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52 comments
Wow… you owe it to all of the people who don’t get things you get to have. A true eye opener and a game changer!
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hey thanks Aleksandr
yeah, I think we do, owe it to em’ that is
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I wanna change the world. Original, huh? Thing is, I’ve already started! The world today is filled with the gimme gimmes. People who would literally punch you in the face so they can get ahead in line to buy their new Iphone. Our children are being corrupted by a bunch of sickophantic pussies. Go into any school in America today, and you’ll see kids being taught, “Everyone’s a winner!” Now, while I do believe everyone is special in their own ways, I also believe we are all losers in our own ways. The thing is, we become stronger and more adept to handle challenges BECAUSE of our losses, BECAUSE of our failures. When we fall, it teaches us to get up again. Only next time, we’re coming back better, stronger, more prepared, INSPIRED because we felt the pain of losing. In schools, you see teachers who absolutely REFUSE to discipline an unruly child because they’re afraid of hurting the other kids feelings by raising their voices. They refuse to even speak sternly. I’m dealing with this with my own child in school. She’s great at home, because she knows when she’s good, she is treated with love and tenderness. When she’s bad, she still knows she’s loved, but she knows Mommy and Daddy won’t stand for any crap, and have no problems taking her favorite toys, sitting her in a chair facing the corner for 15 minutes straight. So she acts right. Her teachers deal with her biting other people by offering her cookies. WTF is that shit?
So here’s how I’m changing the world. I run a martial arts school. I teach my students if they want something, they have to work for it. I teach them that hard work and DISCIPLINE are at the core of the most fundamental values you can have. I don’t care how positive your mind is, or how in “alignment” your thinking is with what you want. If you won’t do what needs to be done, WHEN it needs to be done, you will fail. I allow my students to fail. I also allow them to try again and again and again, with Pig-headed discipline, determination and drive until they get it right. I teach them never to back down, never to quit. I teach them that their attitude is their most important possession, not their video games, or their gadgets. I teach them the value of respecting other humans because if we don’t try to look out for each other, HELP others, and do what we can to spread even a little bit of joy and positivity to others, then we really are all alone and its only a matter of time until we exist no more. So I’m doing my part to help spread these important values, and teaching people to live by a code of honor, not by a code on a label they want to buy.
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Hey right on Blake, lots of wisdom here my friend
Yeah I agree with you that are losses, failures, mistakes and problems are all VERY important, I wrote a bit about it here actually https://chrismccombs.net/17-reasons-why-its-good-to-take-a-beating/
Sounds like you’re helping a lot of people in very profound ways
keep it up my man
ReplyHey Chris,
Great post my man, I am definitely primed to do something epic and memorable today… Fo Sho!
Blake, I hear you loud and clear. I also run a Martial Arts School and I feel your pain, it drives me crazy the lack of passion, drive and perseverance that most kids have today, I’m positive it comes from a system that rewards kids highly for the minimum amount of work and effort… Sad 🙁
I like you try to instill the values, discipline and work ethic in my students that I know will serve them well in life, but sometimes like you know it’s a tough gig.
The students and parents who get it are the reason you wake up every morning and do what you do, the ones who don’t, help pay the rent.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Tim
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Thanks Tim
and thanks for sharing your wisdom as well bruddha
ReplyI don’t know. ..right now I look for opportunities to offer kindness, support, laughter, and friendship. I’m on a path. .don’t know where I will end up, but my offerings are my foundation towards trying to do something great. 🙂
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beginning the transformation: two weeks ago I got rid of all my size medium shirts and bought some larges.. muscles no longer on display, no one treated me any different! last weekend my wife and I were eating at chilies and we invited a women who was alone to eat with us… we were immediately best friends. Found this blog last night, LOVE IT, thanks for writing. These ideas are new to me, but seem so familaur
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Sounds like you’re on a great journey and evolving a lot along the way
and trust me adam, I know that muscle bullshit myself, its hilarious man
ReplyYou have this unbelievable ability to take my soul’s voice, shake the shit out of it, wake it up and consequentially- bring me more to life than I have felt in a very long time.
