Be Stronger Than You Need To Be. (Revisited)

Note: I wrote a post by the same title six months ago. A lapse of memory enables one to experience each day anew!

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“Always be stronger than you need to be. Leave room for the unexpected.” 

-James Clear  

I’ve always been a Lance Armstrong fan. Sure, he doped and was a complete jerk, but no one trained harder. Even his critics gave him that. 

I remember reading a story about his training regimen for the Tour de France. One morning, he was scheduled to climb a long, steep pass in the Alps. Unfortunately, weather conditions did not cooperate. Heavy sleet made the run next to impossible. 

Lance refused to relent and made the three-hour climb in a short-sleeve jersey. At the summit, he was soaked and violently shivering. His concerned trainer loaded the bike into the van, covered Lance with a blanket, and drove him back down the mountain as sleet pounded the windshield.  Once in the valley, Lance climbed out of the van and said, “OK, let’s do it again.”

Armstrong won the Tour de France that year. 

Armstrong, of course, is a freak. He set a high bar for himself and was oblivious to the pain required to achieve it. Most of us know what to do to improve our physical and mental well-being, but instead of doing it, we wait for a crisis before taking action. 

I remember a Tour segment when an obnoxious fan stepped out into the roadway, causing Armstrong to crash. By the time he picked his bleeding self up off the pavement, the peloton was gone. 

Lance chased those riders down, miraculously passed them all, and won the segment. His strength came from being stronger than he needed to be. 

The thought of training for reserve strength makes sense. It’s easy to make excuses, but successful people don’t do that. Success, whether defined as good health or some other accomplishment, requires discipline. Winners turn discipline into accomplishment.

How does that apply to life?

Three components are critical to the game of life: Mind, Body, and Spirit. It’s wise to periodically reflect on one’s standing to determine if actions are required. I’ve done that throughout my life, but I’m overdue for a checkup, so here goes: 

Body

Exercise is a bitch these days because knees—whaah, whaah, whaah. Making matters worse, we’ve gotten into the bad habit of going out to eat several times a week to relieve stress in the wake of our son’s medical crisis.

-Self-evaluation: D

-Action plan: Back off on the pub crawl and recommit to daily exercise. 

Mind

I read a lot. Writing a blog helps, too. You would be surprised how much thought goes into putting together 500 words each week that don’t sound stupid! There’s another benefit, however. Searching for a positive subject to write about orients my mind to positive aspects of life rather than the ills. 

-Self-evaluation: A

-Action Plan: Stay the course.

Spirit

Spirit work is about seeking and finding union in my life. Mindfulness practices help. 

Self-evaluation: B

Action Plan: Extend mindfulness beyond practice into a way of being. (Full disclosure: I’ve been stuck at this level for a while.)

At present, the body is the area I need to focus on. Interestingly, my focus needs have changed over the years.  Sometimes, it’s body; other times, it’s mind or spirit. Balance, I find, is the key. 

Once I have a plan for what to stop doing, start doing, and keep doing, discipline is the only thing standing in my way. 

We never know when we will be called to climb a mountain pass in the sleet. That’s why it’s best to train to be stronger than we need to be! 

How would you score yourself? 

Do you have a plan?

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