Dan Lurie on Overcoming Obstacles, Doing the Impossible, and Never Giving Up

BLOGGER: Dan Lurie
3-Time Mr. America's Most Muscular Man, Co-Star with Ed McMahon on "Sealtest Bigtop", and author of the autobiography, "Heart of Steel"

I was born on April 1st, 1923 in Brooklyn, New York. The day I was born, doctors told my parents that a hole in my heart they had discovered would not allow me to live past the age of five. Boy, did I fool them!!! This April 1st, 2009 I will turn 86 years young and I am still going strong and never miss a daily workout! I began working out at the age of 15, at a bodyweight of 116 lbs. After five years' training I was able to set several World Strength Records, some of which included 1,665 Push Ups in 90 minutes, 1,225 Parallel Bar Dips in 90 minutes and a One Handed 285lb Overhead Lift at a bodyweight of 168 lbs.

During seven decades as a health and fitness industry leader I have learned many lessons and have found that father time can be the greatest of all teachers. Being involved extensively in business, bodybuilding, and the entertainment and fund-raising fields has provided quite an education and it has been a great ride, and one that continues today with the promotion of my newest event, "The Mr. And Ms. Jones Beach USA Bodybuilding Spectacular".

In recent years I have often been asked what drives me, in my 80's, to continue vigorously promoting bodybuilding and the health and fitness lifestyle. One word that automatically comes to mind is "passion". To become successful, in any area, you must have great passion for what you do otherwise you are likely to simply go through the motions, achieving nothing of real magnitude, and leaving no trail for others to follow and benefit from. You must be 100 percent committed to whatever you do, never taking your eyes off what it is you wish to achieve. And it must be fun.

When I first began weight training back in the late '30's, it was a natural progression for me: my life up until then had been filled, from as far back as I can remember, with sporting interests and physical activities. With my entry into the world of bodybuilding I had built upon what I enjoyed most: developing my physical potential. And my initial interest in bodybuilding developed into diverse, yet interconnected opportunities for success.

I urge anyone seeking success in life to build upon his or her strengths. Find what you are best at and explore ways to succeed in these areas: in doing so you will not only gain greater success faster, but will remain motivated and passionate about what you are doing, and this will ensure the continued improvements necessary to prosper at the highest level.

Competing in three consecutive AAU Mr. America contests, from 1942 onward, was a richly rewarding experience that profoundly shaped my life and built an appreciation for the potential we all have for achieving lofty goals. In fact, training hard for several years led to my first big break: inclusion in the '42 Mr. America contest. This led to another, even bigger break: winning the America's Most Muscular Man title. But before being named America's Most Muscular Man - the first of three wins - I was a young kid with a dream.

Many people told me to forget about winning my titles - that it would be a waste of time and I should, instead, begin a life of work like almost everyone else I knew had done. Yet I chose to follow my dream and it lead to unimagined success. Don't let anyone steal your dreams as all success begins with a single thought. Use your imagination to craft the life you want. Never, ever give up. Persistence pays off more so than anything else in life, and if you give all you have, realizing that there will be roadblocks that must be navigated from time to time, there is no reason why you cannot succeed.

I believe the greatest gift we have is our health and, if we are willing to put forth the effort, an ability to realize our dreams. As a poor kid growing up in the Great Depression, there were few opportunities. Most were destined for a life of constant struggle and only those blessed with tremendous talent were able to achieve great success. The daily grind permeated the lives of almost everyone else.

But talent can only take you so far. Without the right mindset, which includes an unwavering devotion to achieving your goals and an ability to learn from your mistakes, you are at some point likely to fall short of all that you are capable of. As a high school student I dearly wished to excel in physical education more than anything else, so I asked the teacher how I could become the top student in this class: "Achieve 100 percent and attend all classes without fail," he explained. So this is exactly what I did and became the top physical education student in that school's history.

My point here is that you must have a defined goal if you wish to reach a specific target. For anything worth achieving, a mental image of the final result, combined with a clearly written plan of attack, is essential.

Love and best wishes

Dan "Health is Your Greatest Wealth" Lurie

NOTE: Check out Dan's live interview at www.BeforeTheBigBreak.com talking in depth about these great stories above! Read more about Dan at www.DanLurie.com