TRUE STRENGTH
By Todd Durkin, MA, CSCS
It all began a couple months ago when I was invited to conduct some special workouts for the NFL athletes participating in the Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO) Increase Conference held in San Diego last week (March 3-6th). PAO’s mission is to support professional athletes by integrating faith, family and career. The leadership of PAO understands the unique challenges of competing on a world stage. They know that along with fame and fortune, athletes and their families often face incredible obstacles, including isolation and loneliness. The leaders of this organization take on the challenge of making some of the strongest people in the world even stronger from within.
Fast-forward to a few weeks ago when a friend sent a story to me from National Public Radio. It was called, Preventing Suicide with a ‘Contagion of Strength’. My friend noticed how much similarity there was between my core message and the message of the organization, Sources of Strength, discussed in the story. Sources of Strength is a fast-growing suicide prevention program for middle and high school students. The leadership of this group is doing amazing and important work with our kids to build the kind of inner strength young people need as they navigate their teen years and beyond.
Two organizations building inner strength in men and women, girls and boys. Strength to cope, to survive, to thrive. In other words – TRUE STRENGTH.
TRUE STRENGTH is built on health and wellness, faith, positivity, and support. It doesn’t matter our age, our talents, or our interests, because we all need TRUE STRENGTH.
How we build TRUE STRENGTH may not be easy, but it is simple. It is a set of choices and a way of life.
CHOOSE to get your mind right. This is the starting line. Feed your mind with positivity. Surround yourself with the support of family and friends. Gift yourself 10 minutes of quiet time each day. Acknowledge gratitude. Be generous with your heart. Find your inner strength.
CHOOSE to condition for greatness. Exercise, nutrition, recovery, sleep. Care for your body today like you will live to be 110 years old. And ask yourself this question: How do I want to feel each morning? Then take a hard look at your exercise, nutrition, recovery and sleep habits. Start with small changes and get 1% better each day.
CHOOSE to nurture your faith. It doesn’t matter if you call yourself religious or spiritual or something in between, I’m not certain how any of us make it through life without faith. My mom and dad planted the seed in me a long time ago. They watered it and gave it sunlight to grow when I was a boy. But as an adult, I have to care for my faith. I have to practice it. To work on it. To live it. And I do.
My friend, this is the bottom line: it doesn’t matter if you are the highly visible NFL athlete or the 13-year old (or 20, 30, 40 or 50 year old) who sometimes feels invisible: we all live side by side in our communities. We are here for each other. We rely on each other. Our words and actions IMPACT others.
This is the GOAL: To have and to show TRUE STRENGTH for yourself and for others.
Stop and look around you to see the people rooting for you, cheering you on, and ready to help keep you strong.
So, get out there and build your TRUE STRENGTH. Nurture it, and watch it grow.
With love and faith,
Todd
Todd Durkin, MA, CSCS, is an internationally-recognized performance trainer, bodyworker, speaker, author, and owner of award-winning gym Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA (one of the Top 10 Gyms in the U.S.). His outstanding team of 38 professionals deliver extraordinary service in personal training, sports performance training, massage/bodywork, Pilates, yoga, physical therapy and chiropractic. Todd is the Lead Training Advisor for Under Armour, regular contributor to Men’s Health, and author of The IMPACT! Body Plan.
Todd is also the President/CEO of Todd Durkin Enterprises where he conducts motivational keynotes/presentations, educational & leadership workshops, he operates a Mastermind Group for dedicated fitness entrepreneurs, and he presents internationally on health, fitness, peak performance, and success in life.
You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ToddDurkin, his FB Fan page atToddDurkinFQ10, or sign up for his monthly motivational newsletter atwww.ToddDurkin.com. You can get more information on his facility atwww.FitnessQuest10.com or www.ToddDurkin.com.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE/BLOG IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, IN YOUR BLOG, OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb above with it. If you would like a Word Document of the article sent to you, please email us at durkin@fitnessquest10.com to let us know and we will be glad to supply it to you.