Hate. It's just another four-letter word. It has a surface-level negative connotation if you let it. Matt Vincent, 2012 and 2014 Highland Games world champion and co-founder of HVIII Brand Goods, unpacks for us how he uses hate to his advantage.

With a strong (no pun intended) foundation in field games, Matt has spent the better part of a decade donning a performance-apparel kilt and hurling hundreds of pounds against some of the world's largest and strongest men. But this skill has carried over into much more, Matt and his brother founded HVIII (pronounced "hate") Brand Goods to help others see further into themselves, to do more, be more, demand more from themselves.

Matt says it best here:

"HVIII... is a strong term that many will find negative. Good. So do I. I refuse to not get better. It is not an option. I will make the sacrifices necessary to be the best. This attack on the self is necessary because if I don’t train everyday with the intention of destroying the old me, then I’m missing something. This is the fire I feel, that I want you to feel. This is the fire, the hate, the motivation for improvement.

There is no excuse not to improve yourself. No one gives a shit. People may coddle you, but when you sit alone, you have only yourself to blame. We have all had days when we come up short because we’re unprepared. If you are unprepared, then it is your fault. So take responsibility. There is something you can do about it."