Mash Values, Purpose, and Goal Setting: “A Dose of Reality Helps Clarity to Shine Bright”

For the last few days, my wife and I have watched every breath of air that our two-week-old son, Behr Bradley Mash. Our eldest son, Travis Rock Mash contracted a virus named RSV. To a two-year-old RSV shows up as a simple cold, but to a two-week-old it shows up with a fury.

Congestion for a baby so young as Behr is a deadly contraction. The biggest fear is apnea, where he would simply stop breathing. Last night I watched that little baby take each breath as he lay beside his mother sometimes grimacing from a difficult breath.

I maintained my post until 4am watching two of the people that I love with all my heart sleep while I stood guard. The middle of the night is a great time to contemplate one’s treasures on earth. I am a simple man. Anyone that knows me realizes that my family means the world to me. Nothing on this earth comes before my family. My team and friends come shortly thereafter, as they are family as well.

If you look closely at the things that you hold dear, you will find the things that you value. I personally value God above all things. Then like I explained before, my family, friends, and team come next in that order. There are other things that are important to me as well. I want to teach the world about the barbell and the lessons that it is capable of bestowing upon others. I want to spread the love of fitness. Most importantly I want all the athletes out there to avoid the mistakes that I made in my prime. I want to focus them on something bigger, a purpose. For me it was God.

It takes self-analysis to understand values and to define a purpose. Here’s what it looks like for me:

Values:

• God first so that means morals can’t be neglected, and my character is of utmost importance. We are all reflections of the things that we love the most. If you love yourself the most, you will reflect arrogance and self-servitude. If you love God, you care about others, be forgiving, patient, and loving.
• Family next- I can’t take on projects that take away from family. Of course I have to support my family, so I would work 24-hours per day to take care of them. However, I will do everything that I can to spend the most time with them.
• I won’t make decisions that will harm my team and/or friends. For example maybe I could contract to work with NASA for $1,000,000. That sounds good, but it would take me away from my team. Of course that could help fund, so now it’s time to weigh things.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas how to let your values lead you in making decisions. Otherwise you are simply flying blind with random decisions. That’s a way to find yourself in a place that you don’t want to be.

Purpose-

I want to bring God glory in my actions, and the ways that I interact with others. I want to serve others by helping them reach their strength and fitness goals, and helping them use their passions to do greater things. I want the ways that I serve God, serve others, and treat my family to be a legacy that I can leave to my children.

This means more to me than most actually know. I didn’t do a great job with my first child, Bailey, but I am working on that. I was self-centered when I met her mother, so now she lives in Minnesota with her mother. My purpose in life now is to show my children how a man loves his wife, his children, and his God. I want to die knowing that my children saw me doing things the right way at home, in business, and all aspects of my life. It’s a lot to life up to, but it’s my purpose. What’s your purpose?

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Goal Setting-

Once you know your values and purpose, you now have direction. A goal isn’t the end. A goal is a step in a beautiful life that will lead to more and more steps. Never make a goal or a thing into your god. This is a mistake that drove me crazy as a younger athlete. I thought that my success as an athlete was the way to solve all of my problems. It wasn’t.

With that being said, here’s the way that I recommend crushing your goals:

1. Dream it- don’t be afraid to dream big. If you can’t dream it, you sure can’t do it. Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s the biggest difference in people like the President of the United States and yourself?” The biggest difference is that the President can actually conceive the notion of being president.

2. Write it down- When you write it down, it comes to life. It’s no longer a dream. It’s a real thing. It’s now a goal.

3. Plan it- this is where the rubber meets the road. Now the dream, the goal takes on a life. The more detailed the plan will equal the brighter an outcome.

4. Commit to it- without this step everything else is worthless. Are you a baller or not?

5. Constant Reminders of it- your goals along with the plan should be well documented with small reminders everywhere.

I have given you the playbook to success. I haven’t just given you the way to reach a goal. I have given you the way to do it for a greater good, and in a way that will never violate your moral code. I pray that all of you will do something to make this world a better place. I hope that all of you will touch lives in a way that will rock this entire world with love.

Now I am going to go watch my two-week-old. I am going to watch Behr Bradley sleep, and I will know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I am loving my family. I am publishing this article to help others to help all of you. I am living my code. I pray that all of you will do the same.

Merry Christmas!