Gary Kobat's ...Infinite Possibilities, Now.

...Enthusiasm...

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"...nothing great has ever been achieved without enthusiasm."

                                                       -ralph waldo emerson

                                                         

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...suddenly one day we realize what our purpose is: we have vision, a goal, and from then on work toward implementing that goal...body composition, career, home, relationship: something we enjoy being involved in already but on a smaller scale....this is where another layer of "awakened doing" arises: enthusiasm.

...enthusiasm means there is deep enjoyment in what we do plus the added element of a goal, or vision that we work toward. When we add a goal to the enjoyment of what we do, the energy-field or frequency changes...a certain degree of structural tension is now added to enjoyment, and so it turns into enthusiasm. At the height of this creative activity, there will enormous intensity, energy, and results behind what we do, laser-like, like an arrow that is moving toward a target.

...to an onlooker, it may appear that we are under stress but the intensity of enthusiasm has nothing to do with stress...unlike stress: enthusiasm has a high frequency and so resonates with the creative power of the universe....the word enthusiasm comes from ancient greek - en and theos, meaning god-like or "possessed by a god"....with enthusiasm we will find we dont have to do it all ourselves, in fact there is nothing of significance that we can do "all" by ourselves...

...enthusiasm always knows where it is going, but at the same time it is deeply at one with the present moment, the now, which is the source of it's aliveness....

...remember: we cannot manifest what we want, we can only manifest what we already have .

train smart. live, race. recover smarter.

gary kobat.

...Leadership...

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"...a few of the guys, millar, leipheimer: we're all waiting for them to assume the role of “the” leader: no doubt they are gifted - a lot of people are gifted, hell, we're all gifted; but in cycling, in life, it's not enough to be gifted; you also have to want it: ..whenever their name is mentioned, we always hear the word: tomorrow.

                                            - tour de france july 2007 "inner rumblings".

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....Life doesn't begin 5 pounds from now. If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?  Happiness doesn't come from the outside, it comes from within, a state produced by our minds. Although external objects can cause us to feel happy, the objects themselves are not the cause of our happiness. Everyday can be a great day... actually: everyday IS a great day... when you want it to be.

...take a pickle, for example: the largest pickle in a jar may be 10 calories... instead of attacking the pantry for multiple mounds of cashews totaling 900 calories, a 10 calorie pickle will send the same message to the brain to satisfy a hunger twinge... as will a 100 calorie apple, a 25 calorie wedge of iceberg lettuce, and so on... no, not meal replacements, just strategies to get you off the edge in times of emotional eating.. a healthy, low call eating suppressant to keep you on track of your bigger goals.... implemented only if you want it passionately enough; want to achieve that goal of yours.

...circa 1954: it was said, almost everyone believed, that it was impossible for a human to run a mile in under 4 minutes.. doctors said that a human would break down and kill themselves, engineers said it was impossible aerodynamically and biomechanically... and it seemed true, all the runners who tried up to that point, failed... but rodger bannister ran a mile in 3:59.4 on may 6th... six weeks later, john landy ran 3:58... it's not that they were faster or stronger.. it's because they believed they could and wanted it more.. ..as with every ironman winner, the fitness is always the same, the inner road work... that wanting, that drive is the difference.

...and that's what happens to an emotional block or a paradigm, to any belief system when a hole is blown in it; everyone and everything pours through it in a new way of thinking... now it's your turn, your road, your path of inner work, to end, to blow apart some of your b.s., your belief systems about what's possible, what you really want.... take charge of your own mind, and watch the impact unfold.

remember the key mental commitments:

1) are you coach-able?

2) are you willing to shift your personal philosophy to another level?

3) are you willing to do the hard work it takes?

4) are you willing to shift your eating plan?

5) are you willing to shift your training plan?

6) are you willing to shift your biological plan?

...everyone knows how old they are when they look at a calendar...big deal, it's only a date.. but how old you are inside is EVERYTHING.

train smart. live, race. recover smarter!

...Memory...

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"The body is a memory card. It stores every emotion and experience you have; from the traumatic to the profound. The untreated ones?  Well, they sit with you until they are toxic. Then it's too late.”      

                             -bobby julich, team csc 2006, 3rd place tour de france 1998.