Chris- thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!!..and thank you from all those who hear your message but are unable to reply. 🙂
Alanna
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Damn the most thank yous I ever got at one time in my life
YOU ARE WELCOME Alanna (=
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Thank you Brother, was just listening to The Twilight Singers and thought of you
hope you and your art are going well
ReplyThanks for that Big C. I really really really needed that today-thanks for your wisdom and honesty. I have work to do in all these areas but am on the right path and I truly believe I will get there eventually….due in many ways thanks to you. It’s Father’s Day today and I won’t be seeing my own children and I’m in a lower place today because of this. But your words alone made me realize instead of mourning today, I will celebrate today because I have two beautiful children and I owe it to them and all those around me that I am a very lucky man. I’m blessed and very grateful. Thanks again Big Man-
E
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Hey thanks for sharing Erik, i know what it’s like to not see your children on fathers day, it’s a rough
just keep trudging ahead with love in your heart brother
ReplyLoved everything about this post. I’m finding its a lot easier to share my fears, screw-ups, and battle wounds than to pretend like they don’t exist. That’s not real. That’s not how life works. Reality includes the parts that aren’t particularly neat and tidy…the times where you flat-out fell on your ass…and ones where you learn how much you DON’T know.
One thing I love about you Chris is your curiosity. You’ve always been curious–about life, about your true self, about your own pain and past stories. Thanks for being brave and always sharing it all. That in itself inspires me just as much as your writing.
Thank you my friend. Big hugs!
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Damn Leanne, I love the way you wrote this
I got halfway down, and I’m like who is this? and they I see it’s YOU
so happy to see you on here Leanne an thank you sooooo much for your kind words
You’re awesome Girl, LMK if I can ever do anything for you (=
ReplyGood one, Chris!
“But most of all, you owe it to the one who stands in the mirror, peeking out from behind the wall of your fears, shame, insecurities and self-doubt.”
“Wash away your sins and let your greatest mistakes be your greatest gifts to those who will hear your story, read your book, or listen to your song.”
After a rough couple of years, I’m working on letting go of shame and self-doubt so that I can share what I’ve learned with others. Great reminder that I owe it to myself to be brave!

Hey Audrey
thanks for you kind words
For shame, check out Daring Greately
and for self doubt
https://chrismccombs.net/overcoming-self-doubt/
and the war of art by stephen pressfield
good luck with it all!
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Right on Jo
My friend Sako Yakinian blew his training business up BIG while laid up at home for months after one of those achilles tendon surgeries
And I wrote my most profitable email campaign ever in bed fresh out of a hernia surgery
good things come if we look… happy to hear you’re looking
ReplyWord! And might I suggest a book for anybody that has a great idea and might be afraid to get after it? It’s called Start, recently read it and it inspired me to do a few things that I had been putting off: http://www.jonacuff.com/blog/start/
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hey right on Caleb, I’ve heard great things about that book BTW, thanks for sharing here man
ReplyOk Chris, I don’t know what I’m being pulled to do, but I’m asking the universe to direct my mind to notice where doors are open, and then to be willing to take the action to walk through them. Even when I don’t know what the outcome might be. Even when I can’t think of what I HOPE the outcome might be – talk about leaving the results up to a power greater than me. I have been a numbers-and-spreadsheets-and-databases girl for years and I still really like that stuff. But there is some sort of right-brain creative activity that I’ve got to find and embrace. So I just have to do stuff and practice and expand my comfort-level. SO hard. Every time I try something my brain comes in with the “SEE? I told you you’re not a creative person. Just go back to what you know.” The challenge is to do stuff even when I’m not good at it.
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Hey Angelena, thanks so much for sharing
i think you’ll enjoy The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield
it’s about what you’re going through
and it’s a short simple book too
ReplyThanks Chris, I will read it. Funny, I just left you a book recommendation on your 101 Quotes entry…..
