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Pushing to the Front

A Six-Part Compilation of Posts by Robert Drucker
Includes New Bonus Material

Introduction

A couple of years ago, my family and I stopped in Franklin, Tennessee on our way back home from a weekend stay in Chattanooga. Franklin is a historic town located in Williamson County, and it was the scene of two big battles during the Civil War.

During our brief visit to Franklin, we stopped at Landmark Booksellers at 114 East Main Street. This used book store is housed in an antebellum Greek Revival building dating back to the 1820s, and it once served as a hospital for the wounded after the bloody and tragic Battle of Franklin.

Inside the bookstore, I hoped to find an old body-building book, perhaps one written by Eugen Sandow or Alan Calvert. I struck out with this plan, so I decided to browse through the books shelved in the “Philosophy Section” of the store. There appeared one book in particular that caught my attention, for a reason I don't remember. Anyhow, I took this eye-catching book off the self and saw that it was a first edition of Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden, and it was in excellent condition despite being over a hundred years old.

I was ecstatic to hold in my hand an original copy of Pushing to the Front, and with full enthusiasm I showed my wife my find. However, her enthusiasm didn't quite match mine. Her first words after glancing at Marden's classic work were, “This book cost sixty dollars! That sounds awfully expensive to me.”

I did my best to explain to my wife that the sixty-dollar asking price was nothing compared to what I would gain by reading and owning the book. I turned out to be right, and I am very thankful to this day that my companion gave in and let me buy it. And, every once in a while I remind her that the sixty dollars I ditched out at Landmark Booksellers was one of the best investments I have ever made. Her usual reply is, “Oh really!,” but, this book truly was an eye opener for me.

Several months after first reading Pushing to the Front, I wrote a six-part series of blog posts that were influenced by what I had learned from Orison Swett Marden. These were among my favorite postings, and for this article all six of them have been compiled into a single unit, and each has been given a slight makeover. In addition, this new article concludes with a special bonus, one created by the man himself, Orison Swett Marden. Please enjoy.

Post One

Way back in 1894, Pushing to the Front was first published. This book was written by Orison Swett Marden, and it is one the greatest works of inspiration, encouragement, and success ever penned.

Orison Swett Marden was not a strength athlete, but the teachings in his book offer lessons that can make the difference between victory and defeat in any endeavor, including bodybuilding and weightlifting.

On those occasional days when I need a little push to get me out of a “lazy” rut and into the gym, one of my “secret” weapons is to pick up my personal copy of Pushing to the Front and read a couple of paragraphs at random from any of its many chapters. The book is written so you can start reading from just about any page and immediately absorb words of wisdom and encouragement. The messages delivered by Marden are powerful, and they never fail to mobilize my internal forces for a major battle in the gym.

As a tribute to Orison Swett Marden, during the next few weeks I'm going to do something a bit different on the MOI blog. Every few nights or so, I will post a small passage or quote from Marden's classic text and maybe add a bit of commentary. I'll do this for a week or two, and don't be surprised if over this time period you find your mental and fighting spirits rejuvenated.

I'll begin tonight with one of my favorite quotes, and one that is displayed prominently on the cover of Pushing to the Front. It is this:

I Will Find a Way or Make One.

I selected this quote to start things off because it reveals in a single sentence a critical mental attitude a person must possess to bring forth success in any endeavor, including strength training. A corollary of this statement is, “If it's to be, it's up to me.” In other words, if you want to know who is responsible for your success, look in the mirror and you will find the reason. Blaming other people for your shortcomings or problems will do you no good. The only way to improve yourself and acquire what you seek is to focus on what you can and should do. This is the thinking of a champion.

Post Two

In Pushing to the Front, author Orison Swett Marden opens with a chapter titled, The Man and the Opportunity. Inside this powerful chapter is a single sentence of critical importance that every student of strength and success should keep firmly planted in their mind. It is this:

Weak men wait for opportunities, strong men make them.

