Voluntary Hardship

Strength training makes you a better person.  Here’s why. Barbells not only build character it also builds physical strength.  Whether you want to or not, you’re faced with getting under the barbell every week, and the weight gets heavier. Overcoming external resistance builds discipline, resiliency and dependability.

Is hardship really hardship if we choose it? Begin forced to do something is different that choosing to do something. What lies in the way is our ability to make something non-negotiable. Have you ever tried to create a habit? What usually gets in the way? “I don’t have time for this”, “it’s just too hard” or “It’s not fun anymore”.  The ability to stop makes it an optional hardship.

When your faced with a life-or-death situation, with a gun to your head or a doctor telling you have 3 months to live, quitting is no longer an option.

In non-life-threatening situations, WE DECIDE, to keep going or not. A common trait with successful people is persistence; giving up is not an option. Rainbows? Sunshine? Forget about it. It takes reflection to troubleshoot the reasons we want to giving up. Lower the bar instead of becoming a victim of our ambition.

We need not to feel happy about every decision we make. Making the decision is far more important than feeling happy about it. Operate in an environment that encourages strength training and choose to love the process. It is by embracing the process that which bring fulfillment.

Happiness isn’t a by produce of success, success comes from happiness. And happiness is derived from aligning your actions with what you want to accomplish. What you want to accomplish comes from a purpose. Overcoming voluntary hardship produces purpose.

To get stronger, physically and mentally, put in your time and overcome hardship.