How Do You Feel?

Are you strong?

More importantly: do you FEEL strong?

Think about that for a second and then continue reading….

I am currently re-reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” (which you should read if you haven’t already and re-read if you have) and there is one section close to the beginning of the book that really stood out to me.

In this section the author, Stephen Covey, tells of his young son who is struggling at school to the point of not being able to complete any assignments, and who is also a terrible athlete, swinging his bat before the ball is even pitched and tripping constantly in the field.

Of course the Covey and his wife cheered him on, told him that he was great, and made sure to protect him from other players who made fun of his lack of athleticism.

They wanted him to BE successful.

The problem was that they were trying to fit him into a mould of success that was their own.

They wanted him to BE something and they weren’t taking the time to appreciate who he WAS.

Despite their well-intentioned encouragement, and protection, and help, the message that they were sending him was that he needed to be protected by them.

He felt that he needed help at school, and that he wasn’t as capable as the other kids.

The approach of protection and encouragement wasn’t working.

Something had to change.

Eventually they decided to stop trying to mould him into the image that they had for him and they took a step back.

They did this in order to separate themselves from him. Instead of an ‘us’ there was now a distinct ‘him’.

He was able to notice his individuality, separateness, and worth.

They were no longer comparing or judging him.

Their new role was to affirm, enjoy, and value him.

He of course went through some growing pains as he was used to having things done for him and being protected, but as the months passed he began to blossom.

Academically he began to excel and he eventually became an exceptional baseball player.

This transformation was not due to him being drawn forward by some type of societal reward. His parents did not tell him that they would buy him a car if he got an A+, or send him on a vacation if he hit a home run.

His transformation was simply an expression and manifestation of how he began to FEEL about himself.

This is the power of feeling.

So…How do you FEEL about yourself?

Do you feel strong?

Do you feel powerful?

Do you feel dedicated?

Do you feel loving?

All these traits are traits that you already possess.

You don’t need to back-squat 405lbs to be strong. You don’t need to run a marathon to be dedicated. These are simply physical manifestations of what we truly are at the core.

This is one of the reasons why I train. To FEEL my strength.

To show myself that YES I am dedicated.

YES I am a hard-worker.

YES I am powerful.

You don’t need to train to have these feelings.

They help but as long as you FEEL strong you are.

As long as you FEEL compassionate you are.

As long as you FEEL limitless you are.

And from that realization of what you are, what characteristics would someone who is strong, compassionate, and limitless possess?

What would someone who is strong, compassionate, and limitless do?

How would that person treat others?

What would that person read, or watch or create?

So how do you FEEL today?

And more importantly: What are you going to do about it?

“It is important in life not to be strong, but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once. If you want something in life, reach out and grab it.” – Chris McCandless