Time has passed since the lights of the fierce stage went out. Athlete Lee Jeong-tae, who went beyond first place in his weight class to claim the overall victory and earn his 'WNBF CLASSIC PHYSIQUE PRO' card, wrapped up his long season with the WNGP Final stage as his last. Having maintained extreme dieting and conditioning for more than 14 months, he calmly shared his reflections, saying, “Because I did my best, I feel relieved without any regrets,” even though he did not achieve his desired results in the final competition.
Lee Jeong-tae, who is also well known as a student of athlete Ju Seong-min, shared the philosophy of life he gained through training after wrapping up his long season. Describing humans as “truly cunning animals,” he emphasized that the power to control a mind constantly wavering between the on-season and off-season ultimately comes from “motivation within myself,” not from the outside. While advice from others or circumstances can help, his philosophy is that in the end, nothing changes unless you change yourself. In particular, he cautioned against putting others down to elevate one's own position, calling it “the mindset of a thief trying to live life the easy way,” and showed an attitude of thoroughly focusing on himself.
To athlete Lee Jeong-tae, bodybuilding is more than just the process of building muscle. He says, “Working out shouldn't be everything in life, but the lessons this sport gives to my life hit truly deeply.” Having a purpose gives rise to goals, and those goals come together to become the motivation that sustains life. Having concluded a long 14-month journey, he is now preparing for a new off-season not merely as a competitor on stage, but as the master of his own life. His short yet powerful exclamation, “In the end, only I can change my life,” resonates deeply, going beyond mere reflections on a competition to resemble the resolve of a practitioner pursuing life's truths.