by Kerry Taylor
Every once in a while a moment happens that makes you think back to how far someone has come in their journey. Today is one of those days. I’ve been compelled to share this person's journey with us from my perspective. I met Gabe a few times through Aura but never had the opportunity to work with him. Eventually that day came where Gabe had enough and wanted to make a change in his life. I’m sure the constant little nudges from Aura helped get him to make the changes. Boy I’m glad he decided that his change would start with us.
When Gabe came in for his Orientation, he was very bad off physically, a lot worse than he and I thought. After his warm up we headed outside to have a heart to heart about where he was and where he wanted to go, but even more importantly, why. You see, at that point in time, all he could really get through was the warm up. He shared his story of being in the Army and his last day of Bootcamp. On his last day, he had to be able to perform 32 push ups in 2 minutes. He hit 31 with plenty of time to get his last push up in, but he hit a wall and found he could not complete his final push up. He tried like all hell to lock his arms out to complete his final push up, but just couldn’t. When the whistle blew, he heard, “32”! and was told, “you didn’t quit and showed heart and effort, you got 32 push ups.”
Ever since that chat, Gabe has been on a constant tear to change his body and physical fitness mentality. He is never afraid to step up to a challenge to see how he would do. From workouts, to Tough Mudders, to Kettlebell Competitions, and even our Superhero Academy. He has truly lived up to his own words, “I may not be the fastest or strongest, but my goal is to be the hardest worker in the room.” And man did he add another huge feather in his cap with how he performed throughout the Academy. By the end of it he was in a place he hasn’t been in 20 years!! Keep up the amazing work, you are a true example of what changes can happen over time if you stick with it- even though there will be tough times and doubt may creep in.
Unfortunately, Gabe went through a tough time as of late. Uknown to him for a while, he had a few stress fractures in his leg that had been causing some serious knee pain. When he heard that, he was devastated, because he made so much progress, and like most people, was afraid he was going to have to stop working out for a while. If you are a 212er, you know everyone on the 212 team will tell you, “You can always do something. That’s what we’re here for as your coaches.” So, in true Gabe fashion, a week later he was back at it in the gym, with a few adjustments, and progress has continued.
Gabe, it’s safe to say 32 was your nemesis and it became your motivation, but now it is your vindicator. Continue to strive for greatness. Congrats my man, I can’t wait to see you take another step in your life by walking down the aisle with Tola! Continue to live your life one degree above the rest!!
