Getting strong via training is an intensely emotional experience.  Nothing in my life can compare to it.  The barbell is the equivalent to many struggles of life.  The progression and adaptation physically, is directly parallel to the emotional development of the lifter.  If the lifter is not as mentally enriched as physically, then they have missed the entire point of training.

Something that has helped me as a person and as an athlete/lifter, has been learning to embrace the "overtraining."  When I feel overtrained, I treat that as a positive sign that I'm increasing the work capacity.  I've become addicted to the intense feelings of heavy training.  I feel the rush of it all.  The struggle.  People say they want this goal, or that goal, but rarely do they actually do what is necessary to achieve them.

The thing that puzzles me is that more people don't strive for greatness.  It doesn't have to be lifting.  It doesn't even need to be physical.  If someone spent ten hours per day trying to become the best at jumping rope, I would be inspired.  Mastery of skill is amazing to all of us, so why not try to achieve a skill that you might be proud of? (Check out Robert Greene's Mastery)  It's been said that if one is good at something they'll tell people, but if he or she is great, people will tell them.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I get complimented on a skill I feel good.  When I feel good, the positive affirmation propels me to work much harder.  Do you see the connection I'm making?  You choose a skill to master that is in line with what you love to do.  You work tirelessly until you become great.  You begin to get positive feedback on your work.  You become great, and a very happy person.  My passion is training.  I train many hours per day, and try to share my experience with friends that have a similar passion for the life of training.

Some people may take longer to master their passion, and inspire others.  That is irrelevant.  Passion shines through the number, the product, or whatever mastery one seeks.  How long should you work on becoming the best you can be?  "How long do you give a child to learn to walk before you cut them off? UNTILLLL"  Learn to love the journey, the process, the trials and tribulations, and the failure of reaching your goals.  Work UNTIL you get where you want to be as a person.  Aim high.  Strive for greatness, I beg of you.

So to reach greatness in anything I have a few suggestions:

• Blaze your own path.  Try things that haven't been tried before.  Don't believe something is IMPOSSIBLE until you have truly poured everything you have into it.  If you don't try as hard as you possibly can, then you won't know what you're capable of.
• Learn to love what you need to love, to accomplish what you have to accomplish in your life.
• And lastly, understand that it is in our darkest, and deepest moments, that we discover who we truly are.