I was embarrassed.
I was downright uncomfortable in my own skin.
“Someday, they’ll make a comic out of you kid.”
That’s what he told me!
That’s what one of my first Tae Kwon Do instructors told me, the very first day I came to class.
I can still hear those words in my head today…
And he wasn’t talking about me being a “save the world, and get the girl” kind of badass superhero either…
Rather, he was talking about me being a subject of the local funny papers. I was young, fat, uncoordinated, and tripping all over myself trying to deliver a roundhouse kick to a stationary heavy bag.
Here I was, a brand new student (already with a relatively low morale when it came to anything related to physical culture), and rather than try and “boost me up”, my instructor straight up insults me in front of the entire class. Clearly he didn’t need to do this, as I was already making a suitable fool of myself through my failed and feeble attempts to punish an immobile target, but I’m glad he did…
And here’s why:
“Master Scott” (I will not use his actual name for the sake of anonymity) made me uncomfortable.
And I needed to be made uncomfortable.
Up until this point, for most of my life I was made very comfortable. I grew up in a cozy, “everybody is a winner” type of environment.
No wonder I was fat and uninspired.
I learned an incredibly valuable lesson that day that has stuck with me ever sine which is –
People don’t change until they are uncomfortable.
Think about it – You don’t often move around in your seat until your foot, leg, or ass goes numb.
Now, here is why I am bringing all of this up:
I got an email this week telling me that my content on my site is a bit too “undecorated” for lack of a better word.
Let me be very clear about a couple of things:
1. I did not create this site to make friends. I already have two.
2. …But I never intend to insult or offend anyone solely for the sake of insulting or offending someone.
I put this site up to make anybody who reads it better, and provide everyone here with the tools to do so. Almost nobody puts out as much free, valuable, and usable content as I do. And arguably, very few others even could if they so wanted to…
But ultimately, it comes down to this:
Would you like me to tell you what you want to hear, or what you need to hear?
The latter is often hard to swallow, and the medicine of truth can taste quite foul at times.
But more often than not, it’s the only way you’ll ever get any better.
I remember when I used to train under Brian Petty RKC. This man constantly belittled and beat the piss out of me – physically and emotionally. There were times where I was often panic stricken before taking his class. But no matter what I kept going…
Because I loved how uncomfortable he made me.
I was fortunate enough to learn at a very young age, that the only way I could continually get better, was to avoid becoming comfortable and complacent. Today, my greatest fear is complacency.
Now, that’s not to say that severe hazing will work for everyone, but I can I promise you that nobody will ever change until they are uncomfortable – and the greatest the discomfort, the greater the incentive to change.
I did not design the Chronicles of Strength to be a cozy, “everybody is a winner” type of community.
The reality is, 97% of the people that come to this site will never come back, because they can’t handle being uncomfortable.
I don’t want that 97%. That 97% is lazy, comfortable, and only looking for an easy solution to often complex problems. I can’t help those people. I wish I could say that I do, but I don’t have an “easy button” for that 97% of people that visit this site.
I want the 3% – which are all of you. If you have continued to read this site, then yes indeed, you are in fact a part of the 3% that at least is mildly comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Now there are two paths you can take from there…
You can be the 2% of that original 3% that is OK with being mildly uncomfortable and never really do anything about it. Or you can be the 1% that harnesses the discomfort in order to stimulate a change in yourself. In the end the difference comes down to taking action. You either you do or you don’t. Thinking about doing, isn’t doing. Doing is doing.
Are you willing to do what is necessary to change? If not, then you just aren’t uncomfortable enough.
I cannot make you change. But I can try and make you uncomfortable enough so that you want to change. I can then provide you with the tools necessary to make that change happen.
So am I sorry for making folks uncomfortable?
Abso-freaking-lutely not.
If you truly want to change, then get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Please lift responsibly,
– Pat Flynn
PS – Speaking of taking action…
We are currently running an OUTRAGEOUS four day promotion on our SuperHero Physique Transformation Bundle Package and Superhero Development Program. CLICK HERE to learn more!
Let’s Practice Being Uncomfortable, Shall We?
(You’ll Thank Me Later)
Heavy rack holds are a great prescription for discomfort.
This are a fantastic set of complexes to develop “poise under pressure”. Enjoy and post any questions you have below.
The first one is a sneak peak from a series in this month’s SuperHero Development Program and involves a two minute rack hold with one press and front squat performed every 15 seconds.
“Super Fun Time” Pre-Cheat Day Workout Extravaganza
Want to see me get my ass kicked?
I thought so.
Below is a link to a follow along workout that Chris Foehl and myself put together for a pre-cheat day depletion routine.
What is the purpose of this you ask?
Simple, we want to deplete our “glycogen bucket” before our cheat day in order to minimize any sort of fat spill over. And this workout is the perfectly masochistic solution for that. Enjoy, and please pass the link below along to any of your friends – as we are only giving this out to all of our amazing subscribers!
CLICK HERE for access