Bridging the Gap Between Gratitude and Greatness By Warming Up For Success

We often attribute success to the driven individuals that are mentally tough have the willpower to overcome adversity. However, what if someone doesn't possess those cherished qualities? What if they have the potential and have access to the opportunities for growth but still find it difficult to improve their circumstances? In today's episode we explore the idea of learning how to effectively warm up towards our biggest goals. Just like in fitness, warming up prepares us for life's greatest challenges. Remember, growth is a privilege and excellence is a choice. Always seize the opportunity for discovering success.

Greatness often starts with humble beginnings.

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Transcript

How’s it everyone, my name is Mike Cabuco, and welcome to another episode of the Love Notes for Life podcast, your creative space for amplifying greatness through gratitude.

So, what is the biggest goal you've ever achieved? Actually, let me throw in some context to that. What is the biggest goal that you've ever achieved, that scared the living crap out of you? And, at the same time, at that particular point in your life, it felt like the hardest thing that you’ve ever had to work for?

Surprisingly and thankfully, I've had a few. Getting my bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Yea, that was a pretty tough 4 years, but I made it. And then there was the time that I found the courage to quit my first professional job after being there for over 10 years. And it was all for the right reasons. I landed a dream job with better pay and a better work environment. But I had to move to Seattle, Washington, which was pretty cool, but it was a place where I had zero family ties and only a few friends, and I pretty much had to start from ground zero. That was equally tough. But I think my biggest goal that seemed impossible at one point in my life was achieving my fitness goals. Funny thing is, I was actually scrolling through my old progress photos from 2 years ago, and it’s crazy what 2 years of hard work and dedication can do for you. I mean 2 years ago, I looked like a completely different person that had a lot of fear. That had a lot of hesitation. But you know what? We ain’t doing that bad nowadays. Cue Drake’s “Started From The Bottom Now We’re Here.” 

Bottomline, for every big goal that I've ever pursued, in the beginning they all felt similarly frightening. 

It’s a fact that big goals are scary and when you haven’t achieved them, they feel seemingly impossible. But they’re unique to you. They’re a calling, a vocation, a drive that pushes you to keep moving forward. And they’re kind of like a lighthouse in the distance, and in the beginning, you can barely make it out because of all that fog that clutters your vision. However, with the right navigational tools and purpose, that ship that you sailed off in can survive the most unforgiveable conditions. Sure, there are the heavy risks involved depending on how big your goal is. There’s the choppy waters, the rip currents, the piercing pirates, daring sea dragons, and a kraken that can pull you under when it’s not acting as the head figure for a Seattle hockey team, but regardless of the adversity, through time and experience, big goals can become possible.

And that's life, that's taking chances, and when you can bridge the gap between greatness and gratitude, that’s when you can really convince yourself to pushing towards your goals and vanquishing the abyss.

And what's even more interesting is that when you achieve those goals, those targets that felt so scary at one point in your life, give you a rush of confidence. It is a moment that is so hard to replicate, but nonetheless it makes you feel like you can do more. Like, you’re craving for more and when you get back to a sense of homeostasis, back to a normal life, it makes it feel like that’s just not enough. That the idea of just stopping becomes a foreign idea and rather than just basking in the moment, celebrating the win, you find the drive and hunger for more.

 And that’s the thing, driven people understand driven individuals and the need for more. Yet, that obsession can be kind of off-putting to those that take a much more relaxed position in life. I mean, the chill out crowd. So like, have you ever found yourself in that position? Like you try to talk about your post-goals, your goals after the big goals, and some people just think you’re kind of crazy like, aren’t you satisfied? Can you like chill out already and take it easy? Why do you have to keep on working and keep on pushing?

 And I can give you the cop out answer which is I’m just built differently. I’m wired to want more in life. I just can’t stop living and what’s there left to do? Because I’m determined to seek my maximum potential.

 But that really doesn’t really help any of the other people right? That are just simply looking for composure in their lives. That are simply looking for, “Hey I just need to make it through today!”

 So, it brings me back to one of my intentions for writing Love Notes for Life. And I admit, I wrote this book initially for individuals who share my love for competition but could probably benefit from just chilling out, once in a while, in between the chaos of striving for success. And my drive for writing Love Notes for Life, was to explore that idea of greatness through gratitude. In a sense, it was a potential state where you could be satisfied with your accomplishments and still leave room for achieving added value. I mean I don't necessarily think that gratitude means giving up and I think that's how it usually gets misinterpreted. Like, when people say, “Be thankful you got a job” or “Be thankful you’ve got a roof over your head” or “Be thankful that your needs have been met.” I get it and I am grateful, but when you find yourself at that level, where you have the privilege to do more? And you have the opportunities that others don’t have and then you say well you know what I’m just going to hit cruise control and take it easy, I really think that’s a big disservice to others that don’t have the same privilege that you do. And Love Notes for Life is about encouraging people to not settle for less especially when you’re in a position to discover more success. And for me, that's the most important aspect of amplifying greatness through gratitude.

