3) Confidence Runs Your World

Some people think I was born with self-confidence, so let me paint a picture for you... 

I was poor, weak, skinny, and a forgettable athlete. My jumper was broken. I’m out there in the country shooting jumpers, dribbling, and working on my basketball skills. I thought that if I worked hard enough that I could get a scholarship, go to college, and get out of here. But guess what? I averaged like four points a game and no college was interested. I spent HOURS and HOURS working on my basketball skills.

Resources were limited. There wasn't the internet. No one was a personal trainer, nor did it even seem like I could do something fitness-related for my job. This was the reality of 20 years ago.

WHAT I NOTICED

Lifting became more enjoyable than basketball. I started lifting weights when I was in sixth grade, and by seventh grade I started to see one little shoulder delt cut while doing upright rows with my granddad. I saw that small shoulder cut and thought “Ohhhhh, I’m feelin’ that.”

That tiny bit of physical confidence made me believe.

My granddad came home every day after work and asked if I wanted to lift weights with him. I thought to myself, “If I dedicate myself to this process, could I build myself into something that I could be proud of?”

ARE YOU HAPPY?

Is everyone 100% happy with themselves? Of course not, but what if it’s always under construction? Personally, I’m always striving to attain a higher level of overall fitness. So it’s always under construction because I’m always working on it.

The version of me that you see today is a product of 20 years of dedication to the process. If you are truly serious about building self-confidence, you must allocate time each day to make yourself better.

You must have a process. I began to read more and more about Arnold Schwarzenegger. I realized how he applied his experiences in lifting to other aspects of his life. That’s when the concept of discipline started to make more sense.

BUSINESS EDUCATION

I needed to drill the things I needed to know on a regular basis.

Early in 1999, when I started my LLC, I realized that I wasn’t getting a traditional business degree. I was forced to self-educate. At this point, I had built up confidence in the physical realm, and now I wanted to see what happened when I applied the same dedication mentally. Just a little each day.

It’s the same way I studied Arnold’s workouts, Dr. Mauro di Pasquale’s diet plans, and many others in the fitness & nutrition world. What happens if I implement a heavy amount of discipline around getting a little bit smarter each day?

It doesn’t have to be shit you don’t like to do. People may not love to exercise – I understand that – but you only have one body. I always told my clients that people will take better care of their car than their body. Think about that. Would you load up your new truck with a bunch of wood, never change oil, and keep going for 100 miles? Would you always slack on maintenance?

ARNOLD - CONFIDENCE RUNS YOUR WORLD

Confidence runs our world. I am living proof. Here’s why.

I was in California working out with Arnold and he introduced me to somebody:

“Cory is someone I trust, and I know he knows how to work hard.” Man, what? My idol said that straight to my face while introducing me to someone from Budapest.

When I was reading about this man in magazines 20 years ago, do you think I thought I could get an endorsement like that?

I believe that many people are walking around with very low levels of self-confidence. I’m not talking about the fake ass, arrogant bullshit. The real motherfuckers can recognize the real. It’s the same with confidence.

Confidence runs your world.

Think about walking into a business meeting, dressed to the nine, chest out, and confident about the material you’re about to present. Trial & error has already been done. You’ve learned the process. You’re confident in what you’re saying. When I’m speaking about something, it’s coming from a place that I’ve already been or studied.

When you spend the time, it will always never not pay off. It could be you walking down your street for 20 minutes listening to an audio book. Don’t look at it like “I’m just trying to get some abs. I’m just trying to get better at my craft.” Build Your Confidence.

Build self-confidence so that you can be respected, know your craft, and fucking win.