The More You Do, The More You Get.
So ok ok, some of you may know I am heavily into bodybuilding these days. And when I say "into" I mean, I'm inspired by it and working towards looking like a bodybuilder, but I'm still shaped a little bit like if an M&M had a baby with Spongebob Squarepants. In other words, I'm a work in progress. But, I am in the gym 6 days a week and happily on my way, getting closer to my goals day by day. Anyway, I tell you this only to set the foundation for my comments; the "more you do, the more you get."
Over the past year I've learned a lot of lessons in the gym, but the biggest lesson I've learned is that humans are HIGHLY adaptable. That is good and bad. The good part is no matter what life throws at us, we can usually meet the challenge or better yet, overcome it. Human beings are so adaptable, we have become the predominate species on this planet. I mean at some point, a naked human walked into a cold valley somewhere and thought "man I'm cold." Most animals would flee to warmer weather. Not the human. He looked over and saw a furry animal frolicking in the snow and thought "I think I'll borrow your fur and stay awhile." Yeah, we humans are adaptable.
On the unfortunate side of adaptability, in particular with our bodies, and our minds, is how quickly they adjust to our current circumstances. Using the gym as an example, I walk by a group of what I would assume are moms who line the front of the cardio area at gym every single day. They sit on the stationary bikes, open their people magazine, plop the 1,000 calorie "energy" drink into the cup holder, then proceed to barely turn the pedals while gossiping about the latest celebrity news. These are the same ladies who I hear complaining to each other that their workouts aren't having any effect. Well of course not. Your body long ago became accustomed to your little peddling and you are now getting zero positive effect from your workouts. Although, if you judge your worth by how much celebrity gossip you know, maybe you're better for it.
You see friends, the great thing about both the body and the mind is they can be stretched to limits most of us can't even comprehend. They not only "can" stretch, they thrive when being taken to their limits. Do you know how bodybuilders get stronger? (steroid argument aside), they lift heavier and heavier weight. Do you know how distance runners run so far? During each workout, they push one step further or one second faster than they did their prior workout. Do you know how smart people invent things? They try and try and try, failure after failure after failure, gaining something from each one. Getting closer, until they succeed.
Friends we live in this era of having to take a break; a night out with the girls or a weekend at the spa because your family exhausts you, a relaxing weekend of drinking beer and sorta fishing alone in the woods because momma is getting on your case. You can't wait to put in for vacation time to get away from the boss. You can't stand the kids and really can't wait till the summer to ship them off to the ex so you can have some "me" time. I'm totally cool with vacations and time to decompress. We ALL need that.
I'm not against taking breaks or taking it easy, but when you live to do just that, when your entire existence is based around taking a break or finding the easiest way out of something, then that is when I think you miss the whole point of "living."
Life is meant to be LIVED. To be the very best version of yourself, you're supposed to push yourself to your limits and then beyond. Push harder, run further, study with more intensity, work with more focus, and mostly love with more passion. I am convinced one of the reasons we have so many divorces and failed relationships today is because we don't even try. As soon as it gets hard, just like with everything in our lives, we run for the hills. Life is hard, relationships are hard, but for those few willing to put in the work, life can be ultimately rewarding, and relationships can make life worth living.
Challenge yourself this week to do whatever you do with a renewed passion. Force yourself to push through the complacency, the doubt, and the laziness. Close that magazine up and pedal that darn machine like you were on the Tour de France. Stop complaining about how your boss doesn't appreciate you and go do something that will force him or her to do so. Do something unexpected for your spouse or significant other, something that will surprise them, to break the monotony and to let them know how much they truly mean to you. And if nothing else, when you leave your house, take a moment to take a deep breath, look around, and appreciate just being. Whether it is hot and dry, cold and rainy, tropical or arid, you are there in that moment; that alone is a gift because you won't always be "there." Do something of value, and LIVE.
Life has endless bounties. There is enough for all of us, but those who get the most out of life know the secret to it all is The More You Do, The More You Get.
Over the past year I've learned a lot of lessons in the gym, but the biggest lesson I've learned is that humans are HIGHLY adaptable. That is good and bad. The good part is no matter what life throws at us, we can usually meet the challenge or better yet, overcome it. Human beings are so adaptable, we have become the predominate species on this planet. I mean at some point, a naked human walked into a cold valley somewhere and thought "man I'm cold." Most animals would flee to warmer weather. Not the human. He looked over and saw a furry animal frolicking in the snow and thought "I think I'll borrow your fur and stay awhile." Yeah, we humans are adaptable.
On the unfortunate side of adaptability, in particular with our bodies, and our minds, is how quickly they adjust to our current circumstances. Using the gym as an example, I walk by a group of what I would assume are moms who line the front of the cardio area at gym every single day. They sit on the stationary bikes, open their people magazine, plop the 1,000 calorie "energy" drink into the cup holder, then proceed to barely turn the pedals while gossiping about the latest celebrity news. These are the same ladies who I hear complaining to each other that their workouts aren't having any effect. Well of course not. Your body long ago became accustomed to your little peddling and you are now getting zero positive effect from your workouts. Although, if you judge your worth by how much celebrity gossip you know, maybe you're better for it.
You see friends, the great thing about both the body and the mind is they can be stretched to limits most of us can't even comprehend. They not only "can" stretch, they thrive when being taken to their limits. Do you know how bodybuilders get stronger? (steroid argument aside), they lift heavier and heavier weight. Do you know how distance runners run so far? During each workout, they push one step further or one second faster than they did their prior workout. Do you know how smart people invent things? They try and try and try, failure after failure after failure, gaining something from each one. Getting closer, until they succeed.
Friends we live in this era of having to take a break; a night out with the girls or a weekend at the spa because your family exhausts you, a relaxing weekend of drinking beer and sorta fishing alone in the woods because momma is getting on your case. You can't wait to put in for vacation time to get away from the boss. You can't stand the kids and really can't wait till the summer to ship them off to the ex so you can have some "me" time. I'm totally cool with vacations and time to decompress. We ALL need that.
I'm not against taking breaks or taking it easy, but when you live to do just that, when your entire existence is based around taking a break or finding the easiest way out of something, then that is when I think you miss the whole point of "living."
Life is meant to be LIVED. To be the very best version of yourself, you're supposed to push yourself to your limits and then beyond. Push harder, run further, study with more intensity, work with more focus, and mostly love with more passion. I am convinced one of the reasons we have so many divorces and failed relationships today is because we don't even try. As soon as it gets hard, just like with everything in our lives, we run for the hills. Life is hard, relationships are hard, but for those few willing to put in the work, life can be ultimately rewarding, and relationships can make life worth living.
Challenge yourself this week to do whatever you do with a renewed passion. Force yourself to push through the complacency, the doubt, and the laziness. Close that magazine up and pedal that darn machine like you were on the Tour de France. Stop complaining about how your boss doesn't appreciate you and go do something that will force him or her to do so. Do something unexpected for your spouse or significant other, something that will surprise them, to break the monotony and to let them know how much they truly mean to you. And if nothing else, when you leave your house, take a moment to take a deep breath, look around, and appreciate just being. Whether it is hot and dry, cold and rainy, tropical or arid, you are there in that moment; that alone is a gift because you won't always be "there." Do something of value, and LIVE.
Life has endless bounties. There is enough for all of us, but those who get the most out of life know the secret to it all is The More You Do, The More You Get.
Comments
Post a Comment