“HE WHO HAS A WHY TO LIFE FOR CAN BEAR ALMOST ANY HOW”

Yes, a Nietzsche quote: it never goes away.  And this is one of those that, upon reading it, absolutely changed my life, and those of you who are regular readers have absolutely seen the influence of this quote on all aspects of my physical transformation.  I’ve frequently spoken on the idea that I genuinely do not believe there is any such thing as willpower, which, in and of itself, is an idea that took me a while to come around to.  I’ve been lauded for my willpower, for my ability to overcome, for my ability to endure so much misery and pain and hardship in a singleminded pursuit of my goals, powering on like the Juggernaut, unstoppable in my path.  And as cool as that image is, it’s all just a fairytale.  The truth is: I am simply the manifestation of a strong “why”, and it, in turn, allows me to endure any how.  And just like I wrote in the very first entry of this blog: I have no idea WHY I have this “why”: it’s simply always been.  My earliest memories are of wanting to be physically great, and I’ve given up on trying to understand it: I just know that it is there.  Having this why has allowed me to bear almost any how in my pursuit…which leads ultimately to the question of “what WHY are you living for?”

I know that sentence reads about as well as this one: stick with me

 

That’s what is interesting about this game: our “why” will always be revealed by the how.  Specifically, the hows we surrender to are, in turn, our REAL “whys” that we live for.  Examples?  For 7 years, I’ve watched someone online manage to lose 10 kilos of bodyweight.  Yes: 10 kilos in 7 years, which averages to about 3.15lbs a YEAR, a good rate of weight loss for a WEEK, and if you want to be real nerdy, that’s .06lbs a week (no, not .6: .06).  This person started off at 120kg…at a height of 5’5.  They made a goal to lose 100lbs for their wedding that was happening in 9 months.  I was SO excited for this person, gave them all the resources I could, all the advice I could muster…and watched them frequently lament about how they “cheated a little this weekend”, “forgot to buy food: ate from the vending machine”, “needed sweets”, etc.  The wedding rolled around (puns!) and they were the same weight they were when they started.  And as a married man, I’ll flat out say I was upset that a spouse was NOT enough of a “why” to endure the “how” of avoiding yummy foods…but there it was.  We learned this person’s TRUE why: eating yummy food. 

 

It’s no different when it comes to waking up early to train.  Why do I train at 0400?  I am honestly very blessed there: I have TWO whys.  I train, in general, because I want to transform myself.  I train at 0400 specifically because I have a family that I want to spend my time with.  I do NOT want to be lifting weights or pushing prowlers or any of my other shenanigans when I could be spending time cooking with my wife in the kitchen or playing a video game with my kid or taking my dogs for a walk or just being present in some manner in their lives…so I train when they sleep.  My alarm goes off (which I set on my phone on vibrate and hold close to my body, so that I don’t wake my spouse), I get up, and I go train, and it sucks…but the why makes the how endurable.  Those of you asking “HOW do you get up and train early” need to ask “WHY do you get up and train early” instead.  Oh my goodness, I’m going to completely chase this pivot I just made, because THAT is the crux here.

Not sure why I went with so many political photos with this one

 

Asking the “how” to succeed will never work.  Everyone is going to have a different how, and one person’s how may not work for you.  We must, instead, ask WHY those who succeed do the things that they do.  Derek Poundstone, WHY did you drink blended chicken in water?  Because being a champion strongman was important enough that he was willing to do what it took to get in the nutrition he needed.  Asking him HOW to do it is pointless: it was done because it was necessary.  Bodybuilders, WHY do you starve yourselves and feel like zombies to get so damn lean?  Because winning on the stage is worth it: asking about some trick to make the hunger less awful (the “how”) isn’t going to work for you if you don’t have the why.  WHY do strongman and powerlifters manage to step under heavy weights again after suffering horrific injuries without fear of getting hurt again?  Because victory is more compelling than fear, and they’d rather be strong than weak and healthy.

 

Ask “why”, NOT “how”.  Ask YOURSELF “Why am I NOT doing these things”.  Ask yourself “why WOULD I do these things”.  What could be compelling enough to get you to change your behavior?  What “why” is enough for you?  Your actions are a pure reflection OF your why: you will always do the things that allow you to achieve your why.  It just so happens that your “why” may not be what you TELL yourself that it is.  You may SAY that your why is physical transformation, but when you come home from work after a bad day and eat an entire cheesecake, your “why” is really comfort.  When you hit the snooze alarm and blow off training for the 15th morning in a row, your “why” is sleeping in.  And there’s nothing wrong with these BEING your “whys”: you simply have to make peace with them.  That there’s no secret hack of “how” that will have you accomplish your whys.  It’s not about some sort of psychological programming or reframing or magic potion or powder or pill: your why will always determine your how.