I'm just so thankful because when I started bodybuilding on October 8th 2002 I had no
idea that I would be standing on this stage one day winning the Mr.Olympia, let alone
you know being 7 time champion.
When I got into this journey, you know I was you know a little bit bitter because I didn't
make it playing in divisional basketball and I was trying to find another outlet.
And bodybuilding taught me how to be strong mentally, physically and emotionally through
all life's challenges.
It taught me how it taught me how to train hard when no one's in the room, when you're
having a bad day, through death, through hardship, through anything that can go wrong, I always
had the gym.
I always had the gym and over an armrest I can train.
I could train anytime in the day.
There would be days I would train by myself or with my fiance Shurice and I would be in
there dying.
I'd be in there dying, looking at those pictures in the gym of Schwarzenegger, of Coleman,
of Hadi, of Dorian, of everybody.
And I would just tell myself one more set, one more rep, just give it everything you
got so you can put yourself in the best position to win.
And that's all we can do in life people.
Sometimes life is gonna serve you some curve balls but I challenge each and every one of
you to step in that batter's box and take a damn swing.
Just take a swing.
And it ain't gonna always work out for you.
It ain't gonna always work out.
Look I just beat some incredible athletes.
They are some of the best athletes I've ever competed against.
Please give them a round of applause, please.
Cause they have made this, they have made this so hard.
But I can tell you what.
My faith in god, my family, my trainer Hany Rambod, I love you man.
I've had one trainer.
One.
I did my first pro show in 2006 at the Colorado Pro.
We did the New York pro after that.
And we won both of them.
A lot of people thought you know this guy is gonna be something.
And Hany always told me Phil you have to understand something.
Its a marathon not a sprint, and the measurement of a man is when he is knocked down not when
he is winning.
So I lost a few times, and he always reminded me just to keep on going, to be the hardest
worker in the room, just like what you say.
And when people tell you you can't, you don't look at them.
You don't need to look at them.
You look in the mirror and you ask yourself did you give it your all.
You look in the mirror and you ask yourself do you have another rep.
You ask yourself can I go to work when I'm pissed off because I'm about to get fired
or something bad happened or I lost my girlfriend or whatever it is.You ask yourself do you
have the guts to go after it when no one is watching, no one is patting you on the back
and no one is liking your stuff on freaking social media.
If you got the guts to go after it, you can put yourself in the best position to win and
that's what I did through this entire prep.
It was not easy.
A lot of people say oh Phil , he's got genetics and this and that.
I put that god-given talent to work each and every damn day in the gym.
And I'm so thankful, I'm so thankful for the Olympia.
I'm so thankful to be a bodybuilder.
Because it wasn't meant for me to play basketball I mean look at me I'm short as hell, you know
it doesn't work out like that.
God having different plan obviously and I'm glad that I listened.
And I'm glad that I never gave up.
And I know there's a lot of incredible athletes that wanna kick my ass next year, but I know
this.
Winning is habitual.
If you care about your success more than anyone else in the room I promise you this, you will
be successful at some point in time.But the goal is that when you are successful, you
don't just hide it for yourself.
You don't just hold it for yourself.
You share those experiences and perspectives with everybody else so that they can get theirs.
So then they can feel the confidence to go after their dreams and I'm just proud to be
a 7 time Mr.Olympia.
And like the great oak said, next year I'll be back.