Monday Motivation: Be a Giant

Monday Motivation: Heart

Just forget that this is about "The U."

Monday Motivation: Ask Yourself Two Questions

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

Monday Motivation: Hip Hop Cello Player

This is a little different video then normal. After watching it, though, I can't help but feel like I want to work harder at my craft. Enjoy!

Monday Motivation: Get Better Every Day

Simple Concept.  Hard to do.  But, what if you did do it?  What would your life look like?


Motivation from Matthew Hanlon on Vimeo.

Monday Motivation: David Foster Wallace on Life

First, a warning, the speech I'm going to link you to will take you around 15-20 minutes to read.  It is the commencement speech David Foster Wallace gave to Kenyon College in 2005.  I've never read any of his books, but I was referred to the speech by a coffee barista who had the words, "This is Water, This is Water,"  tattooed on their forearm.

Second another warning, it will challenge the way you look at the world around you.  I can honestly say it has influenced how I think about things.  I can not say that about to many things.

When you get a bit of time, open the link.  Read it.  Think about it.  David Foster Wallace died in 2008.  I have a feeling this speech will be around for a long time.

Here is the link:  David Foster Wallace on Life and Work

Monday Motivation: A few quotes to ponder

I saw these on the Personal Excellence Blog.

“The consequences of today are determined by the actions of the past. To change your future, alter your decisions today.” ~ Anonymous

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beingshaving a human experience” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

“We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.” – T. S. Eliot

“There’s no next time. It’s now or never.”

 “For every effect there is a root cause. Find and address the root cause rather than try to fix the effect, as there is no end to the latter.”

“When you don’t get what you want, you suffer. If you get it, you suffer too since you can’t hold on to it forever.” – Peaceful Warrior, on the fallacy of attachment

“Every moment you get is a gift. Spend it on things that matter. Don’t spend it by dwelling on unhappy things.”

“There are no ordinary moments. There is always something going on.” – Peaceful Warrior

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everything around us is made up of energy. To attract positive things in your life, start by giving off positive energy.

Don’t put off living to next week, next month, next year or next decade. The only time you’re ever living is in this moment.

Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. – Mark Twain

Life is a gift. Never forget to enjoy and bask in every moment you are in.

The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced – Art Van Der Leeuw

“My life is my message.” – Gandhi

“If wrinkles must be written upon our brow, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should not grow old.” – James A. Garfield

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”

“In the beginning you will fall into the gaps in between thoughts – after practicing for years, you become the gap.” – J.Kleykamp (Regarding meditation)

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~ Jim Rohn

Monday Motivation: Nike Commercial "Ordinary People" w/ Tidiani Sokoba

Are you collecting hours? Malcom Gladwell has researched that it takes about 10,000 hours to accumulate the necessary time to reach greatness in your given endeavor. If you haven't read his book Outliers, I highly recommend it. Go earn your hours this week.

Monday Motivation: Words for Today

I found this on a file in my computer.  I can't remember where I picked it up. But I've always liked it.

every day

every day lose something.  Lose a fear, a prejudice, an assumption.  Lose yourself in a task.  Lose yourself in a moment.  Lose yourself to something that is bigger then yourself.  Lose the gut.  Lose the lazy mind.  Lose the apathetic spirit.  

every day find something.  Find the courage, the desire, the compassion.  Find something worthy to spend your life on.  Find a moment that you love.  Find laughter.  Find the faith.

every day break something.  Break a habit. Break a barrier.  Break the silence.  Break whatever keeps you from leaping, from flying, from soaring.  Break through.  

every day create something.  Create art.  Create a new way.  Create the person you would like to be.  Create a wish.  Create a smile.  Create something that has never existed and will never exsist if you don't act.  Create.

every day be something.  Be a person that can be relied on.  Be someone's anchor.  Be someone's sail.  Be a friend.  Be a student and a teacher.  Be something you never thought you could be. Be less.  Be more.  Be yourself. 

every day.  

Monday Motivation: Quote for the week

You will be what you will to be;

Let failure find its false content

In that poor word, "environment,"

But spirit scorns it, and is free.


It masters time, it conquers space;

It cows that boastful trickster, Chance,

And bids the tyrant Circumstance

Uncrown, and fill a servant's place.


The human Will, that force unseen,

The offspring of a deathless Soul,

Can hew a way to any goal,

Though walls of granite intervene.


Be not impatient in delay,

But wait as one who understands;

When spirit rises and commands,

The gods are ready to obey.

Monday Motivation

I took this picture on the University of Washingtons shoreline where their rowing teams compete and practice every day. I think it pretty much sums up a lot. Apply it this week.

Monday Motivation: More 3rd World Weight Rooms

A good friend of mine takes student Athletic Trainers to the Dominican Republic twice each year. They provide care that the locals would otherwise never ever get a chance of receiving. It also give the students some hands on experience. This past trip, he sent me back some photos of a make shift weight room they found. It reiterates, never let your lack of equipment become an excuse for not working out.

Monday Motivation: Soldiers Serving

This past February I was lucky enough to get to go the Vancouver Olympics.  We had 3 men's teams competing there.

It was needless to say an amazing experience.  One of the great things was getting able to work with awesome, amazing people.  One such person was John Napier.  He was featured in Parade Magazine.  He was the youngest bobsled pilot on tour.  He is in a program called World Class Athletes Program.  He is a soldier in the US Army.

After the Olympics John decided he wanted to serve a more active roll, so he volunteered to go to Afghanistan.

He could have easily just have stayed home and done the glorified recruitment tours talking about his Olympic experience.  John went the other way.  He is serving in Afghanistan as you read this.  People like this are amazing in my book.

