I have a tendency to smile while I work out. It’s something I’ve only recently begun doing and it may look strange to fellow gymgoers, particularly as I am often struggling to breathe while forcing the corners of my mouth back and up.
Why, you ask? I’m pushing my limits and that is how growth occurs. In a workout like the one I modified for today (Hansen), there are times when I literally am on my knees gasping for air…wondering if 1) I should just quit or 2) if I’m going to die trying to finish. The answer to 1) is always “Don’t you dare!” and to 2) is “Just get through it. Do whatever it takes.”
Realize that there are moments in life where you’ll be growing, pushing the boundaries of what you’ve known before and you’ll be tempted in the same manner. You can shrink and return to what has been true for you all along or expend the energy necessary to see what’s over the ridge.
Challenges are a part of achieving anything. You must be emotionally and physically willing to blow through the barriers you have believed in before, understanding that on the other side is a better you that’s closer to the BEST you.
Each of us will pass away, the only question is how we will have lived and whether we will have spent our time becoming all that we can. Isn’t that worth dying for?
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