You are Awesome too.
This is important since the first part of becoming Awesome is realizing that you are already awesome….
And that being Awesome is a choice.
So what is Being Awesome?
Well, let me start by saying that this is the NEW Awesome. So don’t think Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure type of Awesome…
It’s also not the pretentious jerk version of awesome. Awesome has evolved to something greater than this.
Think more along the lines of a mystical force..kind of like the Tao.
It’s something then when you are ‘in-line’ with it, it makes a difference in your life without taking a lot of effort.
If the traditional use of awesome is “That which inspires awe” think of the new Awesome as “That which inspires Awe in one’s self”
So vaguely Being Awesome is:
The ability to inspire yourself and to be inspired by Yourself
(OK so the exact definition is still a work in progress)
The most important part of being Awesome is remembering that being Awesome is a choice, and the more time you spend being awesome, the more being awesome becomes second nature.
So remember, you are already awesome, and you can become more awesome with a little practice.
For instance:
If you are complaining or whining, just remember, you could be being awesome instead.
I’m not sure why but it seems as a whole we are becoming a very negative group of people. We whine on TV, we whine on Talk Radio, we whine on blogs and in forums…This isn’t constructive or positive..therefore it’s not awesome. If you catch yourself in one of those downward spirals of complaining or whining, stop and think about the fact this thinking in this way is a choice, so you can change it.
Being awesome is that easy.
A large part of being Awesome is learning not to compare yourself to others. Instead you should compare yourself to the way you want to be…when you stop and think about it, there is a difference between the two.
Another way of improving your awesomeness is by learning from other people (since we are all awesome in some way)
Every one of the people in your life has qualities that are awesome. Spend time thinking about this and A) appreciate those traits even more (and maybe even let them know you appreciate it) and B) incorporate them into your own awesomeness.
My brother in law is really good at returning phone calls and emails. I think this is awesome, so it’s something I’m going to try to incorporate into my own awesomeness.
It’s as simple as that.
Warning: Awesome can be stolen from you…
Now here’s what you have to watch for…some people will want to crush your awesomeness. For some reason there are people out there who are really uncomfortable with the idea of someone thinking that they are awesome. As if we should all be grumpy or unsatisfied with life.
So remember awesomeness is an INTERNAL thing, it’s your ability to inspire awe in yourself, not what others think of you.
Here’s an example:
A friend of mine posted a comment about building muscle for aesthetics in a CrossFit forum. In the forum he was bashed hard for not wanting to be ‘functional’ and because he “probably does 20 sets of biceps every workout”.
(Granted this was probably not the best place to pose a question of this nature, and I don’t know the nature or tone of the conversation…but I digress)
The point is this…to be Awesome, you have to OWN YOUR GOALS.
It doesn’t matter if people think your goals are dumb, useless or crazy…if something is YOUR goal then you owe it to yourself to be Awesome at it. If you listen to everyone else’s opinions on your goals you are externalizing your awesomeness, and this just doesn’t work.
This is how being Awesome can greatly improve your fitness and weight loss goals…because you learn to stick with your goals and not worry about everyone else’s goals. So awesomeness is also a focused happiness.
You have to own your awesomeness.
Being Awesome also helps with other facets of life.
I have a friend who wanted to buy a manufacturing Plant. He had a successful company, but knew that it would be even more successful if he owned his manufacturer.
For two years I watched people continually tell my friend that he was crazy, or insane, or dreaming. I watched investors turn him down, business partners question his business sense..but he never backed down. For two years he stuck with it, because he knew he was awesome.
He purchased the plant last year, and his business is booming.
So to repeat: you have to own your awesomeness.
You know you are doing it right when your friends all think you are a little crazy, but they love you for it. (as opposed to being a pretentious “I’m Awesome and you’re not” jerk).
Another part of being awesome is not pushing your goals on everyone else.
You want giant biceps but your friend wants a strong functional core…neither goal is ‘right’ but you both owe it to yourselves to be awesome at that goal.
So a main part of being awesome is being happy enough with yourself that you don’t really care what other people think about you, and you don’t feel threatened when people have goals that differ from yours.
Being awesome also involves OWNING your LIKES.
To me fasting is AWESOME. I hope you like it too, but it’s not going to bother me if you’re not a fan.
When people ask me why I like fasting, I could hit them with all the boring scientific jargon, or I could answer “Because fasting is awesome”
Granted, this answer probably seems silly to most people, but after reading this post I hope you would understand that what I am actually saying is “When I’m fasting I inspire myself” …awesome takes on a whole new meaning when you think of it that way.
If you really like something let it be yours, it shouldn’t matter if other people like it or not. And on the flip side, if your friends really like something that you’re just not into, don’t sweat it.
Another part of being Awesome is OWNING your ACTIONS.
Be awesome by doing awesome things.
On the drive home from work ask yourself “Would it be awesome if I took 2 minutes out of my day and picked up some flowers for my wife/girl friend/daughter/mother?” If the answer is YES, then do it..because it would be awesome.
If you are running late for a lunch meeting because you are watching movie trailers on-line ask yourself “Is it awesome I’m about to be late because I’m watching movie trailers?” if the answer is NO, then close your computer and get going…
OK…so now the million dollar question:
What the heck is a post about being Awesome doing on a health and fitness blog?
Well, I’ve been doing a lot of reading on inflammation, stress, mind set and long term health. The science is impressive and is worthy of a whole new book, but for now let’s just say they are connected.
8% body fat, shredded abs, muscle like liquid marble…these things may not matter as much as having the right attitude when it comes to the quality or length of your life.
I once had a chance to talk with the very Controversial Dr. Aubrey DeGray…a person many people consider to be a visionary in the area of life extension and longevity.
He told me that when you look at the world’s centenarians (people who live to 100 or older) it’s very hard to find any connection between them all. There were no real diet or exercise correlations. But, the one thing he did say was that if they had anything in common at all, it’s that they all seemed to smile a lot.
It’s easy to smile when you’re awesome.
BP