Determination and focus are exercises of the will. The power of the will can be expressed through these two portals in any task/goal we choose. What we focus our will on expands, and what we have set ourselves determined to accomplish; we'll achieve. Determination locks the mind and body together, flawlessly!
During exercise, sometimes we get ALL FIRED UP AND DETERMINED! HELL YEAH!
For a moment.
Then what happens….?
We set out to complete a task and then the fatigue sets in. When things get hard, the mind starts to trick us into quitting. Our muscles burn, the breath is gone, and the weaknesses in our mind takes over. Our thoughts become unfocused, our emotions go AWOL and we let our mind work against ourselves! Why does this happen?
Most of us do not exercise our determination on a daily basis. We have a set routine that is very comfortable and not too demanding on our mind and body. Primally, there is no reason in our everyday lives to exercise determination. We don’t have to hunt for food, fight for survival, or even expend energy to travel or work. This is our routine. When things get tough, we’re not used to clicking on the “determination switch” to get stuff done!
We certainly didn’t cultivate it sitting on the couch binge watching Celebrity Apprentice over a 12 pack, complaining about how hard our work day was and all the things that went wrong!
But determination can be exercised in daily life if you look for outlets. And this is never a bad thing, because just like muscles, we have to exercise the parts of our mind that need to “be there” when we want them.
- Take an extra flight of stairs instead of the elevator.
- Don’t eat that snack.
- Carry this heavy load instead of asking for help.
- Walk to the store instead of drive.
- Don’t throat punch that idiot!
Exercise is a brilliant way to cultivate determination. For most of us placated in the mundane routine of comfortability exercise may be our only major outlet for practicing determination. Remember, there is no separation between mind and body so what you’re thinking, feeling and believing is being expressed whether you know it or not. How you move inside the gym is how you move outside the gym. Consciously choosing to express determination in a workout leads to great new heights of fitness, but also mind-body-kinection!
The gym is our haven. Our primordial home to get in touch with our deeper selves. That palace of movement and play where we can let everything else go, and just be wholly and completely in the moment. Practicing mental skills while you exercise is key!
- Run that extra mile!
- Get these 4 sets!
- Get a new personal record on this lift!
- Set my fastest time in this workout!
These are the physical tools that help us achieve the higher fitness results we may crave, but they are also developers of a strong will. All of this makes perfect sense when you realize that your thoughts, emotions and beliefs are all valid forms of energy that can be harnessed. Pay attention to them! We can think a goal, feel a goal and believe in a goal! When we use all our internal energy to accomplish a task, nothing will prevent us from succeeding. Determination organizes our mind and body into a single unit that can achieve anything we want.
Conversely, we can think a fail, feel a fail and believe in failure! This happens more often than you think! Anytime something becomes hard, your mind will start to talk you out of completing the task. We succumb to this when our will is unfamiliar with how to switch on determination. In exercise, this happens a lot! Rest is just so much easier. Time to break out of that. It’s time to get in touch with determination again and set your mind to work. Put away the 12 pack, turn the tv off, and shut up. Let’s work.
The next time you walk into a gym to exercise, what will you do?
Set a goal; then think about it, feel it, and believe it until you achieve it.
You are capable of great things, but you’ll never know what until you believe that.
You are capable of great things, but you’ll never know what until you believe that.
Your Homework:
Continue to:
1. Play; both inside the gym and outside.
2. Learn new skills or continue to master known ones (or both!)
3. Grow tall at least once a day for 5 consecutive minutes.
4. Perform core workouts daily.
5. Get breath!
6. Wake up!
7. Perform the 10 minute Squat test regularly!
8. Visit stillness in movements to master them.
9. Master the three basic functional movements!
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