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Ryan Joseph
113332207
WRT 102 Sect.87 Word Count: 984

True Dog Mentality

It all started with the 7th grade yearly-round pacer test. This dreaded test examined our

physical conditioning as we entered a new year of fun-filled sports. I had taken the pacer test a

plethora of times however, for some reason I was more nervous than usual. Maybe, it was on the

grounds that all the boys and girls were developing their bodies at a quicker rate than I was.

Maybe, it was due to the fact that I ate 2 BLT sandwiches and a strawberry kiwi Snapple. Who

knows? As soon as the coach blew his whistle for everybody to line up, I felt a gut-wrenching

pain in my stomach. At the start of the light jog, I noticed that I was already out of breath after

going only two laps back and forth across the gym basketball court. It was at this moment, that I

learned an important lesson that stays close to heart till this day.

I lay there on the ground, huffing and puffing for air, in dire need of water like a baby in

need of its mother. The embarrassment I felt was significantly worse than when I hit a voice

crack in the 6th grade winter recital. I could sense all the boys and girls laughing at me after I

barely jogged for two minutes. I overheard the spiteful comments of the boys that continued

running. “Oh my god, Ryan only ran two laps and is already out” “I know right. I feel sorry him.

He can’t compete with us.” The girls looked down in disgust as they saw me on the cold, hard

gym floor, desperately breathing will all of my soul. These remarks lingered in my thoughts as I

walked the “walk of shame” to the bleachers at the far end of the court. I left school, in disgust,

not talking to a single soul until my mom arrived to pick me up and noticed my sorrow.
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My pent-up frustration and embarrassment were visible to my mother, leading to her

asking me, “What’s wrong?” “….” She asked again, “Ryan, what’s wrong. I could see that you

aren’t feeling good. Did you get into a fight in school?” I said, “I did horrible today during pacer

test.” She tried consoling me like a loving parent she always is however, I didn't really care for it

at the time due to the negative thoughts on my performance I had in my head. Ryan, you’re an

embarrassment. How do you give up after 2 laps? Are you that much of a loser? Do you not

have an inch of fighting spirit to continue on? I went to the kitchen, at once, after school and

grabbed the first thing in sight, an unopened family size bag of Lays Barbecue chips. I stormed

into my room and started going to town with my favorite comfort food. I sat there in disgust,

hating my body and the lifestyle I had chosen. I turned to my phone and opened up YouTube to

get my mind out of this terrible hole I dug myself into. I went to my recommended page and saw

a video that caught my eye. It was a 10-minute video by David Goggins, a motivational speaker,

titled “True Dog Mentality.” I was immediately hooked to his energy as he spoke with such

dominance and fortitude. The video highlighted the simplicity of how it only you can have the

will to change your lifestyle to better yourself mentally and physically. This affected me

immensely because of the burning hate I had for myself. A light started flickering within me that

was waiting to be lit with hard work, determination, and discipline.

I threw that half-eaten bag of barbecue chips with all my might in the trashcan and then

grabbed a Sharpie. I marked 3 months from that day, as the day I would be 30 lbs. lighter. I ran

down the stairs and grabbed my parents and told them I was going to change my life. I said “I

don’t want to have any junk food in this house, and I’m going to lose 30 lbs. in 3 months.

At first, they were skeptical about this decision and instructed me to take it easy on that

tall feat as they loved me for who I was. However, they never realized that I hated my body, my
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mentality, my drive, etc. Since I was too young for a gym membership, I started my fitness goal

by trying to complete one lap around the neighborhood. I would run and run like a madman

getting chased by the cops, but I still was not seeing any progress in my body or in my

conditioning ability. Nonetheless, whenever the going gets tuff a “True dog” would only

persevere until they completely dominate their goals. After two weeks of grinding my butt off, I

finally was able to see progress in my body and in my running ability. Soon I was able to run

five laps around the block, without hesitation. I was also, more or less, able to hit my 3-month

goal of 30 lbs. lost however, due to me being 2 lbs. off my mark, that fire that was light within

my soul became an inferno that pushed my discipline to the max. Nowadays, that fire within me

fueled with discipline affects all the aspects of my current life. Creating a sense of discipline at

such a young age has supplemented my skills in order for me to perform my responsibilities and

hobbies with a high level of effort. Till this day, I still watch that same David Goggins video, and

I thank the man above for giving me strength to be able to change my life for better. Without a

doubt in my mind, I know this lesson of discipline will continue to light my fire to pursue bigger

and better things.