The other day, my wife, Judith, was prepping for a colonoscopy and about six hours into her prep, I began to ponder what it would be like to be hungry. I mean, I can't even skip a single meal, let alone go through a colonoscopy prep. How am I going to do it when the time comes? - and that time is quickly approaching as I inch closer to 50, day-by-day.
Then, after she had fasted, oh, for about 15 hours (except for broth and clear liquids), I began to ponder hunger even more.
I have to ask...have you ever been hungry? I'm not talking about missing lunch and being really hungry for dinner. And I'm not talking about missing lunch AND dinner and being in a Godawful ugly mood as you can't wait to get home from work and stuff your face. Nope, not at all...the hunger I'm talking about is wondering-where-your-next-meal-is-coming-from hunger. True hunger. Scary hunger. Time-to-worry hunger.
What if I was really hungry? Would I die? Would I "man up" and find some food? Would I eat a bug or a weed like Survivorman? Would I steal or rob? What would I do? I just don't know, because I've never been tested.
Really, what happens when you are put to the test? I wondered this very thing just today as I was lifting weights in the gym. In thinking about it, I realized that I've never truly tested myself in anything. For example, I have never done a bench press and put myself in the situation where the bar trapped me underneath it because I couldn't do that last rep (no, I'm not that stupid...I would always have a spotter, but you know what I mean). I feel that I have always stopped short of the edge of my absolute "can't do it anymore" zone. I am this way mentally (as with fasting/eating) and physically (as described above). But, honestly, how many people really do ever test themselves to the absolute brink? The great majority of us have no idea what pain, suffering, hunger, mental anguish or torture we can actually endure. We simply don't have the kind of lives where we are ever tested like this, nor do we really care to be in such situations, let a lone purposefully put ourselves in such situations.
But guess what else? My resting heart is 40. FORTY! SOMETIMES IT'S 35! It has been this low all of my life. You know who has a resting heart rate of 35? World class athletes, that's who. You know, the dudes from Kenya that run 26 miles in about two hours. Yeah, those guys have a resting heart rate of 35. And me. At my last physical, my doctor remarked that I must be a long distance runner, running 13 miles or more a day. I quickly retorted while grabbing a chunk, "Doc, you see this fat? You think I run 13 miles a day and maintain this?" Hell, I have never run farther than five miles in a single workout! 13 miles? Dubious proposition, there. Could I? I have no idea. You know why? I have never put myself to the test! The fact is, I am afraid of the prospect of the pain and suffering (and not to mention that it actually might have longer lasting affects if I don't train up to it).
But the point is, I have this supposedly strong heart, yet, I have never really exercised it in any way, shape, or form near its capacity. Why do you suppose I have never tested myself? Why have I never seen to it to use this heart of mine and run like the wind? Would I die? Would I collapse? What would happen? I don't know and I am not sure if I wanna find out.
But just for argument's sake, let me tell you what would probably happen. I would succeed! I would be just like the genius Forest Gump! I would start running and, yeah, there would be pain after several miles, but pretty soon, that pain would recede and I would just be running and running and running. I would probably be high as kite by then, Elton, and everyone would be standing on the side of the road, cheering and yelling, "Run, Michael, run!"
So what prevents me - no, what prevents US - from testing ourselves? Two things: fear of failure, and fear of the unknown. Somehow, we have it in us that we can't do fantastic things, that we can't be all that we could be, and that we are just destined for a life of mediocrity and fat bellies. And this doesn't just apply to fitness, it applies to almost everything we do. Sad, isn't it?
But you know what? You CAN do it.
You wanna lose 40 pounds? You CAN do it.
You wanna stop smoking? You CAN do it.
You wanna open a business and make wheel barrows of money? You CAN do it.
You wanna go to law school? You CAN do it.
You wanna be the best teacher at your school? You CAN be that best teacher!
You can do whatever it is that you want to do, but you have embrace TWO things before you can: 1) you have to be unafraid of the journey and its potential ups and downs, its potential pain, and its potential suffering; AND 2) you have to believe in yourself. Yes, you have to believe in yourself. Because if you don't, who will, except for your Mom?
Think about it.You wanna lose 40 pounds? Ok, what's stopping you? Yeah, I know, you're afraid of the hunger. You're afraid to break your addiction to your night-time Ho Hos. You're afraid of the discipline. You're afraid of the exercise. YOU ARE AFRAID OF THE UNKNOWN AND ITS POTENTIAL PAIN! But, ask yourself: what's gonna happen if you do it and it hurts? Are you gonna die? Collapse? Shrivel up into a little ball? Of course not! You know what's gonna happen, truthfully? You're gonna succeed! What's more is that you'll probably discover that success was a lot easier than you had imagined it to be. NEW BUS RULE: DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE JOURNEY - EMBRACE IT!
Again, if you are afraid to change your life because you are afraid of the journey and its potential pain, you can't and won't succeed, and worse, you'll never know what success truly means. Because only through that pain, only through that suffering, and only through that hunger, can we actually enjoy the success at the end. You just have to believe in yourself and be unafraid, and your desired results will come to fruition!
Now, tonight when you get into bed and rest your weary head, I want you to think about yourself in relation to the items above. I have said it before, and I'll say it again. You are on the bus. You climbed aboard. And on MY bus, we are NOT afraid AND we believe in ourselves!
