“The richest land on this earth is not Saudi Arabia with all his oil, it’s also not Africa; with a lot of diamonds and resources under the surface, but the richest land on this earth is the graveyard, because there lies so much unused potential songs that have never been sung, books never been written and ideas never been shared”.
I love this quote because what it says is we all have something special, an idea to write a book, cooking skills, no matter how unimportant it seems – we all got some kind of talent but most of us, we’re too afraid of what others think, so we never use them. It’s so sad that people go through life never trying to use what’s inside of them. I feel strongly committed to bring the best out of others and to motivate them to use their talents and skills.
What was I like as a kid?
I was a really shy kid, most of the time I was into playing video games and watching anime, but as much as I love to stay inside the house, I loved to play outside as well. I grew up in a small city with lots of parks and nature, and during the summer time, I would stay outside the whole day. A funny fact is that I was very skinny as a kid and didn’t enjoy eating at all, so often at times at the dinner table, my parents had to force me to eat my meals. That completely changed when I got into bodybuilding and fitness, and now I love food so much.
My links to fitness
As a kid, I use to play soccer and I did martial arts. My older brother was into fitness when I was still in Elementary school, so when I came home from school, I use to work out everyday for like 20-30 minutes with his dumbbells and fitness equipment.
The pressures that I have faced and the pressures young people face.
I have never felt pressure to look a certain way, I wanted a fit body from a young age because all of my heroes like Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and so on had great bodies as well. Even the music that I listened to, like Nelly and Usher, they had a nice shaped bodies, so I looked up to them and wanted to be like them and of course to look like them. I had a lot of insecurities when I grew up, and I think we all have them at some point, because at that certain age, we find out who we really are. Like I said before, I was very shy and never said a word. If I’m honest I didn’t like myself when I was a kid, I always wished that I could be cooler or different, and I tried to cover that by training and impressing others but in the end it didn’t work.
I think today young people have to deal with more pressure because of social media. We have YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and so on. When I was a kid we maybe compared ourselves to the next kid in school, but nowadays if you open Instagram, you can compare yourself to the whole world. I think the pressure to wear certain brands, to look a certain way, to have a lot of followers and be popular is steadily growing.
My message to you
I think the most important key to be happy is to love yourself, I mean to be ok with who you are. Just accept all your flaws; maybe the way your nose is shaped, the way your hair falls on your head etc. Today we try to change everything – even young people start with plastic surgery, and use products to change something about them. I believe in what you think and believe about yourself, is what you send out to this world. If you don’t like yourself, you will constantly tell this world that you are not enough, which isn’t true. Start to change your mindset, your thoughts and what you say and how you see yourself. For sure you’re not Brad Pitt or smart like Steve Jobs, but you are you and that is totally enough. Never search for happiness outside, you have to find it in the inside of yourself. If you’re happy inside, no matter what happens on the outside, it cant steal your joy.
My message is very simple. My main thing is fitness, but I want to tell you guys that everything is possible. A lot of people from a young age told me and my parents that I should study or do something different than fitness, because there’s no money in it, and not a big future but that’s what they see. I think with such a large base of followers, I have to handle everything wisely, because I know they will copy me and try to be like me – so I feel responsible to be a good example for them, and not to abuse this position to fake something that I don’t have or am not.
The things I have learnt
During my career as a model, YouTuber, bodybuilder and TV host, I have had to face every obstacle possible I can think of – from having no money, to doubting myself, losing my job, deal with a long sickness, to taking wrong choices. I think as long as we live we will face obstacles but we shouldn’t see them as something negative because with each obstacle that you master you get better, you learn something new, you grow. Often times obstacles can be unfair, and they can take a long time to finish them, but instead of putting self pity on yourself, just hold your position. If you wait long enough the storm will calm itself. Most of the time people quit too early and when they experience a little bit of pain or a little bit of discomfort, they throw in the towel. You need to be committed to your dream and to the things you love.
Follow me on instagram – @bobbyida
Follow me on YouTube – 2NineFit