Living for a Purpose

Living for a Purpose

I just had a meeting about a non-profit that we are starting in honor of Lisa G. We are starting a Lift 4 Lisa & Kill Lung Cancer Foundation. Cancer has taken too many people from me, and now I am fighting back with the help of my Mash Family and you all. During the meeting, my friend Annaleisa reminded me of what I said at Lisa G’s funeral. I spoke about the way that Lisa used the athletic ability that she found later in life to inspire the world and glorify God. Lisa was PRing her clean & jerk while taking chemotherapy treatments. I remember coaching her in disbelief, and that smile that would fill her face was contagious throughout the entire gym.

The point is that we all have a purpose on this earth. Our job is to find that purpose and live it out. The key to that purpose being meaningful at all is the motivation behind that purpose. Early in my life I lived my life for me, set records for me, and won gold for me. Now I live for Christ first, family, friends, and others that might be watching. Now I am training hard to kill it at the Aug. 30th Bar Slamming Festival, so that I can raise awareness for Lung Cancer. Not only Lung Cancer, I want to represent my creator, my savior, my God. I want Baby Mash to see his father living out his purpose in the name of Christ.

Why are you existing? Why are you on this earth? Are you just existing? You have to ask yourself these questions. If you don’t know the answers, then find out. Be still! Go somewhere by yourself, turn off your phone, pray, and figure the answers out. Personally I take a four day weekend with my amazing wife, study the Bible, pray, and simply try to turn my brain off. I try to relax and let my imagination run wild. 99% of the time, I come away with a plan, and I come away excited to attack life. If you haven’t taken a “Soul Searching” vacation, make the time to do it sooner than later.

Finding Your Purpose:

• Go somewhere alone and away from your daily chaos
• Turn off your phone
• Put your computer away
• Listen to God
• Dream
• Let your imagination go wild
• Write your ideas down
• Start to make plans
• Commit your life to living out your Purpose

What do you want people to say at your funeral? That is the question to ask. Don’t live for things or treasures on earth. Live to inspire! My passion is to inspire people to live out their purpose on earth for Christ. I want my wife, daughter, and son to see me living my life for Christ. I want them to see me not setting limits, going hard in the paint, and all the while keeping my focus on Christ. I want my daughter and son to see my loving my wife like no other man on earth has ever loved a woman before.

This is the way that I plan on inspiring others, and in turn changing the world to be a little better than I found it. What are you going to do to leave this world a little better than you found it? Guy ask yourself this honestly! We all have the ability to change the world even if it’s just your own family. If your children see you loving God and your family, they have a much better chance of doing the same.

I have a whole gym and virtual gym of people that look to me for advice. I want them to see that I love them all. If they see me loving them for absolutely no reason at all, then they will have an example to go by. My hope is that they will pass the love on to the people that they come into contact with. I want the world to be set on fire with the love that overflows from the Mash Mafia Family. Then we have all been a part of changing the world.

On the lighter side, my workouts have been going great in preparation for the Bar Slamming Festival. This week has been off the chain, and it has given me great hopes for the competition. Here are the results from Tuesday and Wednesday:

Tuesday
Power Snatch 110k/1
Power Clean 130/1
Jerks off Blocks 160/1, 165k/1, 170k(374lbs)/1 PR

Wednesday
Clean 160k/352lbs/1, 163k/358lbs/close miss
Front Squats 180/1 pause, 170/1 x 2sets paused (This was a deload)
Standing Presses 70k/3, 80k/3, 90k/1

Here is the Video:

I pumped about the jerk, and I was excited about the 160k clean. It wasn’t a PR, but I was able to get it on a day that I wasn’t feeling strong at all. Leads me to believe that when I am tapered and feeling good, I could hit 170k which is my goal. This mentality is one that I wish my athletes could grasp. If you are feeling weak, slow, and sore and you hit a decent number, then that is a win.

My standing press is coming along slowly, but is getting stronger. My goal is the get it up to 120k/1, and then I will have the overhead stability that I need. I am still trying to strengthen that weak left side, so that my snatches and jerks are secure. Always work on your weak spots to get stronger!

I will be in Rhode Island at the end of the month for another Learn 2 Lift Seminar. Check them all out at www.MashElite.com/seminars/.

Join the Attitude Nation Online Team at http://www.mashelite.com/join-the-online-team/.