The 5 Principals of Star Strong by Jason Colenzo

  Five Star Strong looks at the broader spectrum of the fitness and physical culture. A gym or road race can bring together members who may have nothing in common except for their love of achieving physical self-actualization. For those people, the goal is simple but the method on how to get there is a long journey that one must be ready to take on with full force. Principle #1: Confidence In order to go full force, a person needs confidence. Confidence isn’t made and it certainly can’t be bought. Confidence is an internal issue that a person must master within himself if he wants to achieve greatness. Look at professional athletes like Kobe Bryant or Floyd Mayweather. Both have caught flack from society because of their often perceived smug attitude and arrogance. However, arrogance can be amplified confidence, and both men ooze it. They both dominate their respective sports, and whether the fans like it or not, they are the real deal. Confidence, or lack thereof, can make or break a person. Someone may have all the physical tools to be great at his sport, but if he is unsure about himself, he will get nowhere. How many times have you seen 300-lb kids who could be Division 1 linemen just throw it all away because they don’t believe in themselves or they don’t think they’re “good enough?” Confidence can be hindered by negative thoughts. Being around negative people and focusing on negative things in your life won’t get you anywhere. Negative people are envious of successful people and you must do everything in your power to remove all contact with people like this. They will drag you down and your chances of meeting your goals will diminish. Always carry yourself with confidence because you never know who you may come across in your life. That firm, sincere handshake at a lunch meeting may be the icing on the cake to getting you a job promotion. Try to think of all the positives in your life and be thankful for them. Learn to incorporate these positive happenings in your everyday life through writing, meditating, and thinking. Let these positive thoughts be the driving force of your consciousness and learn to become a better person.  

Principle #2: Desire If you watch any successful person, it’s rare to find someone who isn’t driven. Unless the person has insanely good genetics, he can’t afford to be lackadaisical. All successful people have desire. For anyone to accomplish something they want, they must have the desire necessary to put in the work to become successful. It doesn’t matter if it’s cake decorating, weight lifting, or bear wrestling. If you want to be the best, you have to desire to be the best. It has been said that someone who has honed his craft exceptionally will have put in over 10,000 hours specifically to that skill or trade. Take for instance weight lifting. If you train for one hour a day four days a week and read about training for maybe four hours a week, it would take you 25 years to reach this level. Unless you want to remain mediocre, you will cut this time down significantly and put in more time acquiring the skills necessary to become strong. A person’s desire keeps the fire burning. That fire ignited when he found his love for his craft. People can become demotivated over time due to injuries, illness, or plateauing. The people who are bound to be more successful are those who lick their wounds and keep pushing because they desire. Give your all into whatever it is you want to do. You must want to be the best in order to do the work necessary to become the best. If you shoot for the moon and miss, you will still be among the stars. If it means sacrificing weekends filled with beer drinking and instead focusing on cardio, water, and good nutritional habits, it’s your duty to fulfill these needs. Organize your goals so the ones you have the most desire for are the ones that garner most of your energy. Satisfaction is the death of desire.