Matt Jones is not your typical 21 year old man in Worth County. Every day he wakes up, and he has one thing on his mind, winning. “I wake up every morning with determined to be the best me I can be,” says Matt Jones. Matt Jones is a local Walgreens employee, aspiring personal trainer, and motivational speaker. He has truly touched many in our small community. Many people whether it be his close friends or mere strangers. Some are fond of the things that he does in his community, and some are fond of his excellent customer service. Matt has set a course for his life that is sure to breed nothing but success.
Every morning Matt starts his day at 5:30 A.M. “I like to get an early start because I truly believe that the early bird always catches the worm,” says Matt as he lifts weights at the gym where everyone seemed to know his name. He then continues his morning with a tall glass of protein shake and a side of raw eggs. I was honestly shocked. I had seen this done in movies, but I had never thought anybody would do this in reality. “I know it’s a little cliché to drink raw eggs, but I feel that by cooking them the maximum level of protein is surely lost.” (Matt) The morning proceeds with Matt Jones putting on his work out attire: weight lifting gloves, basketball shorts, and an Underarmor shirt. “The Underarmor isn’t just for the ladies. It makes me more aerodynamic. It’s like I’m almost slicing through the air like a ninja star.” We continue our interview while running his usual seven miles. I had to follow in the car because there was no way I could keep up with him. His cardio is outstanding. As I documented his actions throughout the day, I realized that he never stopped working out. If we found ourselves standing too long he would drop to the ground and do a few push ups. I knew then that I was in the presence of a true fitness visionary, a fitness legend.
“Why would anyone push his or her body to this extreme? “ Your body is like a work of art; well MY body is a work of art. I believe that to make a beautiful piece of artwork like what I have here there has to be utter sacrifice. Sacrifice of most social events, whether they are friendly outings or family time. I would say that I push my body because there is no limit to where I can go.” (Matt)
Mrs. Jones, Matt’s mother, reflects on Matt’s younger years. “I knew he was different when he was about four years old. Most kids that age would ask for bikes or a football, you know, but Matt asked us for a weight bench,” says Mrs. Jones. “I looked at his father flabbergasted. I just didn’t know what to say; we thought it was a phase, and it would go any farther than it did.” Little did she know that the kid’s weight bench they bought that Christmas would alter their son’s future forever. “He never missed a day,” says his father “I would peek out of the window and there he was, lifting, even if it was pouring rain. His mom would tell him to come in before he caught a cold and he would just look into her eyes and whisper, Winners don’t quit momma, they don’t quit.”(Jones, T)
I even got the chance to catch up with some of Matt’s friends. Matt is like my brother. We have grown up together. I remember Matt was always a little more determined than most kids our age. Like if we were playing hide and seek he would make it more of a physical challenge. He would do something like make the safe spot, or base, in a tall tree that we would have to climb. I try to make sure that I am around Matt as much as possible. I want some of his will and determination to rub off on me. Zack eventually went off to school in Valdosta, but returned home not long after leaving. “I missed him too much,” says Zack, “He’s my bro, and I missed him.”
Matt has done so much for the community. When he is not working at Walgreens, he likes to help out at the local animal shelter. He lifts all of the heavy bags of food and takes care of some of the larger animals that are too difficult to manage for most. Also on his days off, he likes to coach little league teams. He started coaching one of the local little league teams, The Tigers, this year. “I love to work with kids and give them some real direction in life,” says Matt. As we walked on the field, I could see all of the kids ran up to Matt and looked at him as if he were a superhero. They listened to everything he had to say and followed his orders without him raising his voice once.
Matt has the dedication to his dreams that I have never seen before. It was almost surreal that someone could be so determined and so compassionate about their ideas. There are some people in this world that are meant for greatness. There are some people in this world that are able to touch the lives of many. Matt Jones does. So the next time there is local Walgreens employees in town just know there may be more than meets the eye.
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