Adam Mundorf : Philosophical and Financial : Thoughts and Musings

  Standing on the Shoulders of Giants My Next Decade in Training Simplicity is King (Synopsis of a Decade) By Adam Mundorf Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Physical training has been a mainstay in my life for a decade now.  Throughout these years, I have gleaned so much information about longevity, strength, health and hypertrophy that my mind often wants to explode.  A person only has so much energy to expend and so much mental RAM to apply to their lives.  Luckily for us there are people that have paved the way for us.  We all have our gurus and people we look to for inspiration or information.  The ones that have influenced my life in the areas of strength and conditioning the most are : Al Kavadlo Danny Kavadlo Coach Paul Wade  Steve Maxwell Pavel Tsatsouline Dan John Ori Hofmekler I stand upon the shoulders of these giants.  I am at a pivotal point in my training life.  My financial life is handled.  My quest for a virtuous and s...

Count your Blessings By Adam Mundorf "It's not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor." -- Seneca Count Your Blessings Read that quote by Seneca again and really meditate on it for a few moments.  Do you go to the spigot and water comes out?  Do you choose what to eat everyday?  Do you have a roof over your head?  Even if you don't have the above, do you have a beating heart and a working brain? You are more privileged than you know..... Where there is life, there is hope.  In this country, we have plenty of life contrary to what the media wants you to believe.  Our basic needs are met.  We have the tools at our disposal to create a better life, it's our own mindset and actions that limits us.  Start by getting your mind right and simplifying your wants.  Look in the mirror and realize that you're responsible for your actions.  Start appreciating the fact we have what is required to create a better life....

People Are Boring Focusing on Nonsense By Adam Mundorf People Are Boring We all are supposed to fit into the same square hole.  I was at Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia yesterday for dinner with a couple of friends from the Vanguard Group and the Bogleheads forum.  While the dinner was excellent (too expensive for my tastes), as I looked around the restaurant everybody was the same.  Everybody was fucking boring.  Wearing the same overpriced garbage, faces reading their phones, calling the waitresses like servants and every overheard conversation was void of humor or interest.  Man, I pray to God I never end up like these people.  There was something unnerving about the whole situation. Focusing on Nonsense We focus so much on nonsense.  The worldly news, the stock market movements, politics, social media, promiscuity and celebrities.  It's all bullshit.  People try to season their bland lives with activities but in all reality it's the daily mi...

  The Fallacy of Advancement By Adam Mundorf The Fallacy of Advancement There's nothing I cringe at more than people vying for 'professional' advancement.  We've been sold a bill of goods that never comes to fruition.  Corporate America specifically gives people a false sense of achievement.  The rewards are many - A plaque on the wall, a larger cubical, a meaningless title in front of your name, an award or maybe a raise to forget that life is about more.  You start off as a young professional wanting to prove him or herself in some company, you achieve these 'milestones' then you wake up one day and you're ready to retire.  You lived a life meeting to meet, report to report, award to award and weekend to weekend.  Maybe here and there you filled your free time with empty hedonistic pursuits like going out to dinner, watching a movie or even worse trying to impress somebody.  All in all, you die empty and void of any real achievement because you ...

Spiritual Warfare By Adam Mundorf 'Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have.' Spiritual Warfare Holding yourself to a higher standard is of the utmost importance.  Let's be completely transparent here, modern day humans are extraordinarily weak.  I don't mean weak only in terms of physical strength but emotional and spiritual fortitude.  We buy things we can't afford.  We don't take responsibility for our actions.  We don't plan for the future in a prudent way both physically or financially (both pieces are equally important).  We complain about problems that aren't really problems at all.  We pursue flesh over dignity.  We look at social media as a source of pride when in reality it is nothing at all.  Many of us are comfortable at living off welfare and taking from our fellow citizens regardless of if you truly need it. We look back upon saints, heroes, religious figures and people who took the high road with great re...

Why Not Go All In? It's Okay to be the Black Sheep By Adam Mundorf Why Not Go All In? If you're so certain of your chosen faith or belief system, why not go all in?  When it comes to eternal life, there isn't and shouldn't be a middle ground.  Religion and spiritual pursuits have been bastardized in modern society.  We have Muslims who drink.  Christians who steal.  We have Hindus who pursue money at the expense of morality.  All of the above treat their religion as a scapegoat instead of a steadfast way of living life.  If a person is so sure of what comes after this life, why not devote your heart and soul to it regardless of where it leaves you monetarily or in the socioeconomic ladder? It's Okay to be the Black Sheep "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --  Jiddu Krishnamurti Life is too short to not live it on your own terms.   I've seen hundreds of people live life according to society's pr...

  What Ever Happened to Voluntary Suffering? Suffering for Something Afterwards By Adam Mundorf Asceticism - Severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons. What Happened to Voluntary Suffering? Put on a jacket, you're going to get cold.  What's wrong with being a bit cold?  Turn on the air conditioner, it's getting hot in here.  What's wrong with being a bit hot?  You haven't eaten in hours, have a meal!  What's wrong with being a bit hungry? There is nothing wrong with being cold because cold makes the warmth feel nicer.  There is nothing wrong with being hot because hot makes the cold feel nicer.  Being hungry makes meals more satisfying and fulfilling.  Yin and Yang.  In America we have far too much of the Yin without the Yang.  Our bellies are always full, our houses are warm in the winter and cold in the summer.  A little is good, too much will lead to complacency and lack...