Hi,
How’s it going?
You’re going to think I am totally out of my mind today.
I have a really funny story to tell you.
It’s about of course one of my body building friends.
I always tell you these stories because they are really funny. Over the years, I have had so much f.ree entertainment from so many people in so many gyms. Plus, these body building people provide great lessons for bipolar disorder.
Anyway, I was talking to one person that is a body builder. He tells me that his grocery bill is guess how much?
Well you of course now because of the subject line of this email. It’s $1500 a month.
On some days he eats 24 (twenty four) eggs. Imagine that for a second. 24 eggs and that’s just ONE meal. He eats 8 times per day. It’s crazy. This person is young. Mid twenties. I looked at him and said, “how the heck do you afford that.”
He says, “dude, I don’t know. I get it done. I make it happen. I do what it takes.”
He then told me how he might have to have 3 or 4 jobs (part time jobs because he can’t work full time. He has to eat and work out too much).
He has very strange jobs that work perfect for him. Things where you can work for only a few hours at a time.
He said if he is ever “short” he sits down and brainstorms ways to make money. He says that many times he has had no money at all and like a miracle something broke lose to help him in his quest to be the best body builder.
What’s this have to do with bipolar disorder? A lot.
First one thing you can learn from a body builder concerning bipolar disorder is there determination for one objective– that’s to be the best body builder, to be the biggest, most “ripped”, etc.
When you think about bipolar disorder, most people who are not successful do not have this determination. Most supporters don’t say, “I am absolutely positive determined to help my loved one become stable and high functioning no matter what it takes.”
Sometimes I can understand why someone with bipolar disorder is not like this. They may be unstable so they can’t think clearly. However the bipolar supporter needs to have this determination. When I was supporting my mom, I had this determination. I said “I am determined to help my mom become well.” I didn’t know at the time terms like stable or high functioning.
SIDE NOTE-As I type this, my computer keeps trying to restart itself. It’s really making mad 🙂
Anyway, back to my point, when I meet various body builders you hear the determination in their voice.
They are faced with:
massive amounts of eating ( 6 to 8 times a day. Some have to eat in the middle of the night).
Huge costs. There is the cost of food, supplements, gym memberships, etc.
Brutal training. Sometimes they have to work out 2 and 3 times a day. Way more than normal people.
Having to slightly modify their plans. The best of the best get there body fat and are looked at regularly. They have to make slight modifications to their diet, eating, cardio, weight training, rest, sleep, etc to look the best.
If you compare body building to becoming stable with bipolar disorder, there is no comparison. It’s brutal. It’s one of the reasons why I body build NON competitively.
I seriously couldn’t go into competitions. If I do, I could NOT run a business. I could not ever have fun really. No more hanging out with friends. Your life is training and eating. It’s nightmare.
But, those that do it and do it well have lessons to teach those who are not doing it.
One of the biggest lessons is the can do, it can happen, I am going to get it done no matter what attitude.
And if you talk to a person who maybe isn’t that big, maybe doesn’t have the genetics, maybe has lots going against him/her like he/she has very limited money, he/she is convinced that he/she will do well NO MATTER WHAT. He/she has 100% belief that the objective will be accomplished. Period.
When you think of bipolar disorder and you are a supporter, you need this type of 100% belief that ultimately gets you to slowly turn things around for your loved one. Slowly buy surely you start making progress. Then your loved one gets better and better and then eventually your loved one becomes high functioning.
In my courses and systems below:
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
I talk at length of all the systems and tools that you need to make these types of transformations.
Also in the success interviews people tell you exactly how they did it.
When you listen to the interviews in any of my courses/systems you notice that you hear people with horrible stories but who were able to turn it around.
This is not a mistake. I spent a lot of time finding people who had the worst situations that didn’t have it easy, and turned it around.
This is why when people listen to these interviews they feel great afterward. They know they can do it.
To jumpy back to my body building friends. They all think of and cite other body builders that had it was worse than themselves. They watch videos. They talk to people. This his how they motivate themselves.
This is what you need to do as well.
Just remember my friend with a $1500 a month grocery bill, gyms membership bills, a car payment, rent, $1000 a month in supplements, etc. who makes it happen.
And, he like a person who may have bipolar disorder, can NOT work full time.
He makes it happen. He could say that it’s impossible. But he makes it possible.
If you asked me could someone without a full time job, who can only work in a limited fashion afford almost $3000 a month in NON essentials to live, I would say no.
However, people like him are all over the world. They make things happen.
You need this attitude as well.
Know what I mean?
No matter how bad things are going for you, no matter how hard it seems, no matter how many times you have tried and failed, you can do it. Period.
No arguments 🙂
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
testing ~Andrea
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Glad I do not have to spend that kind of money on food. I do not get that much money in a month.
Hi Marni or Gunzee if you log into this new blog you can reach me at tanya.lacey@googlemail.com.
Hope to hear from you both soon. Have sooooo missed our chats. Am still in contact with Helen and Donna and we all miss you both loads.
Big Cyber Hugs
Friends forever
Tanya
I have questions about a family member who has come out of a psychotic episode recently. How do we reconnect? It has been a very horrible, difficult year…Any thoughts? Thanks!
My son we think is bipolar, he will not get help. He is away right now. He had been living with us for a while and would fly off different places. He held a job for sometime. It wasn’t good enough for him. He is out to save the world. He is in what seems to me to be the most manic state he has ever been. We have never found out for sure that is what he has.
When he was 20 we tried to get him help. But he refused. He got married and most of the time seemed OK. He just got a divorce some months ago. And has steadily gotten worst.
I have read by Dave not to turn your back on someone with this illness. I don’t want to do that but now he is gone just e-mails me. He is spending money that doesn’t belong to him. Some that he got in a way that I strongly disapprove of. I am not sure he will make it when he gets into depression. Does anyone have any help for me. Like srohio says it has been a difficult year and some in my family don’t want to discuss it any longer so I have no where else to turn.
still trying to get this to work.
Ok, I can see the new blog works. However, I have just typed up a fairly long message, which didn’t go through. When I clicked on “Submit Comment” it said “Service Unavailable” and my comment is lost in cyberspace. Teething problems I suppose. Will try again tomorrow.
Well i have a girlfriend whos 16 now. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was 8. I love her very much and i hope we end up getting married one day. She has not had any severe episodes but im scarred she is going to have one in the future. She takes her medication just as prescribed and shes been doing fine. She gets angry really quick and she always ends up fighting whoever shes mad at. She is always fine around me and im happy about that. I know she has had a very horrible childhood which happens to be the cause of her disorder. I love her very much and i will always be by her side. It just scares me sometimes when i think about it and i want to know what to do just in case she has and episode.