JAPAN|
Japanese self-proclaimed bald and disorderly middle-aged man Shirapyon (@lonestarsde66) recently took to Twitter to let others known of a transformation in his life and share what helped motivate him to move forward with it.
While Shirapyon used to be an avid gym goer, after graduating university he slowly retreated into inactivity and let himself go. To make matters worse, his girlfriend/wife left him as well.
But Shirapyon says he wants people to know that your past self is a critical part of the formula for changing yourself, so he decided to share his story of losing 12kg (26 lbs) and then getting in shape for a bodybuilding contest and more.
Shirapyon writes that sticking to the motto of “If you want to change or be born again, do it while you’re alive!” is what made the biggest difference in his efforts to shape up both physically and mentally. He originally saw the catchphrase written on a bodybuilding contest poster, when a fellow competitor told him the words come from a song by Japanese singer Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi. Shirapyon took the words to heart, and says that to him it revealed that when making the effort to change, you can’t just throw away your past self, and to embrace it as a necessary part of your transformation. With that motivation, he took fourth place in the Tokyo Open Bodybuilding contest and says he’s met a new girlfriend through the competition.
His impressive physique and newfound confidence have even landed him gigs modeling and performing “muscle taxi” services (literally carrying people from place to place while looking jacked) at events with muscle man group All Out.
Despite the motto he’s made into a hashtag, however, Shirapyon says he’s not thinking about “being reborn”, but simply continuing to evolve and change from where he started. He says excuses should be reserved for only after you’ve tried something, and hopes others who have yet to try anything, or have quit in the middle of trying something, will embrace the motto as well and find a way to be happy with it.