And this is where my conflict lies. I acknowledge that there is this inevitable divide between people that strive to do better and individuals, that have the potential, that have their needs met, but just look at the big goal and say, “Nope. Not today.” But you know what, one of my vocations in life is somehow, somehow, to encourage people that they’ve got the spunk, they’ve got the posture, and they’ve got the willpower to achieve big goals especially when they’re totally possible.

But, of course, as a little bit of a disclaimer, because I admit, I may have not done the best job at it. I’m trying. You know I’m trying and I know that I can do better. But recently, and I hate to say it, I kind of failed my coworker.

 So here’s a little bit of a back story. So, my coworker, and let’s call him Ben for the sake of this conversation, is a big boy and no, not powerlifting or strongman style big boy, but more like Gabriel Iglesias fluffy style big boy. And, after he found out about how I managed to transform my body from fluffy to fit, he often would ping me for fat loss advice. At first, he just couldn’t believe it and all he wanted to know was, what was my secret. Ahh yes. The secret of weight loss. I mean, I wish it was some thought-provoking grand piece of advice, but really, nowadays it doesn’t really feel like a secret. And I guess, back then it did feel like a secret to me as well, but nowadays, weight management is just a polished skill I’ve gotten really good at. I go up, I go down, maintain, etc. It doesn’t matter. Tell me what you want, and I’ll get it done.

 But for Ben, this was all uncharted territory. I’ve had the calories talk with him. I’ve also had the macros talk with him. And of course, I emphasized the importance of resistance training. But it seemed like every time that we talked, it seemed like I was talking in a foreign language. And I didn’t get it at first. I thought I was clear in my intentions, and I thought I communicated my ideas effectively. But what I didn’t realize was that the language that I was using, the vocabulary, it didn’t mesh with where he was at his fitness level of education. I made a mistake in assuming we both spoke the same language.

And then the day came when I really miscued the suggestions.

So, one afternoon right before he left the office, he asked me, “Hey Mike, so what’s the best thing to eat at a fast-food restaurant that won’t get me fat?” Okay…well I said,

Everything!

It’s just calories bro. Macros man! Protein? Fats? Carbs? You know? Team IIFYM!?

Anyways he says, “So you really believe that huh? That’s all it takes? It’s all about calories?”

And that was the point that I realized that everything that I told him, all the encouraging ideas, all the advice, was pretty much for nothing. Or maybe something. I don’t know, but clearly, he wasn’t listening to me. But, after so many years of working with people, running meetings, and collaborating with peers, I realized that the issue wasn’t that he wasn’t listening, but rather I could’ve done a better job at dropping my ego and start with the small advice. Rather than dumping all this information on him, I could’ve just started by just listening first before speaking. I mean like really listening not just on a surface level, but at a level where we both could’ve had a proper conversation.

So, then he looks at me, with a complex look of perplexity and then he opens up and tells me that his weight management has gotten so bad. And at this point, even his health insurance company is finally stepping in and telling him that if he doesn’t lose the weight, then they’ll cut him off his coverage. Woah. Yikes. Didn’t expect that…

His fast-food question was more than just innocent small talk at that point and me telling him that he could eat anything on that menu was kind of like telling a drug addict, man you can just do whatever you want, do any drugs you want as long as you do it in moderation. You know what that’s super horrible advice and I hope you don’t say that to anyone else. And now I see how easily advice can gets misinterpreted especially when you don’t start with small goals.

So after he opens up to me, I switch gears, regain my composure, and tell it to him straight. This time, in a much more digestible way. “Alright dude, real talk. Are you maintaining weight?” He said, “Yes.” Then I said, “Okay that’s actually a good sign. So, what’s one thing that you can give up? And I’m not saying change your diet radically. But what’s one single item that you can let go from your daily intake?” He said, “Well, you know what I usually start my morning off with a Frappuccino. And maybe I can give that one up?” “Okay, so now we’re getting somewhere. Just do it. No maybes. For now, let’s drop that tasty Frappuccino and if you still want it, it’s all good, just treat it more like a weekend treat and don’t double up. Just maybe have one Frappuccino per week.” And he was still a bit skeptical, but I think my approach that time was a little bit better than where we actually started at.

