Chasing Perfection

My sister once posed a question, or rather it was more of a statement, after I returned home from a weightlifting meet.

“So what now…you just try to lift more weight?”

And I thought to myself well yes but at the same time absolutely not.

Yes I am trying to lift more weight.

But it is more than that.

If that were it I would have quit long ago.

I am chasing perfection.

A fleeting perfection that encapsulates both the realms of the platform and of my life.

When I lift I am striving to stay on my heels and keep the bar close, but I am also learning to be a more patient man.

I am ripping the bar up and attempting to achieve triple extension, but I am also becoming more willing to give my best effort in all occasions.

I am jumping under a load that could break my limbs and snap my spine, and then driving up with all my might, but I am really learning the meaning of the word faith.

I am fighting to come out of the hole after being buried, but I am also seeing how to be determined.

I am standing with a crushing weight across my chest taking in a deep breath, but I am also becoming more focused, more alive.

And whether I finish the lift or not I am always chasing perfection.

In the great book “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” Jonathan tells his faithful student, Fletcher, who is fearful that Jonathan is leaving too soon that:

“You don’t need me any longer. You need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day, that real, unlimited Fletcher Seagull. He’s your instructor.”

Weightlifting allows me to find myself a little more each day.

It never lies to me.

It is my greatest teacher, a good friend, a loving companion, and a harsh critic.

And it doesn’t have to be weightlifting that does this for you.

Find something that tells you the truth when you practice it.

The truth about who you are.

Find something that makes you a better man or a better woman and practice it.

Find something that transcends the simple act of doing, and permeates all areas of your life.

This is how you will know if it is worth doing in the first place.

Keep chasing perfection.