As we’ve touched on previously, the ability to be fit and strong really comes down to a mental struggle. Everybody wants to be fit, right? But it’s work. And not everybody wants to work. So how do you become fit if you’re reluctant to work? How do you become strong if you’re… weak?
Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? We live in an age where the hardest thing we overcome is whether we want White Mocha or Pumpkin Spice lattes.
How can you expect to succeed in a heroic effort if you have nothing to fight for? Sure, going to the gym is hard, physically, but its not exactly life-threatening. And doing aerobics or riding your bike to work isn’t going to earn you a Purple Heart.
There can be external motivations, but they’re fleeting and easily forgotten. The real motivation, your intrinsic reason for doing it, is because you want to be that hero. You have to crave being that strong person. Because if you don’t want it… you’ll find any excuse not to be that person.
How do you develop mental toughness? You willingly put yourself in situations where you’ll be forced out of your comfort zone. This goes beyond just being resilient. We consider a person “great” if they’re able to deal with adversity and bounce back to where they were. However, that’s not growth.
Think of it like this: when a soldier is in Boot Camp in the military, they force them to do extremely difficult things in order to condition their bodies and their minds. That way when they’re on an actual battlefield, their brains won’t be in complete shock. That’s why they train them with tear gas and live fire obstacle courses. It’s the same with firefighters. But even this is external motivation: everything they do is a command. They are forced to repeat doing difficult things until they internalize it, and it becomes second nature. Or as it’s been called, Embrace The Suck.
If you’re training your body with weights or running, but you’re not training your mind as well, you’re only doing half a workout. Your body will be stronger in a sterile, neat environment, but when you’re thrown out of your comfort zone, you will be in foreign territory. They train firefighters and soldiers by pushing them out of their comfort zones mentally until they think nothing of it.
What we need to do is to willingly throw ourselves outside of our mental and physical comfort zones. Mix up your training. Go running in the rain. Ride your bike to work in sub-freezing temps (yes, I’ve done it). Go to the pool and see how many laps you can do before your arms give out. Take a martial arts class. Take ballet (don’t laugh: ballet is not easy, I’ve tried). Instead of going to a gym and working with a weight machine, try kettlebells or swinging a mace.*
In short, sometimes you should do training that makes you mentally uncomfortable, that you don’t think you can do. I’ve seen guys who could bench press a truck break down and cry after a one-hour aerobics class. I’ve seen 60-year-old grannies get on a bike for the first time and ride 25 miles. They didn’t think they could do it, but they pushed through and did it anyway. In both cases, neither one would have even tried if someone hadn’t pushed them out of their comfort zones. But we, as Heroes in Training, need to be able to push ourselves. Our motivation is Intrinsic. We are our own Drill Sergeants. We voluntarily put ourselves in the Forge, for we know that adversity builds strength.
Overcome your inner limitations by choice. Have a mental picture of who you want to be, and instead of just acting like it, push yourself to become it. Challenge yourself. Do hard things. Get stronger,and develop mental toughness. Visualize it, document it, change things up. Find something that you can be passionate about. Do whatever it takes to throw yourself into the Forge repeatedly until you internalize your motivation.
Tips for Developing Mental Toughness:
- Change up your routine: location, equipment, activity, time of day.
- Challenge yourself: I mean, really challenge. Can you run 5 miles? Try 10. What’s the worst that could happen? (I did my first 200K bike ride this way)
- Do an event that adds a twist: Tough Mudder, Zombie Run, Urban Assault Ride
- Try something you’ve never done before.
- Keep a journal of things you’ve done, and want to do.
- Don’t be afraid to be called “that guy/girl who does ____ exercise”. Own it, embrace it, make it so that “it’s just part of what I do.” If it works for you, there’s no need to justify it to others.
- Focus on who you want to become, not a specific type of exercise. Instead of thinking “I’m a runner” or “I lift weights” say to yourself “I’m training to be a badass/hero.”
You can do it. If someone like me, who struggles with ADD, joint problems, major physical injuries, ridicule from friends and family, a full schedule, and general laziness can do it, then you can too.