and become stronger. Take on the burden of being unhappy so that you become stronger for it and the idea of being unhappy is but a feather in thought and weight.
In short: when you see your Adonis, don't tell yourself that he's lucky. Tell yourself that you're jealous and that you want that and more. So much more. Don't be afraid to admit your flaws for once you recognize them, the only progression is improvement. 1 day at a time, mate. Appreciate life and appreciate the ability to change. Become your own Adonis.
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