Mental Muscles

"Success and happiness are not matters of chance but choice." - Zig Ziglar

It occurred to me during vacation that each day seemed to have at least one testy moment. Some were arguably more "legitimate" than others. An unexpected cancellation of a spa appointment is topped by near-destruction of the PS2, which in turn is topped by driving a car through the mountains on slick roads in pouring rain.

It sank in that this year's been a good one for exercise. By the end of the year I'll have graced the door of Four Seasons over 250 times. Though I've never kept a steady weightlifting routine going for as many as ten straight months, the prospects are as real now as ever. A 200 pound bench press is in the realm of possibility. It's been a blossoming of increased strength.

Or has it?

Is a person really strong who kicks into victim mode when even slight things go awry? Who steps into the gutter of anger in all its degrees... from irritation to badmouthing to disgusted tones to fiery stares to...

The difference is in the choice rather than the chance.

My physical muscles were much weaker a year ago. Rather than leg lifting 225 pounds, it was 135. And 135 was not frustrating. I realized that I was weak, and that with time and dedication, things would improve.

Likewise, what about these mental circumstances thrown my way at least as daily as I hit the gym? At Four Seasons, when the reps get tough I could just sink back. Worst case scenario, I could let them come crashing down in a grand display of failure.

So the question is, why not view these "setbacks" instead as my mental workout for the day? True, they are more difficult since I can see the challenges coming in the weight room, whereas these pop up randomly. In that way, perhaps they create an even greater strength, since it requires a state of ongoing conditioning to deal with resistance.

And how to "deal"? Workout routines vary individually.

Personally, a good part of it is accepting that there is a greater plan for me. If that big force in the sky has decided that it's my time to go, then the strongest guardrail in the world won't keep me on that slippery mountain. And if it's not, then a team of horses couldn't pull me over the cliff's edge.

Life's not ultimately in my control, and if it were, would it be better or worse? I was rejected by Allstate when I applied for work there out of college. Now I'm married to Dena. The rejection was clearly a step in the right direction! And of course not one that I would have picked at the time.

This week, the rescheduled spa appointment was as good as I could have asked for. The PS2 is in fine working order. And I'm still in one piece, high above the valleys of West Virginia. For that matter, high above the valleys of worry, and ready to pump some mental iron when it falls and harden muscles that have been softening for a little too long.