Fit for Life: You Think You Have it Bad?

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor

 

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PHOTO: File

This past week, I was privileged, along with another BNI member, to be invited to speak to an organization called Boys Town New England, a service provider for kids in the foster care system. They have a campus of 5 family homes in Portsmouth, RI, where kids reside until they complete the program. 

 

As you may or may not know, I am passionate about coaching and mentoring adolescent boys. I have been a coach for The Shea High School Football team for nearly 10 years and always try to participate as an instructor in The Squire Program, a father-son program. 

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I believe it’s better to steer young boys in the right direction than fix broken men later in life. 

 

I do this because although my parents were both there for me and provided me with all the basic needs of food, shelter, and love, I didn’t have it that easy growing up. They were 19 and 20 when they had me, got divorced early on in my life, and didn’t have a lot of money and resources in the early days. 

 

Life is different when you come from a 2 parent household with abundant finances. However, my life was nothing compared to some of the stories I was briefed on with these kids before we could speak to them. 

 

After meeting them all, we could speak to them, tell our stories, and offer advice. I informed them that I went down the wrong path in my early 20s, glamorized being a gangster, and ended up in jail because of it. It was due to my work ethic, discipline, and drive that I never went back, and they could do the same if they put their minds to it. 

 

In this article, I want to share some other things I told them, as I feel they apply to us all. Applying some simple principles to our own lives plants the seed for improvement. 

 

First, I told them to take their adversity and become a victor, not use it as an excuse to be a victim. I acknowledged that they were dealt a bad hand, but also acknowledged that there was an opportunity for everyone to become successful if they used their adversity as fuel and worked hard, as opposed to utilizing it as an excuse to continue being victims. 

 

We all have encountered and will continue to encounter adversity and setbacks in life. However, our bounce-back ability and how quickly we resolve these issues are what make the difference between success and failure. It’s a mindset!!

 

Next, I told them that Fitness is a gateway drug and that taking care of yourself is the first step to developing self-worth, self-esteem, confidence, and a healthy lifestyle. I told them it takes discipline to get up every day and do what you need to do instead of seeking comfort and doing only what you want. Working out and caring for yourself are the first steps in building these discipline muscles, and they will morph into every other area in their lives. 

 

I then told them to look at the wall and the 2 glass objects in front of them. One was a window, and the other was a mirror; instead of looking out the window and blaming all the outside circumstances for holding you back, look in the mirror and decide what you can change about yourself to improve your situation. Things in life don’t usually happen to you, but because of you, your actions, and the position you put yourself in. 

 

The product of 5 was the last thing I told them. The 5 people you surround yourself with will likely influence your outcome in life. If you hang with 5 business owners, you may want to open your own business. If you hang around with 5 drug dealers, you will most likely end up in jail or dead. If you hang with 5 stoners who sit around eating pizza and playing video games all day, you will become fat and lazy. If your 5 closest friends go to the gym daily, you will be likelier to do so too.

 

Out of about 12 kids in attendance, I reached maybe 3 of them. 

They asked questions about business and ways they could improve their lives. 

 

In all reality, I know we can’t reach everyone. 

That goes for my gym, football team, and the rest of the world in general, but if I can change the lives of anyone or even a tiny percentage of the people I contact, I consider it a victory. 

 

Committed to your success,

Coach Matt

 

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