Yesterday, I talked about making an impact by just doing. Today is a new day.
There's an interesting effect that comes with witnessing something great. When we see someone go against the odds and overcome great struggle we can't help but feel inspired. The bigger the challenge, the louder the applause. The hero is the archetype that embodies this. When we saw Rocky going through the rounds taking punch after punch and getting up every time until he finally dealt the final blow it felt great because it shows us what we're capable of doing. It shows us the strength of perseverance and the human spirit.
The payoff from working your butt off and succeeding is one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment we can get. Whenever I do things the easy way it never feels all that great. I might get a slight boost in happiness, but then I realize that I did nothing to achieve it and so it feels hollow and empty like there's no meaning in it.
For a more common example, it's kind of like buying a generic gift card as a present vs taking the time to think about someone and making something completely made for them. When you give the gift card it doesn't really matter what the other person thinks of it because you didn't put much thought into it to begin with. On the other hand, if the person doesn't like what you slaved away making for them it feels bad. If they love it though it feels amazing.
The key is challenge. It takes no effort to buy a gift card, but it does to think about other people and what we can do to show our appreciation for them. That's why it feels so good when they see our gift, smile, and say "thank you". It's not even about the "thank you"s or the rewards, either. It's about what we did in order to achieve something.
Glory isn't some cheap prize for half-assing it all day. Glory is the reward that comes with rising to the occasion and doing what nobody else dared to do. It's overcoming the odds and proving to the world that you can. It's flipping the bird to doubt and the naysayers and saying "you know what, fuck you, I can" and then doing it. To do this, we have to do what most won't: work hard and never give up.
Next week I'll be going for 170 kg (374 lbs) for the same 5 sets of 10 reps to see if I can do it. If not, that's okay. It'll just give me another goal to work toward.
Peace
"The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests." - EpictetusWhen I went to the gym yesterday I decided to push myself on the leg press. Before I was doing 5 sets of 10 reps at 150 kg (330 lbs), but I felt good and wanted to see if I could do more. It was brutal on my thighs, my heart was pumping at a million miles per hour, and I was breathing hard; but I managed to do 5 sets of 10 reps at 160 kg (352 lbs). I'm not particularly strong (I weigh 56.4 kg, or 124.34 lbs), but for me this was an accomplishment. I'm seeing that I'm making progress and it felt good knowing that I was able to rise to the challenge with my strength and willpower alone.
There's an interesting effect that comes with witnessing something great. When we see someone go against the odds and overcome great struggle we can't help but feel inspired. The bigger the challenge, the louder the applause. The hero is the archetype that embodies this. When we saw Rocky going through the rounds taking punch after punch and getting up every time until he finally dealt the final blow it felt great because it shows us what we're capable of doing. It shows us the strength of perseverance and the human spirit.
The payoff from working your butt off and succeeding is one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment we can get. Whenever I do things the easy way it never feels all that great. I might get a slight boost in happiness, but then I realize that I did nothing to achieve it and so it feels hollow and empty like there's no meaning in it.
For a more common example, it's kind of like buying a generic gift card as a present vs taking the time to think about someone and making something completely made for them. When you give the gift card it doesn't really matter what the other person thinks of it because you didn't put much thought into it to begin with. On the other hand, if the person doesn't like what you slaved away making for them it feels bad. If they love it though it feels amazing.
The key is challenge. It takes no effort to buy a gift card, but it does to think about other people and what we can do to show our appreciation for them. That's why it feels so good when they see our gift, smile, and say "thank you". It's not even about the "thank you"s or the rewards, either. It's about what we did in order to achieve something.
Glory isn't some cheap prize for half-assing it all day. Glory is the reward that comes with rising to the occasion and doing what nobody else dared to do. It's overcoming the odds and proving to the world that you can. It's flipping the bird to doubt and the naysayers and saying "you know what, fuck you, I can" and then doing it. To do this, we have to do what most won't: work hard and never give up.
Next week I'll be going for 170 kg (374 lbs) for the same 5 sets of 10 reps to see if I can do it. If not, that's okay. It'll just give me another goal to work toward.
Peace
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| Push the limits, achieve whatever you set your mind to. |
What are you working toward overcoming?
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