The importance of Marden's statement cannot be overstated. The ability to create opportunities is the landmark of a champion. Champions don't wait for things to happen — they make them happen. Champions don't let obstacles get in their way — they overcome them. Champions don't needlessly miss workouts — they train with focus and intensity, even under the toughest of circumstances. And, champions don't offer excuses — they find a way to get the job done!

Many men and women fail to realize their goals not because of poor genetics, misfortune, or bad luck, but because they wait endlessly for opportunities to come their way rather than create them. And when an opportunity does arise by chance, they fail to seize hold of it!

In all endeavors, including strength training, the killer of opportunity is excuse making. Such a practice may draw a sympathetic ear, but it will do little or nothing to bring forth desired results. Focus on excuses blocks effective thinking, thwarts positive actions, and cuts progress short. In fact, lack of progress in any chosen endeavor can often be attributed to nothing more than a focus on unfounded rationalizations. Some "progress-killers" that I routinely hear people in a rut rumble include:

• I don't have time;
• I'm tired;
• I don't have the right genetics;
• My job is too hard;
• I'm too old;
• I'm too busy;
• It's too hot (or too cold);
• I'm depressed;
• I don't have enough money;
• I can't get motivated;
• There's always tomorrow;
• I'm not smart enough;
• Good luck never comes my way;
• I don't have natural talent;
• It's not my responsibility.

So, do yourself a favor: If you are seeking to achieve physical and mental greatness, steer clear of rationalizations and excuses. Take charge of your success, and if you can't find a way to succeed, make a way.

Post Three

When I got out of bed this morning, I had a light headache and felt strangled by a grip of lethargy. The day before had been a tough and long one, and the early ring of the alarm clock didn't help matters.

After silencing the alarm clock, I walked over, still in a bit of a daze, to the bathroom to brush my teeth. “There is no way I can train this morning,” I thought to myself as I squirted toothpaste across the bristles of my brush. The self-talk continued. “I know the stuff I say in my articles, but this is different. I really don't feel well. I best rest another day.”

After brushing my teeth I stumbled through the hallway and into the kitchen for a bit of energy-building breakfast. I pulled out two hard boiled eggs from the refrigerator, made some whole-wheat toast, and collected some Michigan-grown cherries. I figured that a huge dose of nutrition might pick me up a bit.

I grabbed my breakfast plate and walked into our reading and music room to eat. Here, I was surrounded with great works from various authors and composers. Before taking a bite, I looked across my huge record collection and pulled out an old recording of Igor Stravinsky's Petroushka. This recording was performed by the Columbia Symphony Orchestra and conducted by the composer when he was 80 years old. Petroushka was once thought to be too sophisticated for most ears, but shortly after its release in 1911 it gained a reputation as a great ballet score filled with dramatic momentum and musical richness. It is a thrilling listening experience, and if anything could wake up my lethargic body, I figured this was it.

With Stravinsky conducting moving melodies in the background, I began to feel a warm energy come across me. Energized a bit by the music, I started to think that, just maybe, it would be possible for me to get into the gym after breakfast. “I won't be able to train heavy,” I told myself, but “I can probably manage to do some light stuff.”

After polishing off my breakfast plate and tossing some water down my throat, I still was struggling to get into a training mood, and my head was still aching. But the tide was about to change. I reached over my desk and picked up my copy of Orison Swett Marden's Pushing to the Front. I flipped through to a chapter titled, Nerve – Grit, Grip, Pluck, and I read the following story inspired by Ulysses S. Grant:

Grant never looked backward. Once, after several days of hard fighting without definite result, he called a council of war. One general described the route by which he could retreat; another thought it better to retire by a different road, and general after general told how he would withdraw, or fall back, or seek a more favorable position in the rear. At length all eyes were turned upon Grant, who had been a silent listener for hours. He rose, took a bundle of papers from an inside pocket, handed one to each general, and said: “Gentlemen, at dawn you will execute these orders.” Every paper gave definite directions for an advance, and with the morning sun the army moved forward and to victory.

