Shattering All Excuses

True Stories of inspirational people who just won’t let ANYTHING get in their way…

In fitness and in life, we face definite obstacles.  There’s just no way around it! There are times when something seems so painful or so impossible to reach, that the easiest decision is to give up on it. It’s amazing what we will do as human beings to avoid having to deal with pain!

Luckily, I’ve recently discovered a few stories that have  truly inspired me to never give up on pursuing my goals, and I’d like to share them with you. If you’ve ever thought that your struggles were too difficult or your obstacles were too painful on your path to achieving your goals, you must have a look at these inspiring stories, and let us know what you think.

Have a look at this first video, it’s impressive!

As a fitness professional, I  hear the “I’m too old” excuse all the time! And until I saw this story, I actually somewhat sympathized with it! It goes to show you that if you have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish, you can truly beat all the odds that may be stacked against you, even if you perceive that your physical age is one of them!

This next story is worth a few minutes of your time, I promise. If you’ve ever believed that the struggles to get to your fitness goals, or ANY of your life goals were just too difficult to overcome, this story will make you think again…

This one really hit home for me. How easy do you think it would have been for Dustin to just feel sorry for himself and do nothing?  He is doing the unthinkable!  As a multi-sport athlete, I’ve been through some rigorous training sessions and have been pushed to my limits physically and mentally. In retrospect, the mental toughness that was required to survive those battles seems quite insignificant compared to those of Dustin Carter. Your mindset is such a powerful tool, and Dustin demonstrates just how powerful it can be with the right spirit!

This last story is just as inspiring. I originally saw the entire piece on HBO and it left me speechless.  It’s the story of a NY Firefighter who is also a triathlete but who had experienced a horrible accident while in training.  He was hit by a bus(and pinned under it) in NYC while on a training ride one morning.  With a mangled body, he goes on to finish the Ironman in Hawaii.  I with that I could find the entire piece to share with you but I was only able to find a trailer for it.

For anyone out there that’s ever competed in a triathlon or any other competitive sport for that matter, this story really speaks to the power of the human spirit and what we’re capable of as human beings when we put our minds to something. If you’re down in the dumps for any reason, this is sure to pick you back up.

Wow! This certainly gave me a different perspective heading into my next training season. Just when you think you have it tough, you see a story like this one, and it really makes you realize how fortunate you are, and better yet, how attainable your goals really are.

These stories raise a few questions. What’s holding YOU back from pursuing your goals – fitness or otherwise? What barriers are out there that you feel might be standing in your way? We’d love to hear about them, and hopefully we can provide some helpful pointers and inspiration to help you on your journey to success.

Better yet, if you have any comments on these stories,  please share them with us in the comments section below. The more inspiration that we can share as a community, the better we can ALL become.  Thanks for sharing!

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Dennys Passeto