The Phoenix Theory

The Psychology of Physical Rebirth

Some time ago, I posted in relation to another piece written by Chris Shugart over at T-Nation (read it here). Look past the blatant product advertising and the pictures of scantily-clad (and HOT) women on the website and T-Nation actually has quite a wealth of useful information about training and motivation -- not necessarily in congruence with what I believe or practice, but good to know and think about, in any case. I particularly enjoy Shugart's articles -- he's a FFB (Former Fat Boy)-turned-fit-guy and he has this uncanny ability of being able to place his finger on the frustrations that plague people who're seeking to transform their own lives.

Briefly, the Phoenix Theory of body transformation involves four key stages:

1) A traumatic event leading to a sudden realization and awakening
2) Anger and a firm decision to change
3) The physical transformation itself
4) Continued progress fueled by fear of regression

If the article and the decidedly unflattering picture of the "front-butted fuck" (as Shugart puts it) riding an electric scooter around a grocery store doesn't motivate you to achieve your own goals, I'm not sure what else will. This article definitely got me thinking about my own goals and what I ought to do to achieve them. Interestingly enough, the phoenix has always been a creature that has held particular symbolism for me (you see, the first character of my Chinese name, "feng", means "phoenix"), and it also proves to be an excellent analogy in this context.

I hope this helps you in pursuing your own goals and seeking your own personal transformation!