**Commentary: **

Character Traits That Go Beyond The Stage**

**Winning Over the Toughest Judge of Them All…****** _**The Leap To Realizing Your Full Potential**

by Vince Andrich

The desire to compete is often the reflection of a need to prove you're as good as, or better than, others. More importantly, if you're reading this you've already shown the desire to take your body to its full potential or reach the point of "self-actualization"––a term coined by famed psychologist, [Abraham Maslow]. This means that _even if you don’t feel the need to compete against others, you are competing with yourself everyday.

**Succesful People Share A Common Trait**

Over the years I've met many succesful competitors, but if you totaled up their achievements on the stage, they pale in comparion to the millions of extraordinary people who succesfully changed their body and their life without ever competing. What's important for everyone to know is that when it comes to reaching your full potential, be it changing your body or any aspect of your life, successful competitors as well as successful non-competitors share one common trait. Their "secret" to making change happen is an ability to place such deep meaning on what they want, they force themselves to actually do something about it.

** The Difference Between Knowing and Doing, is DECIDING

The internet has created a near endless supply of information about nutrition and exercise to achieve better health, gain energy and create a better body. Sadly, most people who seek and consume this knowldege rarely ever realize their potential to look and feel better. Most of them never actually change at all. The reason is they overlook that essential first step. That step, the one that begins to close the gap between knowing and doing, is… DECIDING.

When you make a decision to make a change, your mind “awakens” and starts searching for a way. You begin to develop a feeling—a deeply rooted subconscious

and conscious need to make something happen. That sensation is what many people call desire. Before you know it, you’ll crave that change all day and night—the desire becomes a burning desire.

So now I ask…One fundamental threshold each of these menand women cross on their way to making spectacular changes, not just in their bodies but in their lives. It isn’t any particular workout that makes the difference. It isn’t the equipment they use or a certain food they eat. It isn’t just their genetics. Of course all these things—genetics, training, nutrition—play a role in building muscle, burning fat, and sculpting a better body. But none of those things is the step which begins the climb to the top. So what is it? What is that first step I discovered every single one of those Sticking to your principles in the face of adversity, committing to a relationship, delaying gratification dedicating yourself to getting a better body, these important pursuits have deep meaning, the stakes are high, whch makes the fear of not succeeding conversation with you want something the more intense desire to something That's because there's a huge gap between knowing and doing, and unfortunately simply saying "just do it" is an empty slogan unless the stakes are high. Oh, and when the stakes are high deep motivation from the fact that most people have good intentions, they to This is one of the great ironies of putting it all on the line, and say, for example getting into your board shorts under the unforgiving lights of the stage for all to judge. is the defintin of This is Your Life, Once you Understanding Developing CAN DO Beliefs ForYour Life Is An EndlMeaning of Competition and How We Do It Everyday.

**Your Full Potential Is Competing Against Massive Resistance; Your Fear**

** **asked most people are drawn to taking their body to its full potentialt comes to need to prove yourself against others is If you're reading this you alread

While the need to prove you are as good or better than others, isn't for everyone, Once you make the decsion to make a change through nutrition and exercise you've become connected to "Can Do" character traits for life. As Sohee clearly points out, competing isn't for everyone. it takes a special combination of personal character, and the realization that putting it out there for all to see is the level of motivation that will