The Best That We Can

The Best That We Canby Dustin HawkinsIn the gym experience, it's important for us to realize that on certain days we are going to perform better than others. Just as in any sport, athletes feel better on certain game days compared to other game days. For example, a baseball player may go to the park feeling great one day, and even perform well, but on the following game day they may not feel so great, and their performance may suffer.It is true, as well, in the sport of fitness. Lifting weights at a high intensity each day can be hard on the mind and body, while at the same time being good for the mind and body. We find out how tough we really are when we don't feel like training on a particular day, but we go ahead and do it any way. The game of life is similar isn't it? Each day is a day filled with things that aren't fun to do, like: work, yard work, and boredom--are just to name a few. However, in training and in life we can find a special connection in how our discipline towards training can feed our discipline in life.All we can do, in both training and in life, is do the best that we can each day. This does not mean, however, that we are to become complacent and lean on the excuse of not feeling well. If we find ourselves not feeling well often, then it would be wise for us to take a look at how we are living. Where is our nutrition at? Are we watching more TV than we are reading? And are we serving others more than we are serving our own selves? All valid questions, and are important attributes that are necessary for us to obtain if we want to achieve the balance that each of us so badly needs in order for us to feel good each day so that we can perform to the best of our ability in training and in life..Many are too hard on themselves, and I happen to be one of them. Life is a learning experience, and is a long developmental process, full of twists, turns, ups, and downs. We shouldn't be scared to face the challenges of the day for fear of failure. How can we fail if we do our best each day? We can't, and where and when we find ourselves falling short we can rely on that higher being to make up for our shortcomings.In training, we may find ourselves exhausted in the middle of an intense session, where our mind and body are arguing back and forth, with one telling the other to quit, and the other screaming back no. This win at the end of the workout when we don't quit feeds confidence into our mental, physical, and spiritual system. We often hear ourselves saying that we could have done more, when in reality we couldn't of done more, because we did the best that we could on that particular day. It's not healthy for us to be always saying that we could've done more--because the fact is that we all could do more in training and in life; besides, we are humans who are full of holes and weaknesses, however, if we do all that we can each day then we will find ourselves being happy with who we are and not always second guessing ourselves.Moreover, the comment of "I could have done better,"needs to be replaced by "I did the best that I could on this particular day."In life, and in training, we are to be searchers--ones who live in the moment, appreciating all of life's beautiful intricacies, while also striving, each day, to be charitable and sympathetic to others and ourselves. Charity is considered to be the purest form of love, therefore, it should be our deepest desire to not only show love and sympathy for others, but to also ourselves by not talking down to ourselves.Likewise, the gym experience can be looked upon as a great way for us to feel better about ourselves- because of how it can change our mood from a negative to a positive one, thus making the gym experience the greatest form of therapy. However, the gym experience needs to remain that fun ride--and not the ride of which we are always scared to participate in for fear of mechanical failure. Yes, fear sidelines us all at times, however, is there really anything to fear in life and in training if we do the best that we can each an every day?