So, I have been thinking about a lot of things from 2020 as the new year of 2021 has started. I think one of the main stories from last year (it would be difficult to argue otherwise) was all about COVID. Well, this article has nothing to do with that. So, if that's what you came for, I can save you time and you can bounce knowing in good faith that this is not more COVID propaganda of any kind.
I was actually thinking about a young guy I have been mentoring lately, and some of the conversations we've had. We've been inundated with information over the last year, and a fear has been built around the idea of testing positive. It's almost like being on trial and waiting for a verdict. Was there enough evidence to convict? Was there enough in you to test positive? As it often does, my mind took it's own trail with that thought.
So, I've decided to start a series of article, not sure exactly how many I will write yet. This series will focus on testing positive.
If tested, would your results come back positive for a Resilient Mind?
See, there's just as many things that are bad that are likely to happen this year as happened last year, and the year before that and on and on. There's this saying, "Shit Happens." It's a bit verbose and difficult to fully grasp sometimes, but it's true. I was sitting the other day having a "woe is me" moment because I thought I was completely out of 2020, and the last 2 days the car broke down, we got information about the roof, the car ended up costing twice as much as quoted (go figure), and plans for the next few days had to be completely rearranged.
I exercised on the porch in my angry, self-pitying moments.
"Why does my life always feel like a constantly intense struggle?"
Why can't I get a leg up. Why do I have to walk in fear when good things happen because I know deep down that my life sucks and something is about to blow up around me? I got angry. I got sad. I worked out harder. Then, it came to me.
"Dude, shut up. You whine and moan like you're the only person in the world that has anything hard that's happened. Boo F*^%ing Hoo. Do you need a cookie?"
No, I didn't need a cookie. I needed a new perspective. I've survived hard stuff before. I've done difficult things that I thought were impossible...that others thought to be impossible. So, why was this so heavy?
I got up from a sweat-filled puddle on the ground, and pushed harder in my workout. When we feel like we're exhausted, tired, down, hurt, pained, overwhelmed, etc. ... that's actually when we're being tested. I heard Muhammad Ali was interviewed one time and in that interview they asked him how many sit-ups he did. He said he didn't know, because he didn't even start counting them until they started hurting. Anything before that doesn't even count, because it doesn't improve you, challenge you or grow you.
I think about something I read in the Bible once where a writer named James tells his readers, "count it joy when you fall into various trials." I used to think James was an idiot, and on the back porch, working out with these thoughts in my head, I was angry at James. Not because I had any chance of believing he was wrong. But because I knew he was right. I've tasted the sweet aftermath of a good challenge.
But right now, I was deep in the middle of mine.
So, I picked myself up out of that sweaty pool. Cleaned up after myself. And got busy. And we all can, no matter the circumstances. We can let our circumstances defeat us. We can let things happen to us and we can give in to sadness, or even despair. We can think that something can never be possible. Or we can challenge ourselves, our limits, lean into what hurts, and grow into something greater than all of those things only provable by the fact of coming through them.
If you were tested for a Resilient Mind, would your test come back positive?
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