“It never gets easier. You just get better.”—Author Unknown
Funny how inspiration comes at you from so many ways. When it does, you gotta take notice. Today was one of those days.
Journaling this morning, I was recounting a couple of struggles I am having, and the thought: “Nobody said it would be easy” came to mind. A short while later, I saw the above quote on Wrestling Mindset’s Facebook page. Subsequently, Wrestleology shared the admonition to “Leave it all on the mat.” (See my post, “Leave everything you have in this room” from November 15th.) These sum up the day pretty well—not just today, but everyday. Nobody said it would be easy. If they did, you might want to question their grasp on reality. And if life is easy, question whether you are really challenging yourself and living life to the fullest.
Don’t get me wrong. There are certainly days when I wish it were easier, but, in the end, I prefer the challenge.
A central theme to this blog is “be your best today; be better tomorrow.” There is simply no way to be better tomorrow, if you aren’t your best today. You can’t be your best if you don’t give today your all. If you are giving all you got, it won’t be easy. As Benjamin Franklin wrote: “there will be time enough to sleep in the grave.” Lean into the day and push!
If you can’t tell from reading my blog posts, I write to myself, more often than not. I just hope that others need the same encouragement. This is one such post.
Some mornings you have to muster a little extra energy to overcome the inertia and start moving forward. Such days are no fun, but if you are motivated to succeed, you do it. And, you know what? It gets easier. But, because you are striving to be well-centered and accomplished, you raise the bar. You elevate the challenge. You raise your expectations, and it seems hard again. (And, yes, sometimes, you do stumble back down the hill from time to time.) Over time, though, you turn back and see how far you have come.
Years ago, I pledged a fraternity at WVU. Our “hell week” culminated in a blindfolded climb (more like frantic crawl) up an icy hill at Cooper’s Rock. We had to make it to the top to become an active member of the fraternity. I remember clawing my way up the ice, struggling to make it to the top. At the top, we were permitted to take off the blindfold and see the rising sun. It was a great sensation of satisfaction and inspiration. I think of this often when I am clawing my way through life. I always know that there will be a “sunrise” at the end of the climb.
Embrace the struggle. As an exercise physiologist, I know that it is the “overload”—the pushing a body system to a level greater than that to which it is accustomed—that promotes adaptation and growth. Life is no different. As General George Patton said: “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.” Go forward. Carpe momento!
“Excellence is never easy to attain. It is often accompanied by major sacrifices and an extremely high level of uncertainty. It is achieved only through a constant mental and physical battle to arrive at your best, and then replicate that performance over time…over and over, and over. Consistency is what really separates good athletes from great ones, and greats from legends. Discipline in preparation is where it begins and execution is where it is celebrated.”—Jordan Burroughs