You are going to encounter days when you don’t want to follow through on your 365 Commitment. Look to these as opportunities to “callous your mind,” as David Goggins the famous Navy Seal turned motivational coach would say. I like that term, “callous your mind.” To me it means toughening up mentally and not giving in to excuses or weakness.
I remember many years ago, sitting with my Dad in my 1950 One Ton flatbed pick-up one cold dark rainy night on Bainbridge Island. I was driving him to the ferry terminal for his journey back to the homeless shelter for older men along the Seattle waterfront. It was a tough time for both of us. I was out of work with a wife and baby to take care of, and well . . . let’s just say he had his problems too. As we sat in the cab of that old truck and talked, I’ll never forget his encouragement to me. At one point he looked me in the eyes and in a serious and level tone said “you have more grit than you know.” He said, “You come from some very tough people, remember that.”
Today, I completed my daily workout routine despite it being day three of a monthly fast I have integrated into my 365 Commitment. Running and then doing pull-ups in the cold early morning California winter rain on a very empty stomach was not easy. I thought of David Goggins who encourages people to plunge in where their old self does not want to go. I remembered those words my Dad had encouraged me with. It felt good, I felt like I was moving toward a new self and a new future where I do not let laziness or mental weakness talk me out of my 365 commitment. I think I layered a little callous onto my mind.
So, I want to encourage you like my Dad encouraged me. Remember, you are tougher than you know. Think about it. You are the current incarnation and iteration of an untold number of generations of people who managed to survive. You have their DNA and a storehouse of potential gene expression that is waiting to be turned on and modify your current being. All that is needed is for you to put yourself under the right conditions and your body and mind will respond.
Look at the typical domesticated hog (that’s hog not dog). In captivity they are pink and hairless and tuskless. But, if they manage to escape captivity, and the soft life of a domesticated animal, their body becomes exposed to the demands of surviving in the wild. Under those tough conditions their genes respond and express a new physical form. Hair and bristles sprout from their skin, their bodies become more muscular, and tusks emerge on the face! Amazing stuff. I think we are similar in that our bodies and minds will respond to the pressure of our environment. The difference is we are conscious human beings who can choose the amount of pressure and the nature of conditions we endure.
Likely, you will not sprout bristles and tusks. I hope not anyway, LOL. But, if you choose to callous your mind and plunge in where your old self would not go, I believe you will transform over time into something that approximates your potential. You have more grit than you know, remember that.
Ben Wagner (13)
Member 365 Commitment
