Be The Superhero Version Of You

I want to talk about a very important fitness concept.

Who you are today, does not need to be who you are tomorrow.

So to kick this off, let’s look at three characters who didn’t start out all that heroic:

• Wreck-It Ralph is a video game character whose entire existence is based on wrecking things. It’s literally his job to be the bad guy.
• Black Widow, before she was avenging, spent her life training to be the perfect spy and assassin.
• Melvin Potter (aka Gladiator) was a career criminal trying to go straight, but his bad choices leave him open to extortion by the Kingpin.

That’s not what’s interesting about these characters though.

What makes them so compelling is that they refused to settle for the cards they were dealt, or the mistakes they may have made.

It wasn’t easy, and they definitely ran into their fair share of hurdles along the way, but they fought to take control of their own destinies because they wanted more for themselves.

And just like these characters, your life has not been pre-determined. Your fate is not woven into the threads at the foot of Yggdrasil.

You can make changes if you want to!

We All Have To Start Somewhere

Wreck-It Ralph was the bad guy his entire life, and he was good at it!

A life of never-ending smashing things with his ham-sized fists was all he knew.

That isn’t to say that Ralph didn’t want more though. Deep down inside all he really wanted to do was hang out with all the “good guys” after their day of endlessly rebuilding the things he smashed, at the whim of quarter spending kids, was over.

The problem?

He was known as the “bad guy.” That was his place. His role. His lot in life.

Ralph wanted to change things… he wanted to be more… but when he tried to change things up he met resistance and ridicule. Being the bad guy was what he was known for, so changing that image wasn’t going to be easy.

One day though Ralph decided he had had enough!

He was tired of just being the bad guy. He wanted more for himself.

So Ralph set out on a quest, an epic journey, in an attempt to re-invent himself from the ground up, and become the man he always wanted to be (and win the respect of his video-game cohorts in the process.)

Since you are reading a site like this, I am going to assume that just like Ralph you want to transform yourself; to be more than you are now.

So be like Wreck-It-Ralph.

Don’t wait; make the decision to be somebody new today… be fearless, even if the other people in your video-game life might not be supportive. These people know you as the person you were yesterday, they don’t know the superhero you have waiting within you.

Ignore any naysayers, funny looks or negative comments.

Prove them all wrong!

Be Who You Want To Be

For most of her life Natasha Romanoff, aka The Black Widow, was trained to be a bad person.

A very, very bad person.

Trained from a very young age as a KGB operative, she was schooled to obtain secrets at any cost and to assassinate targets with zero remorse or regret.

And like our boy Wreck-It-Ralph, she was extremely good at it.

One day though, on a mission to the U.S. to assassinate a Russian defector, after running into Iron Man she began to realize that perhaps she could do something better with her life.

Maybe she too could become a hero!

So she defected from her country, changed her path in life, and became an Avenger. Black Widow had a rough road ahead of her; it took some time for the Avengers to fully trust her. While she couldn’t erase her past, she did all that is humanly possible (and then some) to make up for it.

I want you to remember this – Who you once were doesn’t dictate who you can be.

You are in control of your life. If you don’t like the choices you have made up until now, then start making new choices!

It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how set in your ways. Whether you are 20 or 60, whether you eat fast food once a week or live off donuts and soda, whether you occasionally workout or your butt never leaves your couch…

If you want to do something different with your life then just do it (please don’t sue me Nike)!

Want to eat better? Revamp your diet.

Want to get flexible? Take up yoga and do some stretching.

Want to lose weight and/or build muscle? Start a regular strength-training program.

Look, if Black Widow can go from being a black operative assassin to being on a team with Earth’s mightiest heroes, then you can decide to get in better shape!

Do it right now!

Stay True To Yourself

Melvin Potter (aka The Gladiator) is a tragic case.

A career criminal who, after realizing the error of his ways and tangling with Daredevil a few times, tried to walk the straight and narrow by putting down his trademark sawblades and picking up a needle and thread to become a tailor.

Despite his best intentions, his past decisions left him susceptible to extortion; a fact that Wilson Fisk (aka the Kingpin) used to his advantage.

In both the comics, and the absolutely amazing Netflix series, Mr. Potter is forced to act as the Kingpin’s personal tailor; designing armored suits and laundering money… all of which violate his parole and jeopardize the new life he is trying to create for himself.

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” – Michael Corleone, The Godfather III

He hates who he once was and is terrified of what might happen if he falls back into his old ways.

It’s a rough situation.

Luckily he has the courage (and a little help from Daredevil) to stand up for what he believes in; defying the Kingpin and sticking to his convictions.

Just because you started off down one path in life does NOT mean you have to stay on it!

Is it going to be challenging to make changes? Yeah, it certainly will be.

Are there going to be people in your life that don’t want you to change, and who would rather you stay unhealthy so they can feel better about themselves? Unfortunately, you probably will.

Will you stumble occasionally? Of course, we all do!

Let none of that stop you!

You are just going to have to retrain your mind, develop your willpower, and then shed old habits and build some new ones.

Once you get moving, and pick up a little momentum, things will get easier.

Once you set your goals, stick with them. The challenge is worth it!

Become The Best Version Of You Possible

In a nutshell, all three of these villains-turned-heroes taught me one simple, yet important, lesson.

No-one can decide who you are going to be but you!

If you are not happy with the way your life has been going… If you are not content with the way you feel about yourself.

I want you to make a change.

Today.

Right now.

This very moment.

Decide what the superhero version of you is, and then embark on an epic journey to achieve it!

Start small, but make concentrated decisions on a daily basis to move you closer to your goals. Identify the steps and processes that need to happen to get you there and start working on them!

One day, one meal, one workout at a time.

If you’ve been overweight your whole life, there’s no reason you can’t make the dietary changes necessary to change it.

If you’ve never had a muscle you feel proud of flexing, there’s no reason you can’t put in the effort and train your body like a superhero.

If you’re in dead-end job you hate, there’s no reason to feel trapped. Get out there and pursue your passion.

If you don’t like your life, quit whining about it and change it!

We only get one shot at life, so who are you going to be?

A villain or a hero?

Who are you going to become? Let me know in the comments!

PS: If you want help becoming a real-life superhero, then make sure to get your copy of “The Heroes’ Transformation Guide“ and support the site. Don’t wait!

PPS: Also, be sure to get your free e-book, “The 7 Fitness Obstacles Newbies Face” by subscribing to our mailing list… (no spam, I promise!)