What is good for the soul? I imagine that we can rank up there spending time with family, relaxing on a nice vacation, doing an activity that you really enjoy, eating chicken soup…but I would like to add:
Pushing yourself harder then you ever have before and overcoming an obstacle that you used to think was impossible.
That is really good for the soul. In fact, I would say it is better than most anything. As you look back at several months of struggle you realize that you could have been doing very little, making hardly a dent in your forward progress. However, instead, you look back at that intense struggle and realize that you overcame, that you improved, that you are better than you were. That is a great feeling!
What is it about life that makes this true? I could probably be resting right now. Saturday morning, not much going on. Stressful week at work. I have every reason to slouch around this morning. But no. I think I have found a greater feeling and that is realizing my potential to overcome the impossible. Even if I were to “take it easy”, after a few days of that the enjoyment wears off quickly and I get restless and uneasy. When I am pushing myself, the rest periods are so much sweeter and so much more welcome.
So I am accomplishing my commitments this morning, getting ready to start my morning strength training routine followed by a nice casual ass kicking 17 mile up hill run. You see once you have found your impossible, then you can you can set forth to accomplish the impossible and that is a great feeling when you start to realize that the impossible just might be obtainable.
Yesterday I started a new learning feat. As most of you know, I figured out a way to memorize long strings of numbers (thanks to Dominic O’Brien). To prove it out I got to the point where I could recite 400 digits of PI. My new challenge is to memorize a famous quote every morning for 90 days. I figured a repertoire of famous quotes would be a cool thing to have at my disposal. I worked on a system for memorizing quotes verbatim. It involves a complicated memory palace that I have built in my head, but the cool thing is that I have Winston Churchill hanging out in the living room of my grandparents home, and this morning I have Francis of Assisi hanging out on a patio of an old school I used to teach at. That quote for this morning is:
“Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
You absolutely can accomplish your cool impossible. You just need to start doing something very practical, improving upon it by doing what you can and then overtime, as you grow, you will find out that the impossible is not only in reach – you are doing it.
This is not only good, but great for the soul. When you are able to accomplish great things because you had faith in your process, help from others, and are truly authentic in your pursuit – that is manna for the soul (sorry I mix religious metaphors all the time).
So here is to magnification. Here is to the ultimate pursuit. Accomplishing what is YOUR impossible.
Guy Reams
365 Alumni
58 Days Left to 1st Marathon
