I am no longer surprised by anything anyone says, ever. I have pretty much heard it all. That probably makes me sound old, but I'm not. Wait, I guess I am, TECHNICALLY, but my brain and the way I think isn't terribly old. That's probably what old people say, though, right?
I don't take to heart much of what anyone says unless it is from my wife or someone close to me and I respect their opinion. On occasion, something will rub me the wrong way on the internet (the comments I get after my articles are not for the thin-skinned), but for the most part, I don't get riled up about much these days. Yes, I did when I was younger. Yes, I did in the early days of the message boards, but I did more riling up than I GOT riled up. In fact, at one point during the peak of the message board era, Dante (DC) told me that I was a master at handing people their asses via the message boards. If you know anything about Dante, that is no small compliment.
Those days are gone and I am not that hyped up these days. However, there are still a few things that can get under my skin. If you talk about me not being dedicated to what I do or that I don't care about the sport because of my not-always-positive opinions about bodybuilding, that one gets me. If someone acts as if I don't have a clue about what I am talking about because they have more likes or followers than I do, that irritates me, as well. I am low-key these days and don't care much for social media. What I do on social media is forced, in that I do just enough to not hurt my business or my exposure. Social media is a double-edged sword; it has helped my business and me to make the living that I do and yet at the same time, I loathe almost everything about it.
Where am I going with this?
The other day, I was told that I have lost my passion for bodybuilding. This was in reference to taking time off from the gym and not training or dieting. I have been very open about just simply wanting to get away from it because I was burned out. I knew it wouldn't be a long time away, but to people whose entire existence is bodybuilding, 2 months is an eternity, I guess.
So, I feel the need to defend myself. This will only take a minute.
There is nothing more laughable than being told by someone whose age is 60% of the years that I have been training and 100% of the age in years that I have been competing. Though I have heard it all, I still can't help but shake my head when someone feels their opinion is worth anything, at all, or that they even should HAVE an opinion about me or anyone else, when it has nothing to do with them. My training or not training doesn't impact other people - no one. Yet, someone has to have an opinion about it and accuse me of not being passionate about training.
When people grow up and assume "big boy" responsibilities, they tend to gain a better perspective on their priorities. That is not to say that bodybuilding is not a priority of mine - it obviously is. What I am saying is that mature people find balance in life and though it took me years to find that balance, I found it. So, I am not going to feel guilty for taking time off when that time off was precisely because I was beginning to pour too much into one priority at the risk of everything else (including my health). You will not find a mature and responsible adult (though you will find MANY kids) who would put something like bodybuilding above their health. If you are reading this and are older and take offense to me saying this, honestly, that's your problem, not mine. Grow up.
I have trained for so many years, fight to stay lean and in good condition all the time, and I don't comment or even notice very often when others don't train, don't care to be in good condition (read: fat pig), wear fucked up clothes to the gym, take 100 selfies in an hour, etc.. I mind my own fucking business. Why? Because I am old enough to know that what others do doesn't impact me in any way, whatsoever.
When you have trained as long as I have and while having a successful marriage, raising 4 kids, building a successful brand/business, etc., I might listen to your opinion. And when you train as long as I have, let me know if you took a month or two off a few times simply because as much as you love bodybuilding and training, it just gets to the point where you have had enough.
Yes, I suppose this comment that was made to me DID get under my skin or I wouldn't be responding here in my coach log. I guess I'm just venting or bending your ear. I just wish that more people would focus on themselves instead of others and maybe they would be a little better at what they do than they are. And I know you are reading this so, yes, this is about you.