It all starts in the mind.

For us, our belief system is everything.

It shapes how we look at the world. How we solve problems. How we build our community.

The people that we seek to attract also identify with these or are aspiring to develop them in themselves.

So, if you want to know who we are, this is it.

This is how you can adopt and apply these beliefs…

Ownership

Taking ownership and personal accountability is freeing. Once you realize that you are responsible for your own results, then you also realize it’s totally within your power to change what hasn’t been working.

Yes, there are life variables that get thrown at you that you can’t control, but they can’t be used as an excuse for failure. How do you deal with this? You focus daily on only the things you can control. You control your effort and attitude…no matter what. You control the things you eat, the way you train, and your adherence to a process.

People who take ownership of their results are also process-oriented. They don’t spend time ruminating about the possible negative outcomes; instead, they double down on taking the daily actions to move the needle towards achievement and know the outcome will take care of itself.

Modern Athlete can write you the best training program in the world, but it’s on you to go out and execute it consistently and with intensity.

Competition

Get out of your comfort zone and compete in something. I’m not saying you have to be pursuing World’s Strongest Man…but sign up for that local powerlifting meet, 5k, or strongman competition.

Competition gives you a sense of purpose going to the gym each day. You’re no longer going to just sweat through an hour of random movements…you’re going to train for something that’s approaching on the calendar.

Want to skip out on a training session or throw away the diet for a weekend? Guess what, that competition date is only getting closer, so maybe think again.

Competition breeds growth. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and truly shows the results of your training and effort.

PS – you don’t have to be an elite athlete to sign up for a competition. Get out of your own head and just f*cking do it. You don’t need more time to think. You need action.

Consumption

Just like we want to fuel our body with nutritious food, we also want to fuel our mind with content that is purposeful and relationships that move us in the right direction.

I don’t have to sit here and tell you that stuffing potato chips and zebra cakes in your mouth all day is bad for your health, but many of you consume the digital equivalent through mindless scrolling and immediate gratification dopamine hits.

Or maintaining relationships that limit your potential because they feel safe and you’re used to them.

Your diet isn’t just food, it’s also the media you watch and the people you surround yourself with. All of it affects your motivation and belief in your ability to succeed.

Purpose

We train for a deeper purpose than just going to the gym and sweating.

Training isn’t just something we do. It’s part of who we are.

Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses this over multiple interviews and expresses the sentiment that training is something he’ll do until the day he dies because it’s fundamental to his routine, just as eating breakfast or sleeping.

Nobody asks you if you’ll always eat or sleep…

But that’s what makes training special. It’s not just for me. It’s to set an example for my kids. To be physically ready to perform my job. To understand as much as I can about human performance so that I can help people just like yourself.

Training and continuing to mold ourselves is who we are and it’s what we help others do.

In Closing…

If this is who you are too, then I encourage you to join one of our communities. Outside of Substack, you’ll find our free Skool community helpful for interacting with like-minded people and gaining access to a bunch of free downloadable training resources. Join Skool here.

If you’re looking for our programming, our Warfighter training team specializes in helping tactical athletes get stronger, faster, and take performance to the next level. Over 500 athletes are training daily, and you can join for a week free. Join Warfighter.

Last but not least, our goal is to keep our Substack community free and provide maximum value. In order to do that…we rely on you. You can keep the momentum going simply by subscribing and sharing with three people who may find this useful.