You see, I wanted to be really good at something.

I wanted it for me.

I wanted to earn it by going through all of it by myself and have no one else give it to me. Maybe that’s the reason I found the gym. It took me a few years to truly realize just how bad I actually wanted it.

Then, it took me a year to actually put it into action. I told myself “prove it.” Prove that you want this more than anything else because you believe that it’s going to open doors for you.

Prove that you this piece of mind, body, soul is going to become part of a trio that can change lives and motivate people to dream. 

There’s this moment before I start my workouts where I say a little prayer. I have no idea where this prayer ends up in the sky, but what I do know is this…

“Give me the strength to conquer my fears and goals…and the ability to motivate others to do the same.”

We live in a world where a physique is a symbol. It’s a symbol of discipline, dedication, hard work…and is something that very few achieve and no one can take it away from you.

This world is infatuated with bodies and many give respect and authority to those who have ones that are labeled “ideal.” I did not do this to become popular on Instagram or to gain respect from people just because of my body.

I did this for many other reasons.

For a long time, I battled with my ability to control my food intake. I sabotaged my own goals because of it and whenever life got hard I would run to food as a quick answer to all of my problems.

This pattern set me back time after time but I was determined to break out of something that I felt was controlling me. I did. I’ve seen the dark side of that type of life and I wanted something better for myself.

So for the first time in a long time, I committed to something that I had only dreamed of, and every single day when I wake up I see myself getting a little bit closer to that goal.

I see the future appearing through my eyes and the young man who dreamed this up and struggled through his own defeats so long ago is looking on with astonishment.

I did this because I want to show people it’s possible. The hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life is believe that I could do this. And it’s far more than just creating a body.

It’s about drive. Discipline. Dedication. Perseverance.

Creating dreams from a vision. Sacrifice. The list of character traits I have been taught go on and on and on…from this dream. Tonight, sitting here right now, I am 29 days away from my goal…a goal 13 years in the dreaming and 5 years in the making.  

I can taste it. I can feel it. I’ve been dreaming about it.

It’s going to make things take off for me. I can’t wait to grab it. It’s mine. It’s mine in my head already. Now I’m going out there to take it.

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project