Rule #43 "Get Stronger Because Life Is NOT Going to Get Easier."

This morning I saddled up for my Peloton ride. It was going to be a tough one, and I knew it. I do what is known as “Power Zone” training. There are three types of rides; Power Zone Endurance, Power Zone and Power Zone Max. For me the toughest are the Power Zone rides. They are usually 30 minutes in length and typically only go to the 4th zone out of a possible 7. However, this ride was going to be an hour ride and hit the 5th zone. That’s a recipe for screaming lungs and furious legs.

During the ride my coach, Matt Wilpers, made a profound statement when discussing improving as a rider. He said, “It never gets easier we just get stronger.” I love that! It is so spot on true. The only way we can make life “easier” is to get stronger, better, smarter, more experienced.

Former Roman emperor and stoic Marcus Aurelius once said, ““Our actions may be impeded, but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting.” In other words, it’s not the situation that changes but our mind, our actions and approach that do the changing.

This is why I never stop doing pull-ups daily. I remember when I first started I would struggle to rep out three pathetically ugly reps. I would leave furious. However, I stuck with it. I now make it a practice to do at a minimum 20 pull-ups a day. Did they get easier? No. They did not. If I were to stop doing them for an extended amount of time and go back them, they would be much harder for ME to do because I would have allowed myself to change to my prior pull-up me.

It’s the same in every aspect of life. This life will not bend to our will. No matter how many politicians tell you they can slay all your dragons and give you a life in the land of utopia it’s simply not true. The universe is what it is. We can only make ourselves better able to adapt to it and master its whims.

This takes practice and dedication, but it will make for an “easier” life once you realize it is you not life or the world that must change and adapt. Therefore, I urge you to get stronger!

You rule!

Jason