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Hey Sheila, thank you so much for sharing this
Did you go out with Jason H.?
Or if you’re not that Sheila… Did you drive a white Camaro? maybe work at Wendy’s on Alicia?
So sorry to hear about your current issues
However, I do know
1. EVERYONE goes through heavy shit
2. The majoiry of the world would LOVE to have the problems you have
3. It will pass, and you’ll be better and happier for it
Not trying to minimize what you’re going through, just hoping to help put
it in perspective, but I realize being in the middle of it can suck
Also, if you haven’t, maybe check these out
https://chrismccombs.net/35-reasons-your-life-kicks-ass/
https://chrismccombs.net/17-reasons-why-its-good-to-take-a-beating/
LMK if you’re on FB or anything
Happy somehow my stuff found it’s way to you, that stokes me out (=
ReplyYou just read the article. You just pushed the buttons. THANK YOU ! great love from far away 🙂 keep up the good work and don’t you ever think about stopping inspiring people.
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My GOD!! Brother, you are BLESSED and you bless me…WOW
Thanks, man
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Chris, This is exactly what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear it. I appreciate you brother. Yes, I have been using excuses of where I am in life (ie. haven’t seen my 2 year old daughter for 10 weeks, lost the best job ever, been diagnosed with Manic Dysphoria, and it goes on and on) to not live my life and create something truly amazing.
“Get busy living or get busy dying…that’s Goddamned right.”
Keep up the great work. It is time for me to start on one of my own.
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thanks James, I can relate to many of those same issues
Trudge ahead baby
BTW, you might like this one https://chrismccombs.net/17-reasons-why-its-good-to-take-a-beating/
ReplyThis is incredible. Your blog posts are always good and it always has the right information for what I am going through that day.
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Chris, nice piece of writing my friend. From one aspiring writer to another.
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Powerful words and very inspiring. I have shared with my network. Thank you so much for your words of inspiration
ReplyI just raised $500 for a client’s parents. They had a fire that destroyed their chicken house. Losing over half their income and not getting what they really needed to rebuild the farm from the insurance money. Realistically, they were short about $50,000.
But to bring a family together in such a way was amazing!!!
Go get it!
ReplyYour blogs leave me speechless every time, but this article just blew my mind and almost had me in tears. This is unbelievable, man. I wake up each day wishing I would do something great before I’m gone, and this has helped me organise my thoughts and realise that life is too short to be sitting around doing nothing.
If I DO end up doing something great, I owe it to all those people you mentioned, and I owe it to YOU.
Love your articles Chris, keep raging on!
Reply“You owe it to everyone who told you that you couldn’t, so you can show them that they can.”
Definitely something people forget despite being reminded of this over and over again in their life.
It’s easy to relax and let other people take the responsibility of showing others what’s impossible and what’s not. We just can’t depend on others because we only have control over ourself.
Stop expecting. Do stuff.
ReplyHey Chris,
This is great stuff. I love your style and your voice on your blog. I too am a fitness guy and designing my own life. The part about being a “me-too” blogger hits home, since I have delayed starting my own thing until this year since I didn’t want to just look like a poser. The reality is that I have a unique story and I really have gone places that can be shared to tell a story that I know will help someone.
I have hired coaches in the past and been to more seminars than I can even remember, so thank you for the inspiring words that make me want to get off my butt and do something real.
-Jesse
ReplyHi Chris – Well said. You have a way of cutting through the crap and just laying it out there. We all get down from time to time and forget to look at all of the good in our lives. But this post went a step further. It was an incredible reminder of the opportunities many of have simply by being in a place like the USA.
A truly great post. I’m glad I stumbled upon your site.
Thank you.
ReplyHey Chris, Good post that ties into me working on my FUCKING COMEBACK! Great reminder that I need to do great things, not only for myself, but also to help others and show them the way to greatness. As comes through in your writing, we are here to help everyone be great in our own ways. Keep preaching brother!
Thank you.
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