Here are a few pics of their, "weight room."  Don't ever complain about your gyms lack of equipment.  Don't ever complain your gym is to hot or to cold.  Actually, next time you have something to complain about, don't.

Monday Motivation

"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."

by Nietze.

 Think about that when you're training or doing anything important.  Basically, even Nietze understood the power of a clearly defined goal.  If you don't lose track of the goal, the WHY, you won't get off track, no matter what, no matter the HOW.  

Monday Motivation: Why it is Important

Motivation is a powerful thing.  I forget where I heard this story, but I've heard it before, and just recently heard it again.  A man gets locked in a storage freezer, one of those big ones.  He gives up hope and starts to write on it, getting colder.  A bit later, writes, freezing, hands going numb.  Even later he writes, can't feel anything.  He dies.  He's found and it's discovered that the freezer was broken, it never got colder then like 59 degrees F.  He had plenty of air, he should have lived.  His mind convinced him he was dying.

What you think had profound impact on your reality and your life.   You can't say if you think positive that great things will always happen, that's unrealistic.  But there is pretty substantial data to say if you think negative all the time, great things will certainly come slower, if it all.  Whether you think you talk to yourself or not, you do.  It's estimated you speak 800-1400 words a minute to yourself.  Better fill it with positive words.  Words paint pictures.  Just as if your staring at it.  Your mind doesn't know the difference between the two.

A Vietnam POW was in prison for 5 years.  Every day he woke up and to keep himself sane, would play 18 holes in his head of his favorite golf course.  He would imagine every swing, every situation.  He pictured himself walking the course.  He read the green.   When he was finally released he went to that golf course and shot 5 shots better then he ever had.  He had been in a 5x5 cell for 5 years!

Motivation can help you paint better pictures, that's why it's important.  Think great words, paint great pictures.  Expect a great week!

Monday Motivation: Dean Karnazes in Holland, MI

This past weekend I had a chance to hear Dean Karnazes speak in Holland, MI.  He talked about his beginning running days and how he has started to do a little stand up paddling as a cross training tool.  He was actually in Holland for a long board competition.

If you have never heard his story it's pretty amazing.  At the age of 30 he was out drinking celebrating his 30th birthday.  He came to the conclusion he wanted a different path, "I had no challenges."  He left the bar through off his clothes, found an old pair of running shoes and ran 30 miles that night.  The ultramarathon man was born.  Dean has gone on to do some astounding feats.  Badwater 9x.  82 straight hours of running.  50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.  Take a minute to digest that one.  How many have actually exercised 50 straight days!

While I wouldn't take away any training advice from him, he admits this openly, "Don't try to do what I do.  Don't listen to my advice."  Lets just say it out loud, he's a freak of nature.  A few years back they did a gait analysis on him.  The conclusion, he has a perfect foot strike, the perfect gait, the perfect alignment.

I did take away he kept going back to his alignment.  My alignment is always on, I'm always balanced, that's why I have never been hurt.  So before big runs, big bikes, get your alignment checked.  Posture, vertebral alignment, muscle balance, the keys to staying healthy.

The other thing to take away, the body is capable of much more then we give it credit for.  His future plans, run a marathon in every country of the world in one calendar year in 2012.  For those counting that's 205 marathons.  Lets hope we can all exercise 205x in one year.  Get out there and get moving!

Monday Motivation

Can't is the word that is foe to ambition,

An enemy ambushed to shatter your will;

Its prey is forever the man with a mission

And bows but to courage and patience and skill.

Hate it, with hatred that's deep and undying,

For once it is welcomed 'twill break any man;

Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying

And answer this demon by saying: "I can."--Guest

Monday Motivation from Michigan States Games in Grand Rapids

This past Saturday I was one of the medical volunteers at the Michigan State Games.  It was the first time Michigan has had a state games.  I was at the track and field and rugby venues in East Kentwood High School.  First, East Kentwood facilities are impressive.  It's like a small college.  Second, there was some really cool people roaming around.

The Track and Field had events from the 50 yard dash for the kids up to a 5K cross country race.  They had an Elite Mile, that was run in 4:04 seconds.  They had a 2 year old compete in the long jump, the youngest and a 74 year old compete in the 200 meter, the oldest.  It's pretty awesome watching a 74 year old rolling around the corner in the 200 meter.

A 64 year old athlete pole vaulted 9 feet.  A local track standout from East Kentwood, coming off an impressive performance at the Track National Championships in North Carolina, won the 100 meters in 10.96.

I'm sure with the kind of efforts put forth from all these athletes from all different ages and abilities, The Michigan State Games will continue to grow.  The take home message, keep competing, keep playing, regardless of ability.

Monday Motivation from local Grand Rapids Rider

It's pretty easy to make excuses. No time, don't feel good, they have better equipment, the list could easily go on and on. This past weekend Train Out Pain athlete Danielle Musto raced in the 100 mile MBR Lumberjack 100. Congratulations on finishing an impressive 3rd riding a single speed in the open division. Here is a RACE REPORT.

It shows you two things. A strong foundation and strong training can sometimes keep you in the game/race when an unfortunate virus doesn't allow you to be at your very best.  Determination can go a long way.

Are you laying a strong foundation?

Monday Motivation: Mike Tyson Training & Knockouts

Hope you had a great weekend, here is a clip of Mike Tyson. Regardless of your opinion, you can't deny for a few years, he was considered unbeatable. I've heard from a few trainers, that he would work till he puked and keep coming back for more. Evander Holyfield, renowned for his fitness, said Mike was the only one who had ever out worked him when they were coming up in the ranks as young teenagers.