Iron Lotus

Each one of us is different, with different strengths and weaknesses.

For as long as I can remember, I have referred to myself as T-Rex. It’s not that I have particularly small arms. Well, not in the way a T-Rex has small arms. Rather, the bulk of my strength begins where my upper body ends. My core and legs have always been very solid and definitely my strong areas. When I hear about people pushing up huge amounts of weight in the bench or shoulder press, it blows my mind.

But you know what? That’s okay! The exact numbers on the bar don’t matter that much. Well, that’s not completely true. Those numbers are a great metric for determining progress, but what those numbers are, be it 125 pounds or 325 pounds, aren’t super important. What’s important is what was that number before, what is it now, and what will it become. Strength will come. There’s no need to worry about that. Your job is to get in there, move those weights, and track your progress.

Blake Wilson

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I have spent much of my life as a drifter. Not the hobo, ride-the-rails kind of drifter. More like the jump from one spiritual practice/diet/weight training routine to another without any adherence to one program. The results? Piss poor. On all accounts.

So in this series, I would like to explore how to find a home for your spiritual practice, diet program and weight training routine. There are four basic steps that each one will follow:

1. Figure out your direction. I hesitate to use the word “goal” simply because it brings up the notion that at some point, you will be “finished,” having reached your goal. Instead, you have to know where you would like to head so that, when a situation presents itself, you will be able to make a decision based on the direction you would like to go.

2. Find a program that points you in that direction. Or in goal language, which program will lead you to your final goal? This means that you have to evaluate which resources you have available to you and whether or not they would work.

3. Stick with it. For someone like me, that means I have to constantly remind myself of my direction. But the key to any program is sticking with it. Ignore the programs du jour. Keep the focus on where you are and what you are doing.

4. Reevaluate. It’s true that, as you move along your path, your direction may change or you may outgrow your program. Reevaluating simply means that you keep steps 1-3 in mind. Has my direction changed? Is this program still helping me? Have I truly stuck with it?

Application

Over the next few posts, I will share with you how I came to this realization with regards to spiritual practice, diet and exercise.

Blake Wilson

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