Read Good Book, Lift Heavy Weight: Week 1, Sedona Method, Greatest Salesman In The World

[ULFBERHT]

This week of training was a test week. I'm preparing for a deadlift meet in June, so I'm trying to get a calibration on what I could possibly hit for that meet.

Day 1: Deadlift (AMRAP) 370, hit for 8 reps, Romanian Deadlift 2x10 285, Upright Row 4x10 145, Ab Wheel 5x8

Day 2: Front Squat (5 Rep Max) 225, Rack Deadlift 2x2 435, Bench 2x10 140 1x10 135, Tricep Pushdown 4x10 145, Bicep Curl 3x10 70 1x10 60

Day 3: Deadlift 2x4 325, Deficit Deadlift 2x6 285

Notes: Normally I train at least four days a week, but on Friday I had a minor procedure done at the hospital which barred me from hitting my final training day of the week.  I'll be hitting that tomorrow. It includes a Front Squat max along with some rows. I'll post that up next week.

This week was a little tough. My biggest struggle pertaining my strength training is actually not the strength training at all, but the EATING. If you want to lift big, ya gotta eat big. My problem is that for so long, and even until this day, I've battled with severe depression (more on that in coming posts). When I get depressed, I don't eat, and when I don't eat, I lose some performance in the gym. Getting my macros in is the one thing I haven't mastered completely, so if any of you have any ideas as to changing my ideas about food, developing strong habits, etc, I'm all ears. That's going to be one of the biggest things going forward with me- mastering the nutrition aspect of my training.

The Sedona Method:

As I mentioned above, forming a good eating habit and sticking to it is the biggest challenge I've faced thus far in achieving my strength training goals. I've noticed that in large part, I'm painfully subject to the whims of my emotions. Sometimes I'm simply too lazy to eat, sometimes I'm too depressed to give a shit- whatever the case, its my emotions that are dictating how strongly I adhere to my routine. Enter the Sedona Method.

At the moment I don't feel like going into too great detail, but the basic premise of the Sedona Method is that you can train yourself to become emotionally imperturbable by the process they call "letting go" or "releasing". It works like this: you notice yourself feeling/ experiencing an emotion that maybe isn't resourceful. Upon this observation, you ask yourself a series of questions designed to lead you to a point of "letting go" or "releasing" the negative emotion. In so doing, you allow yourself to feel the emotion and notice it, without it completely taking hold of you, either by unhealthy suppression or inappropriate expression of said emotion. Do you remember the video in which Leo talks about becoming an emotional superconductor? I believe the Method is what he was talking about.

The beauty of the Method is that its really a mindfulness practice in disguise. The magic is that by noticing our emotions and letting them pass through us seamlessly, we begin to become more mindful of the nature of our emotions and can thus manage them appropriately. Again, its not about suppressing our feelings or pretending we don't feel them. Actually, quite the opposite. The goal is to notice our feelings, notice that there is really no reason for them to be controlling us in the first place, let them go, and attain emotional mastery. The questions themselves are actually quite simple. You can do them anywhere, at anytime, and as I go further in depth into the book we'll begin exploring the deeper and deeper layers at which we can let go of limiting beliefs and negative emotions.

I've actually read the entire book, but I'm starting back at chapter one and I'll be focusing on one chapter a month. I'll post my gains/ experiences here every week. Buy the book!

The Greatest Salesman in the World

The self- help classic by Og Mandino! I began reading this book over two weeks ago and I really like what it's doing for me.

The story is about a lowly camel boy named Hafid who was given a set of scrolls by his mentor containing ancient wisdom about the art of salesmanship. As you read, however, you discover that the principles contained therein are not just for salesmen, but for anyone from any walk of life who wishes to make more of themselves and take their life to new heights.

Each scroll is a few pages long and contains affirmations and wisdom pertaining to the personal development of the virtues it takes to achieve great things in life. From forming good habits, to developing strong self esteem, to staying resilient, each of the ten scrolls is a pillar of strong wisdom for your personal development journey.

However, the point of the book is not to just read it, but to read it until every bit of wisdom is ingrained in your psychology. From the first scroll onward, you are commanded to read the scroll three times a day, everyday, and only then should you move to the next scroll. In all, it should take you about ten months to read the book! Don't let that put you off, though. The book in its entirety could easily be read in an afternoon, but the point is to affirm to yourself the principles contained in the scrolls so that they become a part of your operating system, as it were. Its affirmation and auto-suggestion at its finest. Buy the book.

So far I'm only on the first scroll. However, I feel that its already doing wonders for my motivation. Not only that, but the messages contained in the book are so uplifting, every time I read I keep my chin up and keep pressing on towards my goals. In fact I'm looking to get into my first sales job this year and I'm looking forward to putting the lessons to the test.

As a side note, there is a companion source for TGSITW called The Greatest Secret in the World, which is basically just a success recorder that you use  to track your progress with and adherence to the principles presented in the book. I will be using the companion source and I suggest you do as well.