Earlier this week, I shared a compilation of training clips that I recently found on an old zip drive. Ironically, I stumbled across the footage by accident. In doing so, I uncovered loads of past videos that I thought I had lost. It’s been nostalgic looking back at the old clips, most of which were filmed 10 to 15 years ago. The time has literally flown by. Yet, while much of my training remains the same, there is one important difference that warrants a discussion.
Old School Compilation
First, take a look at the compilation. You’ll see free weights, bodyweight exercise, and plenty of low-tech, homemade tools. From that standpoint, little has changed. I still use much of the same equipment and include many of the same exercises.
The Difference
Perhaps the greatest change to my training has been learning to embrace the journey rather than obsessing over the destination. When I was younger, I was in constant search of new personal bests and feats. No matter what I did, I always wanted more. Any joy I experienced from a success would be short lived as I immediately moved on to a new challenge. My competitiveness drove me to continually want more.
Now that I’m older and wiser, I’ve learned to let the training take care of itself. I don’t need to obsess over the destination, as I’m confident that my hard work will guide me in the right direction. In other words, I usually end up in the same place anyway. Thus, I try to enjoy the journey as much as I can. I don’t beat myself up if I miss a lift or can’t perform as many reps as I wanted. Instead, I take comfort knowing that I did my best and trust that my consistency will eventually get me where I need to go.
The Effort Remains
Learning to embrace the journey doesn’t mean that I’ve lost my competitive streak. It also doesn’t mean that I’m no longer challenging myself. I still push myself hard and I’m always striving to improve. I hope that never changes. I’ve just learned to enjoy the process a bit more without being so worried about where it takes me and how long it takes to get there.
I’ve also learned to be happy with what I’ve already accomplished. That doesn’t mean I don’t want more. I just don’t allow my quest for new goals to take away from what I’ve already achieved. When I was younger, I didn’t know how to balance the two. Fortunately, time and experience have taught me valuable lessons.
Final Thoughts
In summary, it took me a long time to realize that I could enjoy the journey without obsessing over the destination. I can still work as hard as I always have without putting so much pressure on myself to achieve the goals that I’ve set for myself. As long as I keep grinding, I’ve learned to trust that my work will eventually get me there.
Taking the pressure off myself doesn’t mean I’m any less eager to improve. On the contrary, I’ve simply matured and recognize that life flies by. As a result, it only makes sense for us all to enjoy our individual journeys as much as we can.
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“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Ashe
This is so true. As always, you know how to put across facts in the simplest way possible. Thank you!
Inspiring as always!!!
It is amaizing how we have all known these simple words since forever, but it is one thing to know them and another to understand them.
Keep on winning in life, sharing and motivating those who seek to better themselves!