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Everything that is alive pulsates with energy and this energy contains information. Your physical body is both an information center and a highly perceptual system. We are consistently " in-communication " with everything around us through this system.

Within YOUR energy field exists emotional energy, which is created by your internal and external experiences. These experiences can be both positive and negative, light and dark, fleeting or long-lasting: past relationships..traumatic experiences..belief patterns and attitudes..family culture. Your

emotional experiences reside physically in your body and interact with your cells and tissues.

This emotional energy forms an energy language within the cells which carry literal and symbolic information. In this way - your biography - that is the experiences that make up your life - becomes your biology. Your body contains your history - every chapter and verse. As your life unfolds your health becomes a living, breathing statement that conveys your strengths, weaknesses, hopes and fears.

Every emotion travels through your biological system and activates a physical response. Some thoughts - like fear - are like depth charges causing a negative or dark or lower energy response while love can relax your entire body while some are meaningless and pass through the body like wind through a screen.

Learning the language of energy means to evaluate the dynamics in yourself, others and your experiences. Energy information is always truthful and your relationship, your labeling, your embracing, your surrendering, your letting go or holding on too tight influences your health. Managing your energy is an essential component to facilitating your growth, your health, your longevity or your healing.

Whether world-class human or world-class athlete, or both, "healing" is an active and internal process that includes investigating ones attitudes, beliefs, memories, and relationships to energy, experiences, identities and power. While "curing" is the abatement of a block or illness it does not necessarily include alleviation of the emotional stress of the blockage or "healing".

Our desire is to "heal" and release all negative, dark, low patterns that prevent us from being whole, our true, highest, most awesomeness self - whether on the tour de france or our own "tour de france of life".

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...for an athlete, confidence is everything. Bobby Julich quickly recovered from the physical injuries sustained in a bad fall in 1999 the year after his 3rd place "tour" podium finish, but it was only last year that he got over the crash in it's entirety, yes the memory card of crash emotions was holding him back.

At 32, Julich was about to call it career when Bjarne Riis called from Team CSC and offered him a contract. "His confidence rubbed off on me. He treated me world class, like a leader, spoke to me like a leader, respected me like a leader.... but i reminded him that i wasn't 27 anymore and that 1998 and third place was a long time ago"  Riis responded: "Bobby, you still have it in you"  Julich: "..but i'm old now.."  Riis asked how old he was and julich told him that he was 32. Riis moved in for the kill.

"Bobby," said Riis, "I was 32 when i won the tour in 1996."

All that was left inside Julich when he joined Team CSC was a tiny little flame wanting to get better. What Riis did was like pouring gasoline on that tiny little flame; what Riis said gives goosebumps to  Julich to this day. At the advanced, experienced, and wise age of 35, the fire is still burning in Juilich and the 2006 tour is about to start.

Good Luck Bobby.

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...You Can Do It...

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                                 …you can do it.

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We are the authors of every next moment.

This zen-like cutting-edge information tells us what we believe, think, and feel actually determines the makeup of our body at the cellular level; choosing mindful happiness rather than drama, gloominess or depression for just that purpose.

Those who have chosen to be happy walk about wearing a tiny little smile that seems to indicate that they have a secret. The smile may be in the mind only, but it is there. No matter what happens, the knowledge of that secret keeps the little smile in place.

Once that secret is in place, you will find yourself enjoying the little things in life: you'll stop to admire a sunset, breeze moving thru you, someone's pretty hair, a shower more than you did before, a walk, a conversation, or simply sitting, thinking looking out. You'll stop focusing on things that are detrimental to your happiness in the knowledge of your little secret.

The nagging worries that all is not right, that something bad is going to happen, that you might fail, might not be good enough, strong enough, bright enough, or own enough will disappear. Doubts will be replaced with confidence.

Of course, you are here to learn; that there are lessons and hurts and heartaches and mishaps; but when you see them with new eyes, a new personal philosophy, with that little smile and secret, you will understand:

1) that you only have great days.  ...no hard days, no bad days... only great days.

2) that actually: everything that happens to you is the best possible thing that can happen to you, each and everyday.

3) that everything happens for a reason; everything happens in the right amount of time; and everything that happens is for your complete benefit...everyday.