As I read the story about Grant, I could see him as if he was right there in the room with me. In my mind's eye, the commander gave me a stare that pierced through me like an intense beam of radiation. And, with our eyes locked, he told me, “If you retreat now, you will never advance.”

Grant's words told me exactly what I had to do: get into the gym and train LIKE A MAN! So, out the door I went, ready to do battle in my garage against a rounded chunk of dense iron. In my imagination, Grant was watching me, and nothing short of a spectacular training performance from me was going to please him. Thus, it was time to bury all excuses and get going with an all-out assault against the weights.

As I stormed into my garage gym, my dog, Shadow, immediately sensed that something special was about to happen. She's always there when I train, alert and ready to urge me on as I push heavy iron. This time, though, she was more excited than usual. She knew that I meant business, and that the morning workout was going to be carried out in a most spectacular fashion.

Just before the start of the workout, I went over to the music player and loaded one of our favorite training CDs, AC/DC's Powerage. Shadow loves this album, and when its playing she knows that there is going to be plenty of high-voltage training!

With Ulysses Grant still giving me a penetrating stare in my mind's eye, I wasted no time starting my first exercise of the morning, the Clean and Jerk. As the barbell became heavier and heavier with each progressive set, my headache disappeared into thin air, and my sluggishness was conquered by an ever-growing will of iron. Between grueling sets, I would tell Shadow that there would be no retreat in this workout until ALL lifts for the day ended with a new personal record. This was the thinking I held throughout every moment of the workout, and the results were utterly amazing.

As AC/DC belted out electrifying tunes and Shadow growled and howled, one by one personal records fell like rain falls from the sky. A new best was made in the clean and jerk (one rep max), in the breathing squat (20-rep max), in the barbell press (two-rep max), the one-arm press (six-rep max), and even in the Roman-chair situp (20-rep max), a movement I hadn't done in nearly four weeks! So easy were new personal records made, I kept rechecking the plates on the bar thinking I must have counted them incorrectly. All recounts verified that my arithmetic had been correct.

Shadow was so excited by all the action, at one point her predatory instincts kicked in and she pounced on me like a mountain lion. This happened right after a record-breaking set of squats. With her sharp claws digging into my legs and her teeth tearing into my wrist, I had to wrestle her off and calm her down before the workout could continue. Such was the intensity of the training session.

So what is the relevance to all of these words? It is this: When things appear bleak and you don't feel up to the occasion, sometimes all you need to do is change your way of thinking. The right thoughts can turn you into a new man (or woman) very quickly. The key is not to retreat. As Harriet Beecher Stowe once declared, “When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you, till it seems as if you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up. For that's just the place and time that the tide 'll turn.”

That's it for today, and I hope that you will remember this post if you are ever tempted to withdraw your forces.

Post Four

Success in any endeavor is almost always a matter of mental conquest rather than good fortune, luck, or natural talent. When a person is armed with an unconquerable will, an unwavering desire, and an attitude blind to limitations, powerful things are bound to happen. This is true regardless of external circumstances. In contrast, Individuals who do not understand or accept this truth inevitably watch the wheels of life turn past them. And, these lost souls go down in defeat, all the while believing that “misfortune” is to blame for their shortcomings. This is such a pity because it is not misfortune, but only limited thinking that holds people back.

In Pushing to the Front, Orison Swett Marden relates a remarkable story about Henry Wilson and how he rose from poverty to a major political force. The thought structure that Wilson possessed is worth studying, for an analysis of his thinking will reveal many keys for acquiring what you want in life, including strength, muscle, and might. Taken from Marden's classic book, a fragment of Wilson's story is reproduced here for your reading benefit:

