Every time I go for a run, it’s a battle. The first few minutes are normally fine, but then the discomfort starts kicking in. My feet kind of hurt. My legs start to ache. I look down and realize I’m only seven minutes in. It’s like clockwork. But then I start reminding myself: I’ve done this before. Yea it’s difficult, yea I’m uncomfortable, but it’s certainly tolerable. It’s suffering. It’s growth. Willingly putting myself through some shit just to prove to myself that I can do it. And every single time I go for a run, I criminally underestimate myself. At ten minutes I think I have another five minutes max. Then that five minute mark approaches and I tell myself, “Oh I can keep going a little longer.” Next I tell myself just one more minute. Then it’s just another tenth of a mile. Then I picture David Goggins running next to me, 25 miles into a marathon as find strength. Then I think to myself what if I had a really really good reason to keep going, could I do it? And guess what. The answer is almost always yes. The human body is capable of so much more than we give it credit for. The true limiting factor in the equation is the mind.
The strategy I’ve found works best for me is this carrot on a stick approach.
Just a little bit further! You’re almost there! You can go just another 30 seconds!
It works for me, maybe it will work for you too.
Train your mind to handle suffering.
Make a habit of pushing your limits.
Become great.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Greatness then, is not an act, but a habit” ― Aristotle
Mind Power Grow 