27 December 2014 – today I woke up with an idea to start a youth club called “The Chins and Dips Club”. It has evolved out of an accumulation of thoughts I’ve been entertaining over the past year.
In my previous blog (November 2014) I mentioned a personal dream to be involved in raising up an army of mentors who have a heart to see troubled youth rise above their circumstances and embrace big dreams.
The thoughts I woke up with this morning are about a strategy to implement that dream.
The idea is to start a club which has an overall focus on bringing young guys together to encourage each other to embrace healthy living, aim for goals which are greater than they have previously considered possible in all areas of life, and visualise themselves achieving those goals.
The plan is to start with a basic set of physical exercises that have the potential to significantly transform their muscle and strength development, so that they will experience the power of disciplined commitment that can then transfer to other areas of life.
Here is an outline of what has come to mind so far, and how the concept would look.
- Youth of all levels of physical development and self confidence would be invited to join the club.
- Three basic exercises (chin ups, pull ups and dips) will be used to enable members to make significant achievements in their muscle and strength development. They are body weight exercises which require very simple, inexpensive equipment which can easily be set up in back yards or garages. The exercises can be modified with various degrees of partial support, so that anyone can establish a comfortable starting point.
- Every new member will be congratulated by all existing members for taking the step to join, no matter how limited his physical strength or level of self confidence is at the time of joining. He will be encouraged by all members to commence a process of strength development, and will be honoured for each step of development he achieves, no matter how small it may be.
- An important rule is that no one will ever make humiliating, or devaluing comments about the level of development of another member.
- Youth of all cultural backgrounds, race and religion will be welcome and respected.
Here are some of the outcomes I hope to see.
- Youth mentoring youth to achieve personal development.
- Youth taking a firm stand against bullying, and instead welcoming the opportunity to encourage and support others who lack self esteem and confidence.
- Youth developing a passion for physical, mental and spiritual health.
- Youth overcoming self-limiting mindsets.
- Youth identifying the power of disciplined commitment to achieve rewarding results in their physical development, which will then motivate them to apply the same level of commitment to other areas of life (education, careers, relationships etc).
- Youth developing strong bonds of friendship, feeling confident that they can rely on others to support and encourage them when they are struggling with any area of life.
- Youth developing respect for others of all cultures, races and religions.
8. Youth actively participating in group discussions, where individuals are excited about sharing their personal development experiences.
Part of my motivation to do this comes from my own experiences of seeing myself as a very skinny, weak looking teenager fifty years ago, and the awareness now of how that impacted negatively on my overall self esteem, and general belief in my physical and sporting ability.
So, what is the next step?
As one of my young mates would say, “THEN LET’S DO IT.”