“It Weakens You”
I wanted to share a question with you today that I often ask myself.
“Does it weaken me or does it strengthen me?”
It is my acid test for many decisions and actions I make each day.
A few years ago, a mentor said something to me that stuck with me.
I can’t remember the exact circumstances, but I think he felt I was making excuses about something.
He said, “When you make excuses, it weakens you.”
“IT WEAKENS YOU.”
I’m now about to turn twenty-nine and since I was fourteen, I have been obsessed with doing whatever made me stronger.
So the concept of “it weakens you” stood out to me.
A lot of this mentality has come from the fact that I was very sick when I was a baby and grew up weak. I was a nice kid, but I was pretty wimpy.
I was weak both physically and mentally. And I came to despise that weakness.
And now, my passion about strength emcompasses all sorts of strength…
Physical strength
Mental strength
Emotional strength
Spiritual strength
After having that “it weakens you” conversation with my mentor, I developed my acid test question:
“Does it weaken me or does it strengthen me?”
In my book, there’s not too many things that are neutral.
Here’s a few examples of weaken/strengthen off the top of my head:
Alcohol - weakens me
Prayer - strengthens me
Exercise - strengthens me
Being judgemental - weakens me
Directing anger towards others - weakens me
Proper sleep - strengthens me
Checking out women other than my wife - weakens me
Planning ahead - strengthens me
Lack of emphathy - weakens me
And so on…
Answering “I don’t know” generally doesn’t cut it. Most of us know whether something is good for us or not.
Want to improve your physique? Here’s the question to ask with the cookies sitting out at the office:
“Will these cookies strengthen me or weaken me?” (Please, no smart-ass replies to this)
Correct answer: “Eating those cookies weakens me… plus they make me fat.”
Yes, even if they don’t weaken you physically, eating them weakens your self-confidence and self-resolve.
So this is much more than about physical strength. It’s about strenthening your entire self. It’s about being your best self.
And I make mistakes with this all the time. But that acid test question “Does it strengthen me or does it weaken me?”, is a great way for me to guide my decisions and actions. I’m hoping this may be a valuable idea for you too.
Dedicated to your success,
Doug Jackson, M.Ed.,CSCS
http://www.PersonalFitnessAdvantage.com
P.S. For those of in South Florida who are ready to get some professional and experienced guidance regarding your fitness programs, I invite you to fill out a consultation request at:
http://www.PersonalFitnessAdvantage.com