My Experience and How It Led to Fitness

Successful men in the media are more often than not portrayed as strong, tough, and respected; that idea of the "macho man." Men are often consumed with the idea of being "alpha," and feeling weak can make us feel demotivated and, quite frankly, useless. And being bullied for it certainly doesn’t help! But how do we overcome that? How do we turn such a negative experience around into one that benefits us?

Being bullied in school for being weak is a difficult experience to overcome. The boys in the Philippines, my home country, liked to challenge their peers because it gave them a sense of superiority. I remember being challenged to a fight for no reason other than to see who was the toughest. I lost. But it was this experience—being knocked down with a black eye—that made me realise I need a change. I needed to win.

Now, that may be the competitive side of me talking, but where’s the fun in life without a little bit of competition? It gave me the motivation to change my life. I began watching YouTube videos of basic exercises and did my best, starting out with push ups, pull ups, and crunches. That got me to where I needed to be. I quickly started noticing differences, and I became a little more strong and toned. I then became addicted.

Not knowing much about fitness, I was doing a lot of it wrong, but the fascination grew, and I began to educate myself on all things fitness; including physical exercise and nutrition. I loved working out, not only because it changed my body, but because it also changed my mental and emotional state. It made my perspective on life more positive; I began to see working hard and failing as "positive stress," as it eventually leads to a positive outcome. It made me enjoy the simple moments and made life more meaningful. And I was no longer being picked on!

I have learned so much from being bullied and then becoming a fitness enthusiast, and there are so many things that I can talk about in regards to both topics. However, the main thing that I have taken from this is that a negative experience can become our greatest strength. All we have to do is see the positive side. Working out has changed me dramatically and I do not regret or look back on my past experiences negatively, for I would not be where I am today without them. Our past is what transforms us.

Turning that negative experience into a positive one can be challenging, and it can certainly take a long time, but, as they say, hard work brings kind rewards.