And, I really, really, really, really hope that the advice that I gave him at least gave him something to think about but, as you all know, in the end, we can only do so much to help others because that’s really the main purpose of advice. We can only offer encouragement and after that, it’s up to the individual to run with it and see if it sticks.

Alright, well that’s that for damage control. Anywho, so big goals. Here’s one from me.

Imagine this. It’s leg day. You're loading up the squat rack. You grab six 45 plates and start loading them up on the barbell. Three 45 plates on each side and you commit to the weight. You duck under the barbell, press it against your traps, and take a deep breath and try to unrack the barbell. And then it doesn’t budge. It doesn’t move and now your train of thought is totally discombobulated. Your momentum gets shot down and you think, well, that’s just a fluke, let's try this once again. But then you also hear this tiny voice saying, "maybe not today Mike? Maybe not?" But since you're here and of course Mr. Ego is saying that “Let’s get this done”, you attempt it once again.

So this time around the bar lifts, but now you feel the extreme pressure of 315 pounds on your upper back and your legs begin to slightly wobble and your confidence has peaked and has seemed to exit stage left. Woah where is he now?! So he’s gone, but your willpower is ever present and you step back, take a deep breath, and you start to go down.

Yet, before you even barely approach a half squat you immediately pop back up and say, "Nope. not today bro. Nope. Nope. Nope! It’s not going to happen."

Good. Because that’s the smart call especially when you’re not ready to earn your weight.

And for many of the powerlifting bros out there and gals, shout out to Jessica Buettner, can squat 315 with no problemo, but at one point in their lives, 315 was a big goal and they all worked up to that weight. And they learned the art of warming up for life.

So, at the time of this recording, it’s Saturday and I just back from leg day and man, today was definitely a good day. So, I usually start off leg day with a pretty good warm up routine that starts off with 5 minutes of light cycling then I follow it up with some dynamic stretch routine and then I gear up and start to setup the squat rack. Now, today, just felt different and something in my gut told that I was going to hit a PR. But, you know I acknowledged that little voice in head and I kept it in the back of head and rather than rushing into my goal, I just said you know what, I’m sticking with routine and did my 4 warmup sets. One set at 40% of my working load. Followed by 50%, then at 60%, and then a quick warmup set at 85% before finally loading the bar with my final working weight.

I went through checks. Knees were feeling good. I can feel blooding rushing through my joints. My lower back feels solid and my traps were ready for the pressure of the bar. I just could sense that today was going to be a good day.

So then, you know what, I counted off, 1, 2, 3, unracked the bar, commit to the weight, and I began to squat.

So, the first rep felt easy. It felt different. This time around it did feel like I’ve earned my weight. And then I continued to squat, and progress through my reps, and now at this point it felt like a game. I was having a great time and then I hit my goal. But even when I did hit my goal I didn’t stop there because I knew that I had a little more in the tank. I kept going because I knew that I had more to give and on that last set, I racked the barbell, put it back onto the lifting rack points, and I just kind of just stepped back and I kind of did this little silent celebration you know, like kind of like this silent golf clap in the gym where people don’t like think you’re weird and stuff but you can’t help it because you’re smiling uncontrollably, but yea, man, like I hit my PR. I finally hit my PR from last week. And this weekend, I hit my PR of 205 for 6 reps. And yea dude, like it ain’t 315, but it’s all good because it’s a step forward and I’ll take it.

So, today was not too shabby and it was a good day, and it was one of those moments that reminded me that the stars don’t always have to align to achieve your biggest goals. Essentially, as long as you can identify your target, your destination, then you can start at any level and the work up from there. We all have different starting points, but we all can benefit from the personalized warm up. So whether it’s starting a fat loss or muscle building journey, just remember to start with the basics. Start with the essentials, gather the right ingredients, and map out the steps needed to get you from point A to point B. As they say, Rome wasn’t built over night and the same goes for your goals. Have realistic expectations, but never, never, never, never settle for less.

Remember, growth is a privilege and excellence is a choice. Be grateful for the opportunities and exercise mental toughness. Practice makes progress and always make time to warmup to achieve greatness.

Thanks, y’all for tuning in to another episode of the Love Notes for Life podcast. I look forward to continuing this conversation of awareness and amplifying greatness through gratitude. If you’re enjoying the Love Notes for Life podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, and other major podcast platforms. The Love Notes for Life apparel and book is now available at lovenotesforlife.com. For the latest updates be sure to track the mindset by following me @mikecabuco on Instagram or Twitter.

Thanks, y’all for the support and always remember, “There is beauty in knowing that there is only one of you.” Take care.