With the flu and a 101 degree temperature, he refused to be a victim to his circumstance. Instead, Chicago Bear’s running back, Walter Payton ran for a then NFL record of 275 rushing yards against the Vikings.
Three hours before the ’97 NBA Finals, he was in bed with a stomach virus. Then Michael Jordan showed up and scored 38 points to put the Bulls over the Jazz in game 5.
A week before the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb, she found herself with a tweaked back from work on the job. Sons of Strength client, Valorie T., kept her head up and eyes on the prize to finish the challenge in a time of 24:06 and 9th for the female masters group.
There is one thing each of these individuals had in common…
Valorie and Marcus Trufant, retired Seahawks CB
That’s GUTS.
When life threw them a curveball, they stayed in the batter’s box and knocked it out of the park.
Valorie may have not completed the stair climb (Oh yeah, with 47 pounds of equipment on her back I might add) in the time that she hoped for.
But a week out from the challenge, she was in rough shape after an incident on the job as a firefighter. The mere act of standing up caused her to knees to buckle. Her right glute was in shooting pain.
Even sitting was painful.
With walking alone being a challenge, this stair climb would be quite the endeavor.
Even though her body may have been “broke”, her will would not be.
With a corrective exercise treatment plan, some help and QT on the table from a health professional, and support from the team around her, she made the trip to Seattle.
69 flights, 1,311 steps, and 788 ft of vertical elevation later, she…
CLIMBED.
CONQUERED.
All for a CURE.
Everything she did – the challenge, the courage to continue, the actual completion – is nothing in comparison to what blood cancer patients must go through.
With that in mind, Valorie did this for something bigger than herself. All the proceeds she raised go directly to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
You can (and should!) support her here.
As her coaches, we could not be more proud of the guts she displayed. From her training to crossing the finish line, Valorie showed what we personally strive to be each day.
She never quit. She fought to the end. She won in our eyes.
Valorie exemplified what Sons of Strength is all about.
Beyond providing some kick-ass inspiration, here’s how Valorie’s story can help you.
When you set out to achieve a specific goal…
- running 69 flights of stairs in 17 minutes
- stepping into the boxing ring
- losing 40 pounds
- reaching sub-10 percent body fat
…you put a little piece of you out there.
YOU RISK FAILURE.
And that’s scary as hell.
The simple thought of potentially NOT accomplishing whatever you set out to do can be damn straight frightening.
Pouring yourself into something without knowing the conclusion takes some balls.
Putting in the work and shedding blood, sweat, and tears to possibly not cross that finish line can be paralyzing. To the point where you shy away from the idea of a challenge or dream.
Why spend countless hours and make sacrifices if you might fail? And if you do, it will be flat on your face.
The question evolves from can I do this to…IS IT WORTH IT?
Is it worth my agony and suffering?
Hell, should you even set goals?
But want to know what’s scarier than failing at your goals?
Not taking any risk.
To have that “what if” question lingering in the back of your mind. Trust me, it will long overstay it’s welcome.
Personally, this was one of the biggest factors in my decision to move to Los Angeles. Life in New York City was great. I trained some AMAZING clients, had a great business, and got to work every single day next to my best friend and brother.
But when the opportunity to relocated to the Sunshine State came knocking, I knew it was something I had to do. If I didn’t, I knew I would one day be on my death bed and still ask myself “WHAT IF?”.
In no way, is that the life I want to live.
In my opinion, just a strategy set for mediocrity and eventual failure.
Fuck that.
You need GUTS to take risks or you will accomplish nothing in life.
I will roll the dice and I urge you to do the same.
Take a chance on everything.
In the end, you may reach your goal. You may not.
But you will not walk away a loser in any way, shape, or form. No. What you will gain, whether you achieve those goals or not, is EXPERIENCE. And NOTHING can be substituted for it.
There is no success. There is no failure.
There are just lessons to make us a better version of ourselves.
Put yourself in the position for a miracle to happen. Take the risks. Show you have guts.
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