I'll admit it, in the middle of a workout I've asked myself "what's the point in working out?" I've been doing some form of intentional working out/training since 2009. From 2017-2019 I focused solely on doing Olympic Weightlifting where I trained to make micro improvements all to be able to lift slightly more than I had been able to the month prior. I had to have a hyper focus on improving the smallest aspects of each movement. For example, if the barbell was half an inch too far away from my shins at the start of the lift it could cause my hips to move too far forward making me miss the lift. The same applied to catching the bar overhead in a full squat position. The slighting shift forward could cause the bar to fall forward or back. Attention to detail, dedication to show up every single day, regressing before progressing, were all elements of my pursuit to be able to lift more than I had been able to previously. Sounds kind of pointless when broken down like that, but I look back on those 2 years fondly and the lessons learned continue to help me today.
Do I still have that type of focus on Olympic Weightlifting? Nope. Does that mean I wasted those 2 years? Absolutely not! At that time in my life I was working jobs I knew were not my longterm plan, which caused anxiety and depression. But I needed to make ends meet and those jobs were my only option given my circumstances. Looking back I can see how my time being hyper focused on weightlifting allowed me to have control in an area of life I was interested in and helped me get through the difficulties I was facing in other parts of my life.
Sometimes we don't know we are in a particular season of life unless we take time to look backwards and forward. Even then, life is unpredictable and we could be thrown into another season of life we couldn't foresee. There is a season for everything. When you are in a difficult period it can be helpful to remember that a new season is coming. I encourage you to look for the valuable tidbits in each season. When you can consistently stack up valuable experiences, even when life is the most difficult, they will compound and improve your life overall. This is a lesson I am continually learning and have to keep reminding myself.
“In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment
it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”
-Viktor Frankl
Your friend,
-Nate
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