If At First You Don’t Succeed… Try Again!

Hope you all had a great Bank Holiday weekend! Mine has been quite eventful… I competed at Miami Pro European – one of the biggest physique contests in the UK this year.  In Fitness Model category I won my group and took the overall title, coming out on top in a competition of about 30 guys. Totally ecstatic about it!! Even more so because of how long it took me to win my first show – I entered my first contest in September 2010, this was the 3^rd time I was competing with Miami Pro, and my 6^th contest in total. And it’s been a rocky path from the beginning.

First of all – I was never supposed to be doing these things. I had a bone condition that left me terribly unfit – I couldn’t do a single push-up or pull-up until I started weight training at the age of 17. Tell me – does this kid look like a future champion fitness model?? Not quite sure about that.

Anyway… Fast-forward almost 10 years, and I’m entering my first competition. I saw a poster, got intrigued and decided to take up the challenge. I had no idea what to expect, I just did it for the adventure. And even then bad things were happening – I dropped a weight plate on my foot backstage (the dumbbell fixings were loose!!). I still rocked the stage, and to my surprise placed 3^rd. I thought “Wow… That means I can really do it!” so I kept competing acquiring a string of 2^nd place finishes. And I couldn’t help but getting upset about it – that feeling when you come so close to achieving your goal many times but it just keeps slipping through your fingers…

I can’t say that quitting never crossed my mind, however, rationality always took over. I just programmed myself to see that 2^nd place as an encouragement in order to prevent defeatist attitude. In my mind every time it was just a confirmation that I have what it takes – just had to bring it!! I kept facing adversity – for example, catching a stomach flu a week before my last show and totally losing my condition. But it didn’t matter. I knew there would be a second act very soon. I knew that if I make all the necessary steps the time would come for me to succeed. And so I did.

In order to have this sort of perseverance you must have a healthy self-image. You can’t allow self-limiting beliefs to take over. In most occasions we have a far greater potential than we think. That doesn’t mean that you have to be delusional. The likelihood of you running 100m faster than Usain Bolt is very very small.  You even got more of a chance in turning a billionaire. However, if you set rational goals, focus on them, and allow your creative mechanism of success to work its magic, steering and correcting course where necessary – there is nothing that can stop you.

Committed to your success,

Ru “The Sculptor” Wikmann