Be Stronger Than You Need To Be

I have a confession to make. I have spidey sense.

For those not hip to the Marvel franchise, spidey sense is one of Spiderman’s superpowers. It starts as a tingling in the back of his head, giving him the power to sense and react to danger before it happens.

After numerous coincidental occurrences, I realized that I, too, have spidey sense. I don’t get it often, but I take it seriously when I do.

Most of my spidey sense episodes revolve around unanticipated medical trauma, which is helpful because our oldest son was born with a physical disability that requires semi-frequent emergency interventions. The last time I experienced spidey sense was a year ago, about thirty days before Dan had a stroke. There was no other warning.

I’ve never told anyone about my spidey sense. Who wants to be the harbinger of bad news? Recently, I read something in James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter, which triggered this confession. (If you are unfamiliar with Clear’s work, 3-2-1 stands for 3-Ideas, 2-Quotes, and 1-Question. You can subscribe to his newsletter, along with 2-million other readers, here ) Here’s the quote:

“If your life is designed only to handle the expected challenges, then it will fall apart as soon as something unexpected happens to you. Always be stronger than you need to be.”

Always be stronger than you need to be! Amen to that, brother!

When my spidey sense triggers, I take immediate action to get strong, which means strengthening and balancing my body, mind, and Spirit.

It would be better if I was always in prime shape, but alas, the flesh is weak. That’s why Clear’s post rang so true. When in balance, my life is anti-fragile. James Clear reminded me not to wait for spidey sense to trigger before re-engaging conditioning. Schlitz happens. Why not be prepared?

I began working on physio-emotional balance and conditioning nearly forty years ago, refining my approach along the way. I finally settled on a three-legged body-mind-spirit practice, which, like a sturdy tripod, provides a solid foundation for any terrain.

I start with the body because it’s the easiest to discipline. I used to be a runner, and then, when my knees went south, a cycler. Now, I’m a walker. The exercise doesn’t matter as long as I get the heart rate up enough to perspire. Daily exercise is important for physical and mental health.

Then comes mind. I have the mind of an adolescent child, meaning it requires constant discipline. My conditioning process involves rising early (so as not to be disturbed) and reading wisdom literature, which I define as anything that speaks to my soul. Daily writing practice also contributes to my mental conditioning.

Finally, there’s Spirit. I’m not religious, per se. I equate Spiritual conditioning with increasing the “We” in my life. Self-absorption is a default tendency that throws us off balance. It takes practice and discipline to counteract my naturally selfish tendencies and ensure “We” is more significant than “Me” in my life. I’ve developed techniques to facilitate this that I explain on my website (tim-coats.com) under The Anatomy of Peace section.

James Clear’s reminder that it’s important to be stronger than you need to be resonated. I think it’s true for everyone!

Even if you have spidey sense.

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