LNRD Blog, Cardio, Career Plan, College, Employment, Goals, Health, International Relations, Japanese, Weight Training

Accomplishing Goals & Creating New Ones

be-your-own-hero“When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.”
— Greg Anderson

I think that everyone that knows me, knows I am a driven and goal-oriented individual. I can remember the first goal I really set for myself was to get straight A’s in middle school (which I managed to accomplish)! In retrospect, I notice that I’ve always made my goals a priority in order to ensure that I am living life at my greatest potential and never compromising on the person that I am or who I want to become. With that being said, I am extremely pleased with the journey I’m on, today. My goal to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in less than four years has been accomplished, and so has my life-long goal of getting the opportunity to work in Japan (again, but this time) for the J.E.T. program!

As I prepare myself for 7 weeks of a daily gym grind before I leave for Japan, it’s evident to me that physical fitness is going to be a major priority in my life – especially now that I am no longer subject to the procrastinating, college-budget, and burden of upper-division courses coupled with the headaches and stress attached to them. I already know that I’m not at the standard that I would like to see myself at, but at the same time I understand the choices and sacrifices that I made were all necessary in order for me to get to where I am. If I was a betting man, I wouldn’t never bet against me accomplishing my goals (especially when I announce them publicly). Anyway, with that being said and as the French proverb goes: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it burned in one.”

So, what are some of my upcoming physical fitness goals?

  1. The Short-Term (0 – 6 months)

    Like I mentioned previously, I have a little over 7 weeks*, so I want to get myself back up to my standard 5-mile (long) run before I leave. I probably know that it’s going to be an arduous journey, but as long as I’m able to run 5 miles (non-stop) before I leave for Japan, I’ll at least have a back-up workout plan in case there aren’t any gyms for me to utilize while I’m there.

    I’ve already concocted a weight training regimen that I’ve combined with a solid hour of cardio, and hope to start getting back to hitting the gym twice a day. This may sound like a lot of work, but I’m totally excited about how things will turn out in the long-run.
    * I know this, because I’ve been updating my calendar. 

  2. 1The Middle-Term (6 months – 1 year)

    It’s hard to determine specificities when a major contributing variable won’t come into effect until I move to Japan, but irregardless of that I’d like to see my body and abs return by next summer. I think that ideally, I’ll need to fall into a habit of getting up (hours) before work and getting my workouts in. Again, I can’t predict what those routines will be until I get there, but I have a feeling that I’m gonna have to rely on some HIIT routines to replace weights. I’m sure I’ll update everyone once I fall into a routine in Japan.


  3. The Long-Term (1 – 5 years)

    Ideally, in 3-5 years, I’d like to see my body get lean, while maintaining a larger degree of muscle. Unlike my friend and fellow Marine-turned fitness model, Mangual, my body rectangles out more than most of the ideal triangular/v-shaped bodies. Either way, in the long-term I’d like my body to be closer to a lean runner’s build, or more of a body builder’s build. If it’s at all possible, I would also like to see my percent of body fat drop to less than 10%.

    In other words, I want to be in better shape than I ever was in the Marine Corps.

This will all happen in due time, and with the support from the people who have always been behind me and have supported me in all that I do, day-after-day and year-after-year. I’ve accomplished so much in my life and it’s, mostly in-part due to the fact that I create goals for myself. I never worked a single day in fast-food, I made received commendations and achievements for my work in previous occupations, I’ve never owned a “starter”-car (a.k.a. a lemon), I became a U.S. Marine, I’ve obtained my AA and BA in under 4 years, and now I’ll be working my dream job in Japan in a matter of weeks.

A quote that I fell in love with years ago was this one:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle

In everything I do, I don’t strive for mediocrity, I strive for excellence. The creation and accomplishing of goals isn’t just something that I do, but a habit that I form and require of myself. I think that the greatest part of my entire journey so far, however, isn’t the sum of my experiences or awards, but the people I’ve met, held onto, and even let go of along the way. When you transform yourself to be the best person you can possibly become, never forget the people that your transformation is affecting. Some will praise you and some will even curse you, but there will always be those that will stand by you throughout your entire life. Never lose sight of them. They are the stakeholders and the shareholders of your life, and whatever you accomplish can easily influence them as it does yourself.

Thank You!

to everyone that continues to stand by my side. There are just too many of you to name, (including a plethora of you that have adopted me into your families) but I guarantee that I will continue to make you all proud and that I won’t lose myself along this remarkable and transformative journey. I Love you all!