A Father’s Discipline
by: Jeremy Thiel
In 1993 I was twelve years old. I lived in Lubbock, Texas with my five siblings and two parents. At the time, I was a chubby boy and my teenage brother and his buddies picked on me…like older brothers do. They had a great nickname for me — “Chunk.”
In life, we are often faced with impactful, and pivotal moments that can make you or break you. Getting picked on, and having to decide how to handle it, was mine.
My father is, and was one of the hardest working men I know. He is a farmer in West Texas. The man is up at 5:30am, and home at 9:00pm, working all through the hot summer months. On his lunch break he used to train at the Natalia’s Racquetball Club every day. I would go to the gym with him some days and I will never forget him and his buddy, Tom, benching 315 lbs. for multiple reps and thinking to myself, “Someday, I’ll do that.”
After those boys had picked on me for awhile, and it was starting to get to me, I remember making a decision. I decided that I was never going to be overweight, and I was going to do something big with my life. I decided that I was going to commit myself to the gym and to leading a life of health and wellness.
Looking back, I know that this decision was directly related to watching my Dad and his buddy train in the gym. I didn’t realize it at the time, but just seeing him work hard, and be dedicated to his physical fitness day in and day out, inspired me to take something negative in my life, and turn it into something positive.
What if my Dad wasn’t a hard worker? What if he didn’t train on his lunch break every day? If I didn’t have that kind of influence, what would I have done with the negative feelings of being picked on for being overweight?
If it wasn’t for my dad and my brother, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I would have never committed my life to health and wellness, and I would have never had the desire to help others change their lives through health and wellness. Thousands of people have been impacted by my father and brother’s actions. Without my father’s good influence, I have no idea where I would have taken my negative emotions.
Pumping iron and getting fit was the answer! I would not have changed a thing!
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“Chunk” image by kad84