The first few weeks of a new year are a challenging time as many of us try to maintain the resolutions that we have challenged ourselves to stick to, but thankfully Martin Fitzwater’s 28th birthday offered us all some hope.
Fitzwater had a great 2024 including finishing fourth in the Mr Olympia Open division in October, and beating his buddy Chris Bumstead to capture the Prague Pro Men’s Open title in November. Turning 28 years of age on January 8, Fitzwater used this time to remind himself, and his followers, just how to continue crushing it in 2025.
“Over the past day I had some time to reflect on the past 28 years of my life,” wrote the out of this world bodybuilder in an Instagram post for his almost 300,000 followers. “I thought I should share some of what really spoke to me.”
For those who need a push in the right direction, here is some warrior wisdom:
1. Discipline is learned in the small things
2. Learning the basics of nutrition will stay with you forever
3. The fundamentals of lifting are the most important
4. Do everything with 100% effort
5. You can always learn something from your peers
6. Your dream is the only one that matters so don’t listen to negativity
7. Respect is earned to treat everyone with respect
8. You are who you surround yourself with
9. Don’t take the small moments with family for granted
10. Those that truly love you will support your dreams
11. Like-minded people with celebrate your success
12. Family always comes first
13. Love as how you would like to be loved
14. With time you will find people that believe in you. Just keep pursuing your dream
15. The chase for self-betterment is more rewarding that any dollar amount
16. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body
17. All great goals take sacrifice
18. Training with intensity rakes time. That’s why having the fundamentals is so important
19. Having a good training partner can maximize progress
20. The journey is now always linear
21. Health is longevity
22. Saving is essential. A penny saved is a penny earned
23. The partnerships you choose to make are a representation of you
24. Money comes and goes but good people don’t
25. Don’t be afraid to ask questions
26. Money will come through your passion, just be patient
27. Most success comes from calculated risk
28. It’s not about money it’s about memories
While different lessons will no doubt stand out to different individuals, Fitzwater’s inspirational thoughts managed to cover everything from persevering with dreams to getting a handle on your nutrition, and he even threw in some financial advice for good measure! Fortunately, the big man’s good intentions were not lost on his fans. “This is top tier,” wrote one Instagram follower. “You are wise beyond your years,” commented another. “Just Bookmarked this,” wrote yet another. Will we get 29 lessons next year? We can only wait and see.
For more motivational musings follow Martin “The Martian” Fitzwater on Instagram
