Whitney Johnson
“Weight lifting, not weightlessness builds strength.”
I am not the picture of physical strength or muscular definition. I have always shied away from purposely lifting heavy objects. Because of this no one will ever mistake me for Thor. I do often get mistaken for a middle-aged Dad, which is surprising very accurate.
In her book Disrupt Yourself, Whitney Johnson talks of the importance of having resistance in your life. She describes how astronauts after being exposed to prolonged periods of weightlessness in space are pretty much unable to stand when they return.
Why?
Their muscles have atrophied. They actually need the constant resistance from gravity to stay strong.
No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems.
Have you ever wished that you could live a life without any problems?
Everything is perfect. You don’t fight with your partner. You love your job. Your kids are perfect. You are in great health. Your bank account is overflowing.
While this seems like a great existence, you would not be doing yourself any favors. Just like the astronauts, if you never faced any adversity your muscles would get weak and become useless. Like it or not, we need problems.
Hit the Gym
The reason I don’t have rippling biceps or six pack abs is that I don’t purposely expose myself to the weight training I need to achieve this.
We need to approach problems in our lives as a form of strength training. No matter what problem you are facing you are going to be building a certain type of muscle to make you stronger. Ideally the next time you deal with a similar problem you handle it better.
Whether it’s difficulties with your health, your job, a relationship or financial all of these problems represent a potential form of strength training.
Feel the Burn
I do know the various times I have attempted to lift weights, that after a certain number of reps (usually one for me) my muscles begin to burn.
The pain is a sign that you are challenging your muscle, breaking it down so it will regrow stronger. Often in life, the problems you grow the most from are often the most painful.
Maybe it was a devastating health diagnosis.
Maybe you lost your job.
Maybe you lost someone close to you.
While in the moment these events are incredibly painful, over the long run they have the potential of making you stronger.
Build Your Emotional Six Pack
When you encounter problems in life, change your perspective to seeing these as opportunity’s to grow stronger. Focus on what potential muscles you are building while you are going through the challenge.
Think of this as building your emotional six-pack. This way the next time life tries to punch you in the stomach it gets met with a steel wall of emotional fortitude, which can only be developed by intentionally spending time in life’s gym.
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