Some challenges will be so small and so easily overcome that you’ll barely consider them to be a challenge at all. But, every so often, you must face a challenge in your life that may be so significant that it feels as though you will never overcome it – and if you do, it may feel as though your life will never be the same because of it.

In each and every day of your life, you will face challenges of varying complexity and significance.

Some challenges will be so small and so easily overcome that you’ll barely consider them to be a challenge at all. But, every so often, you must face a challenge in your life that may be so significant that it feels as though you will never overcome it – and if you do, it may feel as though your life will never be the same because of it.

For instance, the most difficult challenge you might face one day is accidentally knocking over a beverage, and the next day you might be coming face to face with your own mortality in your doctor’s office while he or she explains your new diagnosis.

The size and scope of the challenges you face may change from day to day, but the mindset that you utilize when you face these challenges should remain the same.

This mindset that I’m referring to is Amor Fati, translated from Latin to mean, “love of fate” or “love of one’s fate.”

Amor Fati in History

Amor Fati is a concept that has been attributed to many philosophers over the years, and the Stoics of ancient Greece and Rome were some of the earliest proponents of the principle.

The Roman Emporer and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius never explicitly used the term amor fati in his writings due to writing in Greek rather than Latin, but in his Meditations, he wrote:

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.

Epictetus, another Stoic philosopher, said something similar in his Enchiridion:

Don’t seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do happen, and all will be well with you.

The point of Amor Fati is, as the Stoics wrote, to not only accept whatever happens to you but to accept it with enthusiasm rather than wishing for anything else to have happened.

Many centuries later, in the late 1800s, the German philosopher Friederich Nietzsche adopted Amor Fati as a pillar of his own philosophy:

My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it… but love it.

Several decades after Nietzsche, the Austrian psychologist Viktor Frankl wrote of his experiences while interned in Nazi concentration camps in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning.

After his wife, his parents, and his brother had been murdered by the Nazis, after witnessing the deaths of countless people in the camps, and after experiencing immense pain and suffering of his own, Frankl came to a realization:

When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task. He will have to acknowledge the fact that even in suffering he is unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.

Loving one’s fate means loving both the good and the bad that life brings and refusing to dwell on what might have been. When faced with the absolute worst that humanity had to offer, Frankl discovered this ancient wisdom that opened his eyes to the beauty of the human condition and allowed him to persevere through the torture that he faced at the hands of the Nazis.

Amor Fati is just as relevant to modern life as it was millennia ago.

Loving One’s Fate in the Face of Physical Extremes

In 2014, I attempted to break the world record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours as part of my Twelve Labors Project. As the clock counted down and the pull-up count went up, my body began to break down due to the physical stress of the challenge.

My hands began tearing from gripping the bar for so long. Volunteers flushed out and re-packed my wounds with chalk before every set, for hours.

As day turned to dusk, my kidneys began to fail – giving my urine the appearance of barrel aged whiskey. As light became dark, so too did my mind, releasing familiar demons from their prisons: Doubt, Fear, Regret, Uncertainty.

At 2,200 pull-ups, tendons ruptured and muscles tore throughout my biceps and forearms. I continued for 1,000 more reps because people promised donations to the cause (Wounded Vets) if I hit certain benchmarks towards the record.

Furthermore, I kept on because my pride, ego and fear wouldn’t let me quit. Learning the difference between unbridled pride and resolute purpose amidst a crucible was an hard truth and invaluable lesson learned and never forgotten.

After 17 hours and 3,202 pull-ups, I could no longer grip the bar… I had failed and was hospitalized for days in the aftermath.

During my recovery, Amor Fati helped me to refocus and eventually get back to training after I was released. Sure, I could’ve remained a victim of despair – especially being no stranger to the dark, cold corners of the mind – but instead, I learned through my failure rather than dwelling on an outcome that could no longer be altered. Only one thing left to do – prepare for my second attempt.

In my second attempt to break the world record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours, I overcame the challenge with 5,804 pull-ups while wearing a 30 lb. pack.

Amor Fati should be the response to every situation that will, and must, occur. By choosing to view a situation positively and deciding to be better because of it, it’s possible to save yourself from potentially worse situations.

Being mired down in negativity and blind to the possibility of change can lead to “repeat offenses,” of doing the same thing over and over in a vicious cycle of ignorance and the suffering it induces.

Then in 2018, I began training Colin O’Brady in preparation for his completely unassisted solo trek across Antarctica.

I developed a training regiment for Colin that incorporated Amor Fati into his routine because I knew that in order for him to survive the harsh and unforgiving conditions of Antarctica, he would need to be able to focus on the present moment without perseverating on any mistakes or unfavorable events that might occur during his trek.

His training needed to be both physically and mentally effective, and he needed to be able to drop into a flow state at will.

