I love being surrounded by and listening to motivating and inspiring people. Recently, I was listening to Tony Alessandra, acclaimed motivational speaker, and I came across a stimulating piece that inspired this article.
Tony reminds us that we live so we can experience the pleasures and the goodness that life has to offer. If we didn’t, then what would be the point of living, right? What would be the point of going through any pain and overcoming any obstacle if pleasure wasn’t on the other side? It’s because the hardships and how we deal with them show what our real character is made of. It is our faith that makes it worthwhile to endure such discomfort, with the belief that we will be rewarded in some form or another.
There was a philosophy among the ancient Greek Olympic athletes. It stated that when hardship and obstacles arose, we should remember that the universe, like a great coach or a personal trainer, matches us with opponents and challenges that make us stronger.
And why would the universe want to make us stronger? Its purpose is not to ruin us – it never gives us anything more than we can handle. It challenges us so it can mold us into champions, into winners and successes. The universe wants us to succeed; it conspires WITH us. We just need to be willing go along for the ride and pay attention to the signs along the way.
This is how it is with fitness. People have come to us asking, “Am I too far gone?” and thinking they were beyond repair. But they accepted the challenge, endured the initial discomfort and have been able to accomplish feats they didn’t dream possible in a relatively short period of time.
But success cannot occur without sweat and we must have an awareness and understanding that with each trial and tribulation there are huge benefits and opportunities that come with them. They may be hard to see at the time, but they are right around the corner. It’s just that some roads are longer than others.