“I was born in poverty,” said Vice-President Henry Wilson. “Want sat by my cradle, I know what it is to ask a mother for bread when she had none to give. I left my home at ten years of age, and served an apprenticeship of eleven years, receiving a month’s schooling each year, and, at the end of eleven years of hard work, a yoke of oxen and six sheep, which brought me eighty-four dollars. I never spent a sum of one dollar for pleasure, counting every penny from the time I was born till I was twenty-one years of age. I know what it is to travel weary miles and ask my fellow men to give me toil. In the first month after I was twenty-one years of age, I went into the woods, drove a team, and cut mill-logs. I rose in the morning before daylight and worked hard till after dark, and received the magnificent sum of six dollars for the month’s work! Each of these dollars looked as large to me as the moon looks tonight! ”

Continuing onward, Marden gives his perspective of how Henry Wilson broke free from the bottom of the pit and made things happen:

Mr. Wilson determined to never lose an opportunity for self-culture or self-advancement. Few men knew so well the value of spare moments. He seized them as though they were gold and would not let one pass until he had wrung from it every possibility. He managed to read a thousand good books before he was twenty-one – what a lesson for boys on a farm!

I'll add that Henry’s father was often out of work, and he made a deal with a neighbor to take his son as an apprentice when the lad was just 10 years old. As part of the deal, Henry continued working on his neighbor’s farm until the age of 21. And, during his 11 years at the farm he was allowed to attend school just one month of the year. In return for his work, Henry was given a small salary and food to eat.

After fulfilling his apprenticeship, Wilson left his neighbor's farm and looked for work elsewhere. When he couldn’t find employment in his home town of Farmington, New Hampshire, he walked over 100 miles to Boston! Once there, he met a friend who taught him the fine art of shoe making. Wilson eventually became a cobbler’s apprentice, and he saved much of the money he earned. He later used his savings to open his own shoe-repair shop.

Eventually, Wilson launched a career in politics after visiting Washington DC. Initially, he visited the Capital to see the White House and learn more about the Congress and the federal government. However, during his trip he became engrossed with the horrors of slavery after witnessing how slaves were treated across the Potomac River in Virginia. From this moment onward, he dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery in the United States, a pursuit he brought to the Senate when he was elected in 1855. Wilson moved on to become Vice President in 1873, working second in command under President Ulysses Simpson Grant.

Times were different back in Wilson’s day, but the laws of success are the same today as they were back then. This means that to become fit, strong, and powerful, you must develop a mindset that will propel you past whatever hurdles and hardships that may be blocking your desired path. You must let nothing stop you - not poverty; not lack of a formal education; not even a physical disability. Keep going at full force, and you will succeed. Success will come because of the human mind has unlimited power. When fully harnessed and directed by an iron will, it becomes a force far stronger than any obstacle can generate.

Here are more “real-life” examples of what I’m talking about:

Consider Joe Nordquest. Despite having just one leg, this boy from Ohio found a way to become one of America’s strongest men during the early 20th century. Nordquest accomplished this feat because he kept pushing forward, never once letting his “handicap” become a deterrent.

And, consider my good friend, Alan Nickell. “You are not college material,” his high school counselor advised him some years ago. Refusing to listen to such nonsense, Nickel signed up for classes at the University of Kentucky and graduated near the top of his class with a degree in agricultural science. Along the way, he set numerous state records in weightlifting competition. Today, he is a well-respected soil scientist and the author of several books.

And, finally, consider George Jowett. When he was six months old, he was critically injured after falling from his mother’s lap and landing against a fireplace and irons. As a result of his injuries, George underwent numerous operations as a small boy, and his doctors believed that he would never walk again and be dead by age 15. But, the strong-willed boy had other ideas, and he became an international gymnastic champion in his age group before his sixteenth birthday, and later a boxing champion. Jowett also went on to win a number of physique titles, including the “Best Developed Man in England,” and he became one of the most prolific body-building instructors in the history of physical culture. After a battle with cancer, Jowett died at age 77. But, the lessons this great man taught us continue to live within scores of successful men and women.

Post Five

Good character can help you make friends, earn respect, and bring forth opportunities. Character is molded by doing what you believe is right, by doing your best in what you choose to do, and by treating the people around you with respect and dignity.

