BUY YOUR OWN HYPE

Humility is overrated.  We are told to be humble, to not boast, to not brag, and to maintain perspective.  We chide those who show off and accuse them of all sorts of defects, from a lack of hugs from a parent to inadequate anatomy to severe psychological disorders.  Nietzsche might have something to say of this being “slave morality”, but irrespective of the thoughts of 19^th century German philosophers, this propensity to remain humble is typically an appeal to politeness in society and keeping oneself grounded and aware of their limitations.  Screw that.  Disregard your limitations, believe they don’t exist, be the juggernaut, walk through walls and go be unstoppable.

Gotta admit; I AM getting a little tired of these unrealistic body images Marvel keeps pushing on us

People are already too damn humble.  Too many people bow and scrape and prostrate themselves in front of others in an attempt to win some sort of humility competition, the irony of the situation of course being lost on them.  This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; we keep telling ourselves that we aren’t worthy, and then we perform in a way that isn’t worthy.  Self-reinforcement IS a thing, and it can be positive or negative.  Though society may consider modesty a positive trait and arrogance a negative one, your psychology feels the opposite.  Your ego WANTS to be fed, it WANTS to grow large and uncontrollable, your self-image WANTS to be super inflated and ridiculous, you NEED to be a superhero!

Look; in EVERY activity, some people are going to be the bottom 10%, some are going to be the top 10%, and most are going to be in that middle 80%.  So why can’t YOU be that top 10%?  SOMEONE is going to fall into that category; why not you?  Genetics?  Bullcrap whiny crybaby excuses used by the weak to justify their mediocrity; history is rife with people that overcame awful genetics with an abundance of hardwork.  Lack of proper coaching?  There are many examples of the self-educated absolutely trouncing the classically trained.  The sheer reality is that there HAS to be a top 10% in any distribution, so why not you?

Probably because you train like this

When you start believing you are the top 10%, you start bypassing a lot of previously self-imposed limitations.  Training plan has too much volume?  Yeah, maybe for someone who is average, but YOU are great.  You soak up volume like a sponge and come back for more.  Too much intensity?  You have a CNS made up of titanium and angel dust.  Rest times too short?  You have the conditioning of an Olympian and the strength of Heracles.  These aren’t limits; they are challenges, and YOU will overcome them, because unlike others, YOU are great.

“You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake”, a Tyler Durden quote utilized as the rallying cry of the lifting forum guru that fails to appreciate the irony of Tyler’s toxic masculinity in a book dedicated to dismantling it.  These people want to convince you that you have to train just like them, because they are TERRIFIED of the prospect of you surpassing them in short order.  The status quo must be maintained, the median must be perpetuated, and excellence is not tolerated.  Now, of course, shame on you for asking for advice on the internet in the first place, but in receiving it be aware that you’re going to receive the party line from the average, not the elite.  In turn, observe what the average have to say about the training OF the elite.  Unsustainable, only viable if you are on drugs, only useful if you have elite genetics, that they “get away” with training that way.  Why not you?  Maybe it’s your turn.

*Psh* Look at this IDIOT training in the smith machine.  No way that can get you strong.

And here is the thing; you can fake it until you make it.  Yeah, it’s true; by sheer statistical probability, you most likely ARE average.  There is an 80% chance of it (yes yes, I know it doesn’t work exactly like that, just stick with me here).  However, sometimes forgeries are so good they end up fooling the experts.  Sometimes, you pretend you are elite for so long that you accidentally trick yourself into BEING elite.  You hammer your body with volume for so long that eventually it ends up actually adapting to your insanity and growing.  You keep forcing the conditioning and reducing the rest times to the point that you eventually get really solid conditioning.  You keep pretending you are elite and doing the things elite people do to the point that you end up becoming as close to elite as you can possibly be.

Want to know one of the side effects of buying your own hype?  You’re probably going to get injured.  It’s probably going to be really bad.  It could even be career ending.  Want to know another side effect?  If you keep buying that same hype, you will come back stronger than you were before, because you’ll know that you really are indestructible in spirit.  And what is the effect of this?  You will far surpass those who tip toe around effort and never push themselves in fear of consequences.  You will be so experienced in overcoming that it will be habit, and your ego will continue to compel you to seek more and more ridiculous challenges to overcome.

Buy your own hype and turn yourself elite.  Leave humility for those that want to perform humbly.  Have some swagger, be arrogant, be a legend in your own mind, and let that manifest itself in reality.