The Power of No!

     The year was 2010 and after a shoddy academic performance at Bloomsburg University, I decided to leave school and finish my education elsewhere. Bloom was a place where I attended more parties than classes so at that point in time, it was the right decision. My room mate during that time also happened to be one of my best friends growing up. One day he gave me a call and asked if I wanted to join him for a new race titled 'Tough Mudder'. This was the very first race they ever hosted so I had no idea what he was talking about. After checking out some of the ridiculous YouTube training videos and the Tough Mudder webpage, we decided this race was right up our alley. Plus, any race that is willing to give out free tattoos was something worth looking into. Right around that time I began running and realized something was missing. I decided that boozing on the weekends (and the occasional weekday) was detrimental to my training. After looking at the 'Countdown to Race Day' and seeing the race was in 100 days, I decided to stop drinking and get serious with my training. I haven't drank a sip of alcohol since and couldn't be more happier with my decision. That is when I learned the power of 'No'. As they say in The Great Gatsby, "It's a great advantage not to drink among hard drinking people". That doesn't mean you wont ever see me out in a bar, as I do occasionally go out, but my night usually ends before midnight and I haven't ever woke up with a hangover from drinking too much water.

     Since I learned the power of 'No', I made it a priority not to waste any time. I am always working on something and although it adds some additional stress to my life, I love every minute of it. I became certified with the American College of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer, earned a bachelors degree, began coaching football, read over 100 books, and in a few short weeks will be certified (knock on wood) to be a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Hypothetically speaking, I could have accomplished all of these things while continuing to drink. But in reality, I know that was not going to be the case. I would not have accomplished half the things that I've done had I continued drinking. Plus it is hard to tell people that "I'm all about discipline" and focusing on studying with both my hands filled with food and booze. So that is why I choose to abstain!

     One of my favorite quotes comes from the book Season of Life: "I've never met, or heard of anyone that said, boy, I'm really glad I got drunk last night, or did drugs, because I made a really good decision that I wouldn't have made without that". In my opinion, there is nothing more detrimental to your potential as a human being than alcohol or other substances. In my small circle of friends and family, these past few years have been tough on us and substance abuse is at fault. There have been trips to rehab, multiple arrests, deaths of former teammates and even the death of my own brother at the hands of illegal substances. I recently came across a something from basketball coach Bobby Knight about the power of 'No' and felt it rang true. Coach Knight said "No, is the most important word in the English language. No is used by tough people...Yes causes a heck of a lot of more trouble than No. In saying No, you may miss an opportunity, but you wont get yourself into trouble. Trouble follows yes, not no". What a great way of thinking and I wish someone would have told me this sooner. I wish someone would have told all of my friends this and I wish someone would have told my brother this. If they did I still might have my big brother around. So next time someone asks you to partake in something you are not so sure is a good idea, be tough and remember the power of NO! You wont regret it!

Hope you enjoyed,
Chris Fluck