Relentless

Relentless.

Merriam-Webster says it’s, showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace.

It’s a word often used when describing a ferocious animal in the wild. Which is why I chose the Honey Badger for our graphic. Many people think of a lion, or a bear when they think of this word, but let me explain my choice.

Some fun facts about the honey badger, or ratel as it is also known, are that they can burrow into the side of a tree to make a place to sleep. A tree. Other animals dig into the ground, but these guys can cut into wood with their claws. Their main enemies are hyenas, lions, leopards, and pythons. That’s it. And they don’t back down from those guys either. 

They’ll sleep wherever they want. If a jackal, or a fox, or anything else has made a nest, and the honey badger wants to use it, they will. They’re omnivores, meaning they’ll eat a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and meat. Their skin is so tough, and rubbery, that they can withstand arrows, and if they’re caught in the mouths of a predator, pretty often they are able to writhe around and escape. Slippery little guys.

But my favorite fact about them is that they’re smart. When they get in an ambush, or in a fight for their lives, they’ve been known to use tools around them to help escape. Sticks, mud, rocks, you name it, they’ll use it if it’s around. 

These guys are the epitome of getting off the X. 

On this episode of Overcome+Conquer, we interview Icon Meals CEO and award-winning professional bodybuilder Todd Abrams. This guy’s story will let you see why I used the word relentless, and why the honey badger fits so well.

Todd talks about being called “Lumpy in his younger life as being one of the key motivators in getting to where he is today. But motivation is only part of the story. It will only get you so far. While living a regular teenage boy’s life–playing sports, having fun (maybe a bit too much) with his friends on the weekends, working out to get in shape for whatever sport he was playing–one of those life ambushes popped up. He got sick. Really sick.

Hospitalized over a severe case of mono, Abrams used that experience to help him escape and overcome the nickname he had been given. He knew, maybe not to the exact extent, that how he treated his body from every angle would help him live a longer and healthier life. What he didn’t know was that he would actually enjoy it.

Todd has spent his life since then trying to beat the ambushes before they arrive. Being proactive, or to use his word, INTENTIONAL, so that when the trials come, he’s prepared.

But he didn’t hit peak shape right away. He didn’t even know that’s what he wanted to do. He focused on nutrition, and was in the gym, but it would take a while for him to find the intention he would need to get to be that award-winning bodybuilder.

Over a span of 12 years, Todd worked on himself, not just in the gym, but on his diet, on his mental focus, and he has seen that in doing that, not only does he obtain a healthy body, but also, a healthy mind. And when you’re armed with those, the spirit is not far behind.

This also gave him a purpose, to help others who may have been like he was, from someone who knows how a health issue can completely knock you backward. So through his company, Icon Meals, he is showing people how they can still eat amazing, tasty food, while keeping your body as healthy as possible.

“I want to be able to impact other people, because I know what I felt like before. I know along the way, obesity is like rapid. Obesity is huge in our society and just overall health. I’m not here trying to knock you and be the biggest guy in the world or anything. For me, it’s been longevity.”

He talks about his responsibility to his kids to be around as long as possible so that when they get hit with a life ambush, they can reach to him as a tool to survive. 

There’s no magic pill, no perfect drug out there that will get you to where he is with his focus, his intention, and his purpose in life. It is a process that he goes through, and teaches people to help them be more prepared to not only better defend against the attacks, but also to be ready and fully present to enjoy the blessings.

We asked Todd what the word relentless meant to him, and he said,

”You have to be strong in the mind, and you have to have that focus, that clarity. Be intentional in every aspect of what you’re doing, to be a better version of you.

It just means never giving up, never quitting. One of my other words I would use, but it ties to relentless is, I say I live an excuse-less life. That’s tied back to relentless. In life, people are always buying or they’re accepting excuses, and you can’t freaking accept your own or anyone else’s excuses.

Never quitting, you keep trying, 100% like the pit bull. You’re just nonstop, nonstop, nonstop. Doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, you’re working on your mind constantly. You’re relentless in any area of your life.”

Just like the honey badger, Todd Abrams has provided himself with all the tools to be able to not only survive life’s ambushes, but to crush them. Icon Meals is a great way to get started on your path. Meals have complete nutritional information on their packing, ship directly to you, and the best part is, they taste fantastic! A wide range of foods are available for you to take every advantage of what your body can offer you. 

So that you can too, be like that honey badger. 

Relentless.