4) that the universe does not make mistakes, it usually strikes at your weakest points that need strengthening.

5) that how you conduct yourself along your path of life determines how your life unfolds.

6) that when you can be happy in the midst of hardship is when you completely understand the potential of the human mind.

7) that stress will only come from how you interpret events, not from the event itself.

8) so, as an author, by owning hard days, you will create more "hard" days.

9) that by owning bad days, you will create more bad days.

10) that when you shift your personal philosophy about what "a day" could mean or will mean to you now, you have completely shifted what you create and what you feel each and every day...

So, let others have and live in drama because owning and creating drama is the farthest away from an answer and one's highest best self; the universe doesn’t want you to have or live in drama, so why own it?

Let the others think there is drama; let them live in it; you dont have to. You know what is right and wrong, know what you could do better and what you have been awesome at doing.

Remember that some people have amazingly different personal philosophies about what is valuable and worthy. Some people act incredibly un-grateful: don't get near that.

Dont own other people's drama; dont let them drive it into you, keep their stress out of your life.

Live in gratefulness. Be happy. Create happy. Smile and laugh inside.

You can do it !

...A Force So Great...

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         ...love is a force so great, so electric, so energetic...

         ...yet still one of the most unknown energies in the world....

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...want to be lonely, tap into loneliness ...want to feel love, tap into love ...love is an attitude..

…you do love: by the way you think, you act, you move, you respond, you believe, and by the way you vision... some choose it, some don't... but it is there for everybody... you do love: by the way you treat yourself, abuse yourself, by what you eat, what you consume, who you hang with...

...pssst: live your loves, and stay away from your hates, and watch your life bloom, grow, come alive with an abundance of energy because:  love is energy... and energy is life.

...Self Love...

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You could search the world over and you will never find anyone more
deserving of your love than yourself.       

                                                            -Buddha-

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Self-love is a dimension of love. If you are unhappy with yourself,

perhaps you perceive a gap between who you intend to be and who
you are being. Your attitude of mind can eliminate the gap or exacerbate it.
If you judge yourself harshly you will widen the gap. If you are present
with yourself without judgment you will close the gap. The simple act of
being present with yourself without judgment cultivates self-love.

Self-love requires a quality of spaciousness that allows us to be with
ourselves instead of running away. When we are in pain, we want to blame.
When we are in fear, we want to flee. When we are angry or resent, we want

to lash out. All of these behaviors are ways that we negate our self. When we
identify with the nourishing, nurturing center of our being, we begin to
express more of our authentic self with ease and grace. By simply bearing
witness to our unskillful states of mind we may discover that all we need is
a kind word or a corrected perception about life. If we take the time to be
with our self instead of ignoring our self, self-love arises within us and
protects us like the shade of a lush and leafy tree.

When we are present with ourselves we will discover what it means to love
our selves. As we love our self, we learn to love our neighbor as our self
because we have loved all of the neighboring and sometimes conflicting parts
of our own being. As we cultivate the love of our own soul we open to the
love all around us. We gratefully behold our true self everywhere.

...When A Negative Is Positive...

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"...a negative split is all about presence, a knowing, an infinite patience that what you desire will show up: that you don't have to chase; in training, in racing, even in life: ...a "getting older, looking and feeling younger" mindset."      

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..."My technique in time trials is to start a little slower," said Landis, the fourth-to-last rider on course. "I've made the mistake in the past of starting too hard and losing a bit at the end. So in my way of thinking it's better to save something for the end."   

Floyd Landis rode to a dominating time trial win Wednesday and gave the Tour of California its third leader in three days. Landis, the 30-year-old leader of Team Phonak, completed the 16.77-mile stage in 35 minutes 58.10 seconds at an average speed of 27.98 mph. The Tour of California ends Sunday with the longest stage of the estimated 600-mile, eight-day event, a circuit race in Redondo Beach.

...marathoners, triathletes, duathletes, cyclists, spinners, fitness aficionados:  ...need i say more: a negative split, whether in training or racing is where we strategically layout the hour or course or session in 1/3'rds: first third) start relaxed, second third) gain deeper focus, and 3'rd third) release and raise to another standard ...or 1) fast, 2) faster, 3) fastest, where we spare energy stores for the end because physiology studies show that we slow down "faster" at the end than we go "fast" at the start; or we loose more time at the end when tired than gain at the beginning when we are fresh....  thus the attitude:  ....you can finish or finish strong.