I designed his routine around that concept, providing opportunities for him to embrace his fate in the moment using Amor Fati as a shortcut to mindfulness.

Colin had undergone mindfulness training previously, so I knew he could do it, but the biggest obstacle to achieving mindfulness would be the harsh Antarctic conditions.

So, I used various training stimuli to put his body under stress and then had him control his breathing while completing complex tasks that would challenge his critical thinking and fine motor skills.

One of these tasks included having Colin hold a plank position for a full minute while keeping his hands submerged in ice then having him tie a series of knots after the minute was up.

Another task was a high intensity weightlifting circuit that ended with him holding a wall sit with a weight plate on his lap and his feet in ice buckets; Colin had to hold the position until he completed a Lego set placed on top of the weight plate in a certain time.

In Antarctica, there would be no time to dwell on past mistakes or anticipate the future – the present moment would be the only thing that mattered.

In the end, I believe this training paid off for Colin. Right at the beginning of his trek, before he could even take his first step, he bent down to cinch a strap on the sled that he was preparing to haul across the frozen continent – and the strap broke. How did he respond to what some might perceive as a bad omen? With laughter.

That response was Amor Fati in action; it’s how he trained to respond to such events. Colin embraced his fate with humor and an open heart, and continued on his journey, crossing Antarctica alone and unassisted in 54 days.

The Practical Applications of Amor Fati

Most people aren’t going to be faced with overcoming the kinds of extreme physical challenges experienced by Viktor Frank, Colin O’Brady, or myself, and so you might wonder how Amor Fati could be of any use to you in your day-to-day life.

Amor Fati is useful in any situation, not just when experiencing physical extremes.

Relationships are the bedrock of society and everybody has them. They’re one of the reasons why humanity has come as far as we have – when faced with hardship, social bonds grow stronger and people come together to put the needs of their community above the desires of any individual member.

These interpersonal relationships that we experience are something that, for many, are taken for granted because they are perceived to be just another part of the average human experience; it’s nothing novel and nothing out of the ordinary.

However, when these relationships end – especially when they end abruptly and without warning – we often feel some of the worst emotional distress that we will ever experience in our lives.

That deep feeling of anguish that accompanies the loss of a loved one, that arrives after the end of such a seemingly average part of the human experience – that, too, is average.

It’s something that every single human will experience, and yet it’s so profoundly felt that it can bring us to our knees and cause everything in our lives to grind to a halt.

During an event such as this, when the common response is to grieve in excess and dwell on the negative feelings of loss and anguish, Amor Fati provides an option for a different response.

Rather than dwelling on the pain that’s felt at the sudden loss of a loved one, Amor Fati teaches us to accept it with enthusiasm. In the case of death, the prevailing notion is that it’s the ultimate evil: the worst thing that could ever possibly happen to a person and that it should be avoided at all costs – anything associated with death is bad. Amor Fati would disagree.

Death is a natural part of life – you can’t have one without the other. To love one’s fate means to love everything that happens to you and to make the best out of any situation.

When a loved one is gone, rather than dwelling on the grief you’ll experience (which is a natural reaction and shouldn’t be suppressed), you should instead celebrate the life that was, for a time, intertwined with your own.

There is no possibility of going backward in time to correct the mistakes you made with that person, but you can accept that those mistakes were a part of the experience you shared with them and it’s one of the many things that made your relationship so rich, meaningful, and unique.

Amor Fati teaches us to look back for the purposes of looking ahead. Those mistakes that you made in the previous relationship can teach you lessons that you can apply to other relationships in your life in order to improve them or avoid the pitfalls you once fell into.

In this way, you can live in a state of constant improvement by not getting bogged down by the negative feelings that come with regret and instead, use those feelings in a more positive manner.

Amor Fati can be applied to health and fitness goals, too.

When attempting to overcome the challenges that come with health and fitness goals, it’s important to remember not to dwell on failures or shortcomings but instead to use them as opportunities for learning and growth.

For example, if your goal is to develop healthier eating habits and one day you overindulge, eating a large portion of unhealthy food, there’s no need to beat yourself up about it. Instead, look back at that moment and examine it while considering why it was that you overindulged.

When you understand the reason, you can then look forward to the next time that moment is about to occur and use the lesson you learned to avoid it and meet your health goal.

The principle of loving one’s fate can be applied to any and every moment of life. No matter what the obstacle is that you’re facing, Amor Fati will give you the option to view it with joy. As Robert Greene, author of 48 Laws of Power and Mastery puts it:

Accept the fact that all events occur for a reason, and that it is within your capacity to see this reason as positive.

For many, an obstacle or a challenge is often viewed negatively as something to be avoided rather than something to be celebrated. This perception is based on the fear of failure, but with the proper mindset, this view can be changed into something much more positive.

Rather than viewing an obstacle as something that might trip you up and bring you down, you can view it as something to be overcome and which will lift you up. It’s not failure that you should focus on, but the opportunity for success.

