10/01/2017
The Counter Decision
Vision without action is a dream and action without vision is a nightmare
- Japanese Proverb
One morning, all dressed and ready for my daily run, I leaned against my kitchen counter, lay my head into my forearms and agonized whether I was going out. I didn’t feel terrible, just felt zero on the energy scale. In that moment, I was waging the fitness war! And, in that moment I did what I always do in this situation; I ask myself one question, ‘Are you going to be like everyone else?’ This stirs in me a competitive fury so powerful it strangles out, in mere seconds, any hesitation. This method is so successful that one year I willed myself through half of a marathon before I physically couldn’t go further. I later found out I had walking pneumonia.
No one is immune from the pressures and the lousy days ahead. It’s never more evident than when you’ve finally set your goals on getting in shape and wrap your head around what it’s really going to take. There’s a group of guys at the Birmingham Athletic Club that are committed to meet every weekday morning at 5:45am. Together, they follow an extreme calisthenics video program. Although I am not certain of the length or intensity of their commitment, I can assure you that every one of them, at one time or another, will lean on the kitchen counter, lay their head into their forearms, and contemplate. They have every reason to hesitate because it’s a helluva workout. But I can tell you it’s worth it!
In this moment as you read, are you feeling a bit left out? That’s your heart telling your head, just do it too! In a nutshell, it’s what you do when you face these internal conflicts alone. Will you compromise the steps to your goal; saying to yourself, what would it matter if I missed this day, who would know that I’m cheating myself? The answer is… it would chip away at the foundation of your tenacious character and weaken your resolve the next time you come face to face with the enemy!
There’s a line from the movie Seven Pounds where Will Smith’s character is donating his kidney to a total stranger. This guy asks Will Smith again and again and finally says, “No really, why me?” Will Smith replies, “Because you’re a good man… even when no one is watching.” As you set your goals, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to discover your one, most important driving motivator and use it as your secret weapon.
Constantly resolving,
Scott
