Strong Body, Strong Mind
TO TRULY GROW, WE NEED TO BUILD STRENGTH ON ALL LEVELS
This week, I’m in San Diego, developing my mental strength at Todd Durkin’s 3.5-DAY MENTORSHIP. This is a heavy season for me. Putting on extra miles while training for an ULTRA-MARATHON and launching a business in a new location means a lot of draws on my energy.
While we are focused on our physical training or the tangible gains in life, it’s easy to neglect the mental and spiritual strength required to keep us there. When these areas become depleted, it starts to affect us in ways we didn’t see coming.
How often have we scheduled our gym workout or our run and for some reason, we just can’t bring ourselves to go? We are injury free, and not even all that tired, but the thought of heading to workout is a struggle.
We have all been there.
As we continue to grow, here are some thoughts to help us build strength on all levels.
STRENGTH COMES FROM STRETCHING
Only once we stretch ourselves, do we really begin to see our strength and what we are truly capable of.
However, we are sort of like elastic bands. Once we start stretching, there’s an internal tension trying to bring us back to where we were. This is why we binge-eat candy after a workout. Or why we can’t say no to the second piece of chocolate cake. Some companies even call us out on this in their marketing (bet you can’t eat just one!).
It’s tough to reach a goal, but it’s even tougher to sustain the progress. It takes time to develop the mental muscle to hold our new position. We must prepare ourselves mentally to hold the line.
COUNT THE COST
And you need to prepare for it.
If you don’t understand the cost of commitment before you charge in – the reality of the challenge can overtake your desire for change.
Ask yourself – is the progress worth the price of new beginnings? Anyone can say they want change, but most are not willing to do what it takes. People think about the result, but forget to weigh the effort and the commitment required.
This is why building a support network around a goal is so important. This can be an accountability partner, a training buddy, or even a collage of images that we paste around the bathroom mirror.
YOU WILL FACE RESISTANCE
We all know someone who has lost a lot of weight, only to gain it back later. This is usually because the mental strength has not caught up with the physical. The physical and mental aspects of training don’t always align. They require their own attention and special training.
The way we do this is by tapping into the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind doesn’t change in an instant. It requires time and patience.
We can start to change how the subconscious mind functions by being around or watching inspiring people. These changes can start to percolate in through all of our senses.
We can start the process by writing down what it is we want to become. Write it as if it exists today. And let your mind catch up.
No one said change was going to be easy. To balance out the physical change, we need to work on getting our mind in shape as well. The results may not be instant, but by aligning our mental and physical efforts, we can begin to change from the inside out.
