Today’s post is our latest installment of a new series called the “Coaches Corner.” Our Adonis Transformation Coaches will share their knowledge, experience, and best practices to help ensure your successful transformation. To continue the series, our topic comes from none other than Adonis Legend and AGR Pioneer, Jason Haynes.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
It never fails to happen at least once a week at work. I thank God nowadays for my attitude when it happens, as I am a LOT better now than I used to be. The scenario varies slightly from week to week, but it goes something like this (and this is a specific example that really happened) :
Co-worker walks up to me to show me something on his cell phone…it’s a comic strip of two guys. One is buff and ripped and busting tail doing a workout. He is shown in obvious exertion and strain. The other guy is fat and eating a box of some kind of donuts (I would guess jelly filled) and he is wearing a totally satisfied and tranquil expression. The “punchline” to this comic, as shown in the last panel of the strip, is the donut-eating character looking smug saying “who looks happier?”
Now, the man who showed me this cartoon is overweight and obviously out of shape. He’s a great guy and I consider him a good friend, but facts are facts. I look over to him after reading the comic and he has this kind of smug look (strangely the same look as the comic character), and I reply: “the guy lifting weights is way happier.”
I hand his phone back to him and my friend nods and wordlessly walks away. Guess I didn’t play into his game, so I suppose that I was no fun.
This was the best answer I could have given, in my opinion. Sure, my ego kicks in after some retrospective time and I think better retorts that “should” have followed my initial one. Thing like: “And who do you think is happier when he looks into a mirror while shirtless? And which one avoids the mirror like the plague? Or pool parties or beaches, for that matter?”
Perhaps that would have been taken personally, so like I said, I am thankful to God that I handle things differently nowadays.
Anyway, this week I had a pair of happenings, this time both with women I work with. I’ve had several instances like this with both of them in the past, but again with slightly different topics although they all revolve around my lifestyle of training at the gym during my lunch break. Yes, it’s true that I <gasp!!> don’t go to lunch with any of my co-workers because I choose to train during lunch break and then scarf down a quick egg and cheese sandwich before getting back to work.
It is, of course, nothing personal against them but personally I like having full run of the gym (no one but me is there during lunchtime), and I would prefer to go home to my beautiful wife and daughter after work instead of going to the gym at its busiest hours.
Anyway, so I’m walking down the stairs and another co-worker sees me on the first floor as I approach the bottom. She stops and takes a long pause as I finish descending. When I am at the bottom of the stairs, this simple scene unfolds:
“Oh, off to exercise again?”
“Yup.”
We head out the double doors at my work and just before we go separate ways, she adds:
“Well, you go exercise, and I am doing my exercise of walking to lunch. See, I exercise too.”
(Which, in my opinion, is akin to telling a holocaust survivor that you understand the depths of horrors of what he has been through because you know a person of Israeli descent…as if that is common ground and puts you on equal footing with them.)
“People notice the fruit of our actions more-so than our words.” – Jason Haynes
The other one from this week was with a different woman. I had a run in with her previously when she told me that I don’t need to exercise because I “am in good shape,” to which I said “how do you think I stay this way?”
Anyway, I was walking to the parking lot and we were going the same direction so she started talking about how she knows she should exercise but she is lazy. Yes, she said that word, which kind of surprised me. At least she is honest about it.
I simply told her “That’s ok, there is nothing morally wrong with that…you just don’t want it badly enough to take action. There is nothing inherently wrong with that.” (Yes, my blog about “Wishing vs. Wanting” was ringing in my ears at this point. Ha!)
Now, if you have read to this point you may well be wondering: “What in the world is Jason rambling about? Is there a point to this?”
And rightly so, I must say, so let me get to the point:
See, simply having a lifestyle of training says a lot to people even without us saying a word to them about it. We don’t have to stand on a soapbox and preach to the masses about their need to embrace the concepts of responsible nutrition and consistent exercise. We don’t have to quote studies and journals or anything.
People notice the fruit of our actions more-so than our words. As with many things in life, our actions and our lives speak louder than any words we may have to say…ESPECIALLY if our lives (and thus, in the context of this post, physiques) are a physical representation of what we preach!
If you have the lifestyle of training and nutrition, but WITHOUT the physique to back it up (or at least an appreciative amount of work showing in your physique), you are simply pretending to be something that you are not.
Sorry, but it’s true.
Sure, you may have the head knowledge, but you lack the experiential knowledge and understanding that only comes with having done (or in the process of doing) it!
Preaching one thing but not doing it is hypocrisy, whether from a spiritual standpoint or a physical one.
Practice what you preach, fellas…and preach only what you practice, if it is beneficial and works.
And if you would like a road map to achieving the goal of an outstanding physique, check out the Adonis Golden Ratio System. It’s worked for hundreds of men of all ages and physical conditions.
If you are looking for additional accountability, assistance, and coaching from guys who actually have been in your shoes (undergoing their own transformations and maintaining their results over the course of several years), then check out our Premiere Coaching Program.
Lots of guys still talk about “living the lifestyle,” but in fact are only deceiving themselves and others. Don’t be one of them.
Train Hard, Train Smart.
Jason
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ADONIS ORIGINS: Jason Haynes | Circa 2009-2010
Jason Haynes is one of the oldest members of the AGR community and has been around since he participated in the first and second AGR Transformation Competitions, of which he placed second and first, respectively. Having found a system that he is confident in and that works, he has faithfully stuck by it ever since. Now in his 40’s, Jason enjoys living the life of maintaining his physique easily and with little effort, thanks to the AGR system and tools provided. He is also a coach in the Adonis Premiere Coaching program and desires to help anyone to achieve their fitness goals.
ADONIS LEGEND: Jason Haynes: May 2014