...Try...

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                                 " Do, or do not.  There is no "try".

                                                                              

                                                              - yoda -  (the empire strikes back)

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...no one can ask another to step-up or be healed; but one can let themselves step-up or be healed and thus offer the others what they have received. who can bestow upon another what they do not have? ...and who can share what they deny themselves?

...so long as we believe in our heart of hearts that our capacity is limited, we'll grow more anxious and unhappy.  ..but one who trusts, who knows, who believes in the ability to expand or reveal, has no right to be anxious about anything.  ...anxiety is the mark of a higher energy insecurity, a disconnect.

...we speak of stress as if it were present in the world as something that attacks us, like "an anxiety attack" as if anxiety is a combatant. ...but the stress or anxiety in our body is rarely the result of external forces or entities attacking you; but rather the result of a weakened connection or link to your true mission, reason for being, what you know, or focus on what truly matters, a gratefulness for the present.

...believe, know, expand, cherish the opportunity to maintain presence while being uncomfortable: ...in life, in training, or on the race course.

...you see, you can't feel stressed and appreciative at the same time.

...A Sign...

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...taking a day off IS NOT a sign of weakness, it's a sign of
intelligence!

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...look: many people do not make it to the starting line due
to overtraining, bad recovery techniques.. or this one: not
knowing when to slow down, backoff or to stop!

...i bring this up due to the fact that one of your teammates
has the sniffles and is probably thinking all sorts of ways
to train anyway or is feeling inferior due to it....

...for that person to train anyway would be that person
serving their emotional insecurities, quick fix, short term
tunnel vision emotions, all while, TAKING THEIR SIGHT OFF
THEIR BIGGER GOAL... the prize: THEIR RACE DAY NEEDS !

...everyone needs to be sharp, rested, whole, hungry, fueled,
prepared mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually to
CREATE a persoanl best on race day...

... a few days off now, or EVEN, the WEEKEND OFF, as long as
it served the longer term goal: RACE DAY NEEDS, may be the
most important decision that person makes the entire training
season....

...you all know now: the most important ride is next
weekend's long ride. we should all serve ourselves and
needs to be our strongest for that weekends' ride... then
recover, taper, sharpen for 12 days and get to the race sight
whole and ready to make that day a memorible one...

...most of you will take it one day at a time, execute
exacting, and be ready... a few of you will need to face
yourself about a few issues you continue to bring to the
table... fear, overtrained, lack of confidence, heavy stress
going on in your life, and so on... each of you CAN DO THIS,
can create a PERSONAL BEST... despite... despite the rain,
the clouds, the heat, the stress, the insecurities, and so
on...

...so relax, take it one day at a time, be patient, let the
next couple of weeks mature you... do what's needed for you,
not just the group, to make sure you are prepared for ...

..ONE DAY, ONE RACE, ONE 5-6 HOUR WINDOW.....


...and, oh yeah, HAVE FUN DOING IT, ok?

you are so close... but not there yet.

respect the process the next few weeks...

train smart. live, race, recover smarter.

gary.

...Uncomfortable...

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"...no one can ask another to step-up or be healed. ..but one can let themselves step-up or be healed and thus offer the others what they have received... who can bestow upon another what they do not have?  ...and who can share what they deny themselves?

                                                                      - a course in miracles -

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....so long as we believe in our heart of hearts that our capacity is limited, we'll grow more anxious and unhappy.  ..but one who trusts, who knows, who believes in our ability to expand, has no right to be anxious about anything. ..anxiety is the mark of a higher energy insecurity, a disconnect.

...we speak of stress as if it were present in the world as something that attacks us, like "an anxiety attack" as if anxiety is a combatant. ...but the stress or anxiety in our body is rarely the result of external forces or entities attacking you; but rather the result of a weakened connection or link to your true mission, reason for being, what you know, or focus on what truly matters, a gratefulness for the present... 

...believe, know, expand, cherish the opportunity to maintain presence while being uncomfortable... in life, in training, or on the race course....

...you see, you can't feel stressed and appreciative at the same time.