opportunity – Serenity Through Sweat

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. My wife and I are in the middle of a project that led to some interesting revelations I wanted to share with you.

My wife and I have dreamed about carving out our own getaway oasis for a while now. Something secluded, with some elevation (Florida is drearily flat), where we can escape societal shenanigans, and reacquaint ourselves with nature.

The global pandemic wreaking havoc on my line of work doesn’t provide the greatest backdrop for taking on this endeavor, but still, this is where we find ourselves.

We’ve done the math, put in the research, and all of our due diligence, but still I have a nagging feeling. Is this the right time, is it too much risk, is this a mistake?

I called my father, as I often do, for advice and reassurance. I lean on him to double check my work, present counterpoints I didn’t see, and point out faults in my logic. After helping me with some of the numbers he made a comment that hadn’t previously occurred to me. He said he was proud that I had the gumption to make the deal.

This wasn’t an attribute I had associated with buying a property and renting it out, but I think it is less about the specific action and more about the general situation. The numbers have been run, but there are always risks and unaccounted for variables. To acknowledge those and proceed requires gumption.

So much of what we do as parents, as professionals, as athletes, requires us to take on challenges with uncertain outcomes. Am I making the best decision for my kids, is my business prepared for what may come, will my body and my training hold up through this challenge? Regardless of preparation, there will always be a level of uncertainty, and that uncertainty can be paralyzing.

Having the gumption to face those uncertain outcomes is a trait that can be honed and refined, working from smaller challenges and moving up gradually.

The future is always uncertain, and never to a higher degree than what we are seeing now in 2020. With a little bit of gumption, and SerenityThroughSweat, we can all find our better tomorrow.

Sweat, calluses, and kettlebells. 6,500 in and 3,500 to go.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. As I was laying down some Sunday morning miles on my layover in Appleton Wisconsin, I saw the mural (above) and it reminded me of one of my favorite quotes. “If you see entrapment you will be stuck, If you see redemption you will be saved, reality is largely dependent on what you are willing to see it as”

Attending Catholic school from K-12 I had always found comfort and guidance in religion. (There were some unanswered questions but that is a topic for another time). A teacher, deacon, priest, or coach who could take a biblical idea and reach across generational boundaries to leave an impression on young men is no small task. My high school wrestling coach used to say God, Family, Country, and Wrestling. The majority of my world view was shaped in this manner.

Speedy and El Duderino hanging out on the back porch, and El Duderino in the no cavity club.

There are plenty of bible stories about positive thinking, and I had no shortage of opportunities to learn and grow from shortcomings in my athletic pursuits, but somehow the message never transcended into a global world view until I found that quote. I stumbled upon it very unceremoniously in the horoscope section of my AOL sign on page one day, (back when AOL Instant messenger was still a thing). I’m not a horoscope person, and I don’t know why I chose to read it that day, but I’m glad that I did, since it has stuck with all these years.

I think this is the message that we need as a nation right now. There is undeniably an abundance of suffering and misfortune with everything COVID-19 related and the myriad of social justice issues that we face together. The best path forward is to focus on redemption, not entrapment, and reality is a whole lot brighter through that lens.

Together we will need to find new ways to make the things we need, and to provide the services we have come to value, in a safe, healthy, and efficient manner. Looking at the redemption side of our post Covid reality, it is bursting with opportunity for growth, innovation, and a chance to reprioritize social values we deem important.

I’ve talked in prior posts about reprioritization, the quote is not so much about the details, (which are important) but rather about the overall outlook. Being willing to look forward and see a path to redemption is not an easy task. It requires constant focus and often times we will need to self correct our course.

Reality, much like serenity, is a living and changing entity. The way we view it, define it, and ultimately strive for it, is dependent on what we are willing to see it as.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Tag: opportunity

Gumption

Reality