Adversity Cultivates Success

I was 21 when I was told I would never ride my bike again.

That’s the day I was also told I would die unless my head was cut open to remove a massive tumor taking up half my brain. Even then, I still had a chance I may not make it out alive.

This was one of the many challenges I have faced in life and not the first circumstance that put the fragility of my life into perspective.

I later learned, life is full of gifts in the form of adversity and it’s all a matter of perspective. I have overcome injuries, financial instability, abuse, cancer, heartbreak, living in my car, on couches, or in hallway closets, and even depression.

What most of us don’t seem to see, is that we all have choices. We have a choice to believe the things we’re told or to dismiss them as noise. We have a choice to see all of the abundance and success within our lives, or we can choose to see the failures, set-backs, and the things we lack in our lives.

We have a choice to give up or fight back to beat the odds. Prove people wrong and prove our support right. Some choices are hard to make. But those are the ones that mold who we are today. It’s these choices that make us stronger…and wiser…and allow us to grow. I believe it’s not the cards we are dealt, rather it’s how we CHOOSE to play those cards that determine the outcome of our lives.

Sometimes we fall down in life. It’s these falls that are some of the most important learning opportunities for us. Not failures; learning lessons on the path to success.

But, it’s how we choice get back up that defines us and determines our future. Not our past times when we fell down or failed. We’re defined by how we CHOOSE to move forward in life.

Adversity cultivates success and life is all about choices.

So choose wisely. 💚✌️

Be Proactive, Not ReActive

Starting the week off strong with a PR in hang power cleans (70kilo) and some @go_exxentric squats and 3 second decent bench press.

Be proactive rather than reactive! Take care of your body and mind as they work in a uniform reactive relationship to one another. Be pro-active when it comes to your health and goals with your life.

Don’ settle for the status quo and then react to negatives. Do what you can to prevent a negative from occurring in the first place. It’s never too early to take action towards your goals and your health.

I learned this the hard way. I blew out my knee in 2013 and decided to have it fixed in 2015. 2015 was the year I started to take this fitness bing serious in an effort to strengthen and protect my legs. The more I practiced, the more I experienced benefits in the mind and body. 💚✌️

A Clear Vision

I believe a clear vision is what creates the goal, which creates the motivation and the taking of action.

Our reality is a manifestation of our actions we choose to participate in on a daily basis.

The vision is what motivates us to take action every day and is what keeps us going no matter what challenge arise and doesn’t let us give up. 💚✌️

What’s your vision for your life? Are you making choices to take action that leads you closer to your vision?

-Josh P.

Most Protein Bars Are Candy

Marketing is a tricky obstacle for health enthusiasts.

Labels and words we’ve never heard of on ingredients lists trick us into think protein bars are “healthy” when they’re no different than a candy bar for the most part.

Containing glutenous grains, added sugars, poor quality protein, gmo ingredients, artificial flavoring, colors, and sweeteners, and other junk don’t qualify a food as “healthy”.

Thanks to doctors like Dr. David Perlmutter and other health advocates, the information on why these ingredients are detrimental to our health is abundant and clear.

Tag your favorite protein bar and share why it’s your favorite.

My favorites are @primalkitchenfoods and @gardenoflife. Loaded with quality protein, prebiotic fiber, and healthy fats. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

My Mission

My mission is to create support for those in need, direct patient funding for brain tumor patients, empower people to live as healthy as possible, and create faith, inspiration, and partnerships through sport, education, and story telling. 💚✌️

What’s your mission in life?

-Josh P.

Push Your Limitations

How do you push your limits and increase your potential in life?

I never thought weight lifting would be apart of my life or even half of the role it plays in my life today.

I got into fitness after I blew out my knee in 2013. That’s what I call being “reactive” rather then being proactive”.

Today’s it’s a passion of mine. I love the health benefits, of course, but I also love the challenge mentally and physically, learning a new skill, how it supplements my riding very well, and how the risk factor is not as high as BMX but sill presents that mental and physical challenge.

That said, here is a face of joy and relief as I successfully cleaned my highest weight so far (88kilos) and got it after just missing it on the attempt prior. I’ve come a long way his last year of introducing Olympic lifting to my programming and mobility as played the biggest factor. I had some strength, and it does keep increasing, but my lack of mobility held me back so much in terms of technique and form, which determine how successful my lifts are.

I’ve been working hard with Jackie and 919Spine to correct that and have been stoked! 💚✌️

-Josh P.

What’s In Your Hand?

What would you do if this was your scan result after an MRI following a sports related head injury?

My path to making my dream of becoming a pro bmx athlete come true has never been an easy one.

I know things that are worth having don’t come easily. I have overcome financial instability, injuries, cancer, abuse, heartbreak, and depression. If the things we desire most in life were simple, we’d already have them.

I am a firm believer that it’s not the cards were dealt; rather it’s the way we CHOOSE to play those cards that determine the outcome of our life. 💚✌️

Did you get dealt a shit hand of cards? How are YOU CHOOSING to play them?

Power Clean PR 3-14-18

Almost got in the 200pound club for power cleans today.

Hit a PR (88kilos) for power cleans after an 85 kilo cleans, and then just missing 88 before getting it. I’m liking week 1 of my new block from Coach Matt Hunter at Athletic Lab.

I’ve been working with Matt for a little over a year now and am getting more and more comfortable and strong with these Olympic lifts. Have more work to do to get this weight cleaner and advance. So stoked! 💯🙌🏼💪🏽

-JoshP.

Don’t Wish For An Easy Life

If you are wishing life to be easier, then you’re living in a victim mentality and not taking ownership of your life.

I’ve learned it’s never going to be easy, especially if you want an extraordinary life and to challenge status quo.

The level of progression with every aspect of life has rissen so high that committing 100% to desires is more important than ever.

Every second of every day is an opportunity to choose actions that will better yourself and get you closer to what you desire.

Don’t fall for the easy way out because of the resistance change and hard work brings with it. Just know you’re on the right track and having a clear vision is what will keep you moving forward to your success. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

Training vs. BMX

I’ve grown to love training over the years and recently was sharing why I love it so much beyond just the health benefits.

Training vs. bmx when your mind isn’t right is safer to me. Training has less risk than bmx. Both of them push me mentally and physically but if I’m not 100% feeling like riding, or am in a bad mode for whatever reason, I’d rather train.

I enjoy the aspect of pushing myself mentally and physically with both bmx and training. It’s just different with bmx if you’re not all in it because you can get fucked up.

I’m not competitively power lifting so the risk factor for my training is nothing compared to my level of risk riding as a professional bmx athlete, but I can still push my body and mind. 💚✌️

Why do you train?

-Josh P.