Ok, I'm done. It is now time for me contemplate how I am going to get through my colonoscopy prep in a few months.
The runs, Michael, the runs!
Then, after she had fasted, oh, for about 15 hours (except for broth and clear liquids), I began to ponder hunger even more.
I have to ask...have you ever been hungry? I'm not talking about missing lunch and being really hungry for dinner. And I'm not talking about missing lunch AND dinner and being in a Godawful ugly mood as you can't wait to get home from work and stuff your face. Nope, not at all...the hunger I'm talking about is wondering-where-your-next-meal-is-coming-from hunger. True hunger. Scary hunger. Time-to-worry hunger.
What if I was really hungry? Would I die? Would I "man up" and find some food? Would I eat a bug or a weed like Survivorman? Would I steal or rob? What would I do? I just don't know, because I've never been tested.
Really, what happens when you are put to the test? I wondered this very thing just today as I was lifting weights in the gym. In thinking about it, I realized that I've never truly tested myself in anything. For example, I have never done a bench press and put myself in the situation where the bar trapped me underneath it because I couldn't do that last rep (no, I'm not that stupid...I would always have a spotter, but you know what I mean). I feel that I have always stopped short of the edge of my absolute "can't do it anymore" zone. I am this way mentally (as with fasting/eating) and physically (as described above). But, honestly, how many people really do ever test themselves to the absolute brink? The great majority of us have no idea what pain, suffering, hunger, mental anguish or torture we can actually endure. We simply don't have the kind of lives where we are ever tested like this, nor do we really care to be in such situations, let a lone purposefully put ourselves in such situations.
But guess what else? My resting heart is 40. FORTY! SOMETIMES IT'S 35! It has been this low all of my life. You know who has a resting heart rate of 35? World class athletes, that's who. You know, the dudes from Kenya that run 26 miles in about two hours. Yeah, those guys have a resting heart rate of 35. And me. At my last physical, my doctor remarked that I must be a long distance runner, running 13 miles or more a day. I quickly retorted while grabbing a chunk, "Doc, you see this fat? You think I run 13 miles a day and maintain this?" Hell, I have never run farther than five miles in a single workout! 13 miles? Dubious proposition, there. Could I? I have no idea. You know why? I have never put myself to the test! The fact is, I am afraid of the prospect of the pain and suffering (and not to mention that it actually might have longer lasting affects if I don't train up to it).
But the point is, I have this supposedly strong heart, yet, I have never really exercised it in any way, shape, or form near its capacity. Why do you suppose I have never tested myself? Why have I never seen to it to use this heart of mine and run like the wind? Would I die? Would I collapse? What would happen? I don't know and I am not sure if I wanna find out.
But just for argument's sake, let me tell you what would probably happen. I would succeed! I would be just like the genius Forest Gump! I would start running and, yeah, there would be pain after several miles, but pretty soon, that pain would recede and I would just be running and running and running. I would probably be high as kite by then, Elton, and everyone would be standing on the side of the road, cheering and yelling, "Run, Michael, run!"
So what prevents me - no, what prevents US - from testing ourselves? Two things: fear of failure, and fear of the unknown. Somehow, we have it in us that we can't do fantastic things, that we can't be all that we could be, and that we are just destined for a life of mediocrity and fat bellies. And this doesn't just apply to fitness, it applies to almost everything we do. Sad, isn't it?
But you know what? You CAN do it.
You wanna lose 40 pounds? You CAN do it.
You wanna stop smoking? You CAN do it.
You wanna open a business and make wheel barrows of money? You CAN do it.
You wanna go to law school? You CAN do it.
You wanna be the best teacher at your school? You CAN be that best teacher!
You can do whatever it is that you want to do, but you have embrace TWO things before you can: 1) you have to be unafraid of the journey and its potential ups and downs, its potential pain, and its potential suffering; AND 2) you have to believe in yourself. Yes, you have to believe in yourself. Because if you don't, who will, except for your Mom?
Think about it.You wanna lose 40 pounds? Ok, what's stopping you? Yeah, I know, you're afraid of the hunger. You're afraid to break your addiction to your night-time Ho Hos. You're afraid of the discipline. You're afraid of the exercise. YOU ARE AFRAID OF THE UNKNOWN AND ITS POTENTIAL PAIN! But, ask yourself: what's gonna happen if you do it and it hurts? Are you gonna die? Collapse? Shrivel up into a little ball? Of course not! You know what's gonna happen, truthfully? You're gonna succeed! What's more is that you'll probably discover that success was a lot easier than you had imagined it to be. NEW BUS RULE: DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE JOURNEY - EMBRACE IT!
Again, if you are afraid to change your life because you are afraid of the journey and its potential pain, you can't and won't succeed, and worse, you'll never know what success truly means. Because only through that pain, only through that suffering, and only through that hunger, can we actually enjoy the success at the end. You just have to believe in yourself and be unafraid, and your desired results will come to fruition!
Now, tonight when you get into bed and rest your weary head, I want you to think about yourself in relation to the items above. I have said it before, and I'll say it again. You are on the bus. You climbed aboard. And on MY bus, we are NOT afraid AND we believe in ourselves!
Ok, I'm done. It is now time for me contemplate how I am going to get through my colonoscopy prep in a few months.
The runs, Michael, the runs!
Love it Michael from my perspective I want change but get complacent and then lazy.
ReplyDeleteChris Romero