Only when a person has character can the doors of success open fully. And, a person without character can never be successful, even if ten million dollars are made.

No amount of fame can take the place of character. You can win a world title as a sport's athlete, but if you're crippled inside few will join you to celebrate your victory. You can graduate top of your class in law school, but if your moral principles are lacking, few people will care to be around you. And, you can develop the power to bench press 400 pounds, but if you are a self-absorbed braggart few people will notice your prodigious strength.

With character comes self-pride and vigor, but a life void of character brings death to the soul. A fancy car, a large house, or a padded salary is never a substitute for true substance. For no material object, no matter how elaborate, can bring sunshine to the darkness of poor character.

Many a body-builder seek to impress with tight shirts and rolled up sleeves. But, a lifter with character knows that true strength comes from within. This is an internal strength that needs no advertisement, no outward recognition, and no reliance on superficial stunts. For the heart and mind of a true strongman is infinitely more powerful than his muscles.

When a person has character, the enjoyment of the journey is always more important than reaching the destination. In contrast, a person without character may reach his destination, but miss everything of beauty along the path.

A person with character is always true to his word. You can take what he says to the bank knowing that he won't let you down.

Quality is the mark of a person with character. For a person with character takes no short cuts, leaves no corner untouched, and takes pride in his work. He or she can be counted on to come through and deliver with constitution and excellence. Whether in the gym, at work, or on the sports field, nothing is left half finished by the person with character.

Finally, a person with character speaks the truth, never taking advantage of people with dishonesty, forgery, or gross exaggeration. For a person with character knows that without trust he or she has nothing.

Post Six

In yesterday's post, we talked about the importance of progressively doing more each and every workout, or at least whenever possible. Such a practice, we saw, is key to developing muscular might. Thus, if you want to become a champion of strength, you must continually aim higher and force yourself to push past your current limits.

Now, this is a very simple concept in theory, but in practice very few people possess the internal nerve, drive, and motivation needed to push themselves ever higher, whether at school, at work, in the gym, or anywhere else. This is why the world has far more followers than leaders. And, this is why far more people fail in strength training than succeed.

Thus, if you want to acquire bigger things in life, both in and outside of the gym, you must first develop a kind of mind power that can propel you to great actions. No amount of “ordinary” thinking will suffice. You must chase your goals fanatically, and to do so your mind must be fueled with a relentless drive and a super passion. Average thinking and mediocre work must be replaced with extraordinary thinking and superior work. There is no other way if you want to live up to your full potential.

This leads to a critical question: How does somebody develop a champion-making mindset? Here is the answer: Get into the habit of doing each job you do with pride and with top quality. Whether at work, at home, or in the gym, establish a habit of always doing your best. Never let mediocrity creep in – anywhere. This means that boredom must be replaced with enthusiasm; problems must be replaced with solutions; excuses must be replaced with a decision to take on new responsibilities; blame must be replaced with actions; complaints must be replaced with top service; sporadic efforts must be replaced with unwavering persistence; gossip must be replaced with character and trust; negative thoughts must be replaced with possibility thinking; and laziness must be replaced with hard and persistent work. If you live by these rules, you will be on a path to a richer and more fulfilled life. And, you will develop the kind of mindset that builds champions.

I will conclude this post with a quote from Napoleon Hill, one that I hope you will think very deeply about and with an open mind. If you do so, you will be on your way to become a great champion of life. Here is Hill's quote to ponder upon:

The person who receives no pay for their services except for that which comes in the pay envelope is underpaid, no matter how much money that envelope may contain.

New Bonus Material

Over a hundred years ago Orison Swett Marden published a small posting in his Success magazine entitled QUIT. In this discourse, the author listed 21 things that a person should stop doing to gain a healthier, happier, and more productive life. And, the advice Orison Swett Marden gave is as useful today as it was back when his words were first written.

As a special bonus, I have reproduced Marden's original posting below. I hope that you prosper from this bonus material as much as I have.

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© 2012 Rob Drucker

contact email address: robdrucker@musclesofiron.com