Month: April 2024

Grateful for Binder Clips

Today I look at a small baggie I keep on my desk that has binder clips in it.  These binder clips are various sizes and colors.  They were chosen at random.  I use these binder clips often.  I have a note posted to remember the binder clips.  Moreso than a normal man I think about these binder clips.  These binder clips have unlocked power and glory for me.

These binder clips give me a claim to being one of the strongest guys in the gym.

These binder clips have earned me respect of strangers.

These binder clips have saved me humiliation.

Now is time for the big reveal, what is so special about these binder clips?  There is nothing special about these binder clips.  They are simply a tool I can use to do a finger exercise.  These finger exercises allow my hands to be more strong and hold onto deadlifts in the past I would have dropped.  Binder clips are just a small tool.

I had always had trouble holding deadlifts and not dropping them.  It was a recurring theme.  I had seen Dave Tate and Ed Coan talk in videos about finger training, they said to just close binder clips like you would hand grippers.  So I gave it a try and it worked.  Since getting going with the binder clips I haven’t had a grip problem. 

This makes me grateful for binder clips,  they have allowed me to deadlift heavier weights and have more fun in the gym.  The finger training I do with them amounts to under five minutes total a week, but that is all I need to have a good grip.  I’m grateful sometimes there are simple solutions out there.

The Gift of Energy

It is possible for a person to walk into a room and the mood instantly change.  We know people that are positive or negative and they can just change a room fast.  Science may not be able to explain it, but certain people have certain energies.

Too often we feel the negative energies that people can put out there.  One bad attitude ripples, and ripples.  Soon because one person is having a bad day, everyone is having a bad day.  I wonder if the path of negativity is just the easier road to take and that is why this happens.  I don’t know why, but it seems often the default energy to throw around is a negative energy.  While I think the default to most people is negative energy, we can make a shift to a more positive place. 

No one needs to know that we are having a bad day.  It does not serve us, or anyone else to let people know we’re having a bad day.  In fact sharing this state and energy likely just perpetuates the bad day.  What if we just consciously decide to only put out good energy?

I think a good person is conscious of the ripples they create.  I think its good to create good ripples.  With enough work and positive energy we can create powerful shifts.  I think that is a cool thing to do.  I’ve done it before.  The energy doesn’t come back though, it has to be a gift. 

I am in a place where I try to give this gift.  I spend most of my time in the gym either working out or training others.   I try very hard to give this gift around the gym.  It does come back to me, but I won’t know how.  I try and give good energy and lift up the room.  I do want it to lead to more clients, I’m not an entirely altruistic being.  I also give for the sake of giving.

I would like this giving to be selfless.  It would be a beautiful thing to live in such a way.  Living in a beautiful way is reward enough.

What is this gift I’m talking about?  It is an energy.  It is a shared passion.  It is a gift of love and vision.  I would like to better define what I try and give.  I just have this thing I keep giving away, and it’s awesome, even if I don’t know the secret sauce to it.

I have true joy and passion, I can share that.  I think these traits are too rare.

If we think about the energy and vibes we create, we can create the ones we want to.  I think this is easy enough to do, we just have to think a little and have some self-awareness.  I think it’s a good thing to walk into a room with the intention to fire the place up!  Most people can probably manage to do this now and then.  It’s like a fun game to play, “Let’s just make everyone happy in here!”

“A rising tide raises all ships.”  I simply seek to be the tide.