Monday, October 15, 2012

Modelling

Do you have a mentor? Is there someone in your life who has the character, qualities, and skills that you desire to possess? Someone you look up to who has agreed to coach you, teach you, and share with you? I have been blessed to know John Brookfield. He is my mentor, and my friend. 

If it were not for John, I don't know that Becoming Bulletproof would have ever been written. At least not by me. John is the embodiment of what it means to be bulletproof. At 53 years of age, there is nothing this man cannot do. Just last weekend I saw John and his friend, Kirk Nobles, pull a 40,000 pound truck one mile. They set a world record while they shattered the previous record, also set by John. Again, there is nothing he cannot do. 

I always kid with John, and tell him that he is not human. While he truly is blessed, John's success and abilities can also be attributed to the fact that he has experiential wisdom. John has put the time into training to learn from his training. He does not read research, he does not learn from forums, and he doesn't read training magazines. John simply trains. He doesn't set limits on hisself. He says, "I wonder if I can...", and then he does. He is a man without limits. 

The years I have spent learning from John have been priceless. Really, I have received an education from John that money could not afford. I have watched how this man treats other people - with love and respect. I have watched him perform physically impossible feats (to the normal man) on a daily basis. I have heard him tell me a thousand times that, "I know I can do more." I have listened to him tell me about how he trains the way he does - why he can stay on the same task for hours and never stop, rest, quit, or yield. I have also watched how John walks with God and gives Him all the credit for everything that he does. The qualities this man has are worth noting. They are the qualities that I want, and the ones that most men only dream to have. 

I am blessed to have John as my mentor. I have received, and am still receiving, a world class education from perhaps the world's best expert in mental and physical performance. I am certainly a better, wiser man today than I was before I met John. Truly, most of who I am, what i've done, and who I will be comes from God's grace. But it was John's influence in my life that really opened the door for me to even be aware of God's grace. 

Anyway, the point is, Do you have a mentor? Is there someone in your life you are learning from? Is there someone out there that possesses the knowledge, skills, integrity, character that you want to have? We all need someone we can learn from, glean from, and lean on. We all need "John Brookfields" in our lives. If you want to be the greatest personal trainer ever, seek out the guy who holds that spot now and ask him if you can learn from him. If you want to be the best stay at home mom on the planet, seek out the ones are doing it now. Whatever you want to be great at, find the person who is doing it and reach out to them. See if you can build and cultivate a relationship with them. 

The best way to travel down the road is to follow the guy who is paving the way.  

If you are wondering, this has everything to do with your health, both physically and mentally. If you want to possess a bulletproof body, learn from those who are living it. Learn from those who have no physical limits, rarely have injuries, and rarely see obstacles. If the person you are modeling is always jacked up, he might be the wrong model. 

Have a great week!

4 comments:

George Adventures In Health said...

Mentors are something I think most people massively undervalue, especially in the UK.

I'm not sure why, but I suspect it's at least in part due to the British 'reserve'; making it harder to be able to ask for help, and admit that you don't already know everything. Both things are, of course, ridiculous, and should be dropped like a hammer on a rusty nail.

I've got a couple of mentors, both for business.

Ric Moylan (http://ricmoylan.co.uk) has been guiding me toward a more effective and satisfying lifestyle for a few years now, and continues to be both an inspiration and a complete ball-ache. Perfect.

The other is Rusty Moore (http://fitnessblogtraining.com). He's the man who's given me direction and education for my blog, and has showed me how to build an online business around those things I love to do online. He's also a man who thinks outside the box when it comes to fitness and how to work your body. It's good to see.

That's my stuff, who's next?

Cheers
George

Unknown said...

George,

Thank you so much for sharing your mentors and providing their sites. This is awesome.

I don't think undervaluing mentors is just a UK thing. I am sure we undervalue them here in the States as well. We try to be too self reliant (prideful). Maybe you and I can spread the good word about learning from others?

Thanks again for posting. I appreciate you.

Tim

Unknown said...

Tim,
I really enjoy your blog. I just realized there was a comments section. I'm not computer savvy.

Your post about modelling made me think about how you have influenced, not only my training but my life also. Thank you my brother!

Unknown said...

John,

Thank you. You are a great guy and a friend. I also admire you for the young lives that you are influencing.

Keep up the good work!

Tim