If an obstacle is placed before you, rather thank thinking to yourself, “Oh no, what can I do?” you can ask yourself, “What will I do? How will I use this opportunity to grow?”

Embrace What Fate Has In Store for You

In life, we’re faced with many unexpected challenges and often forced to endure adversity.

It’s important to remember that while certain things are outside of our control, all things have a cause. There is a reason things happen and it’s up to you to decide whether or not to view this as a positive.

Amor Fati teaches us to put our energy and effort into what will be most impactful in our lives so that we don’t waste our time worrying about things that we don’t have the power to change. When faced with adversity, the goal isn’t to just passively accept it nor is it to simply think positively about it.

The goal, rather, is to welcome it cheerfully – to say, “This is meant to be, and I happily choose to be better for it!”

Amor Fati should be the response to every situation that will, and must, occur. By choosing to view a situation positively and deciding to be better because of it, it’s possible to save yourself from other, possibly worse situations.

Being mired down in negativity and blind to the possibility of change can lead to “repeat offenses,” of doing the same thing over and over in a vicious cycle of ignorance and the suffering it induces.

Embrace what fate has in store for you and don’t waste your time wishing it would be any different – it won’t be, no matter how much you wish for it. Instead, wish for it to be exactly as it is and strive to make the best out of any situation with a cheerful heart and an open mind.

Then, as Epictetus has said, all will be well with you.

The post Amor Fati: How Loving Your Fate Helps You Grow appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

There is nothing more certain in life than the certainty of death. It’s the great equalizer of the world, and it is blind – no matter if a person is rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, good or bad, wise or ignorant, any sentient being that experiences life must also experience death. It behooves anyone who wishes to improve themself to be mindful of death and one’s mortality.

Does That Seem Somber?

It doesn’t have to be if you have the right mindset. You can choose to live in relative comfort, avoid most risks of harm, assume the story is unheroically about you, and arrive on death’s shore relatively safe and intact, unmarred by the labor of great pursuits in service to a cause greater than your existence.

At the same time, you are experiencing the burden of regret for never knowing the true extent of your capabilities.

On the other hand, you can choose to leave behind a legacy defined by a life lived with deep purpose, meaning, moral character, convictions, compassion, and courage, strong enough to inspire people long after your flesh and bones return to dust and particulate silence.

Innumerable people throughout human history have reflected on death as a way to experience life and live it to their fullest potential. The practice has had many names in many languages over the millennia, but these days it’s most often referred to as Memento Mori.

A Brief History of Memento Mori

Memento Mori translates to, “Remember, you must die.” The practice has a very long history that crosses cultures, continents, religions, and philosophies: from the ancient philosophers of Greece to Roman generals, Buddhist monks to Islamic Sufis – meditation on death allowed them all to pursue life.

In Plato’s Phaedo, the great philosopher Socrates states before he is about to die:

 “…he who has lived as a true philosopher has reason to be of good cheer when he is about to die, and that after death he may hope to receive the greatest good in the other world…For I deem that the true disciple of philosophy is likely to be misunderstood by other men; they do not perceive that he is ever pursuing death and dying…”

The example that Socrates set during his life and before his execution would leave a lasting legacy on the entirety of Western civilization and lead to the birth of many different schools of philosophy.

One school in particular – Stoicism – becoming well-known as a practical school of philosophy that stressed the importance of contemplating death. The surviving writings of the ancient Stoics are filled with admonitions to remember death and the three most well-known Stoics:

1. The slave, Epictetus
2. The Roman statesman, Seneca
3. The Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius

All have something to say about death.

“All that you see will soon perish; those who witness this perishing will soon perish themselves. Die in extreme old age or die before your time – it will all be the same.”

– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 9.33

“Keep the prospect of death, exile and all such apparent tragedies before you every day – especially death – and you will never have an abject thought, or desire anything to excess.”

– Epictetus, Enchiridion, 21

“I am endeavoring to live every day as if it were a complete life. I do not indeed snatch it up as if it were my last; I do regard it, however, as if it might even be my last. The present letter is written to you with this in mind as if death were about to call me away in the very act of writing. I am ready to depart, and I shall enjoy life just because I am not over-anxious as to the future date of my departure.”

– Seneca, Letters From a Stoic, Letter 61

The ancient Romans also practiced the contemplation of death, Memento Mori being a Latin phrase.

Memento Mori comes from a Roman tradition in which a general would take part in a triumphal procession through the city, upon returning to Rome after a significant victory. To be the subject of such a march was a great honor and the desire of many ambitious soldiers.

As the triumphant general was carried through the city in his horse-drawn chariot to the great applause and praise of the people of Rome, a slave would stand behind him, holding a crown over his head and whispering, “Respice post te. Hominem te memento. Memento mori!”

“Look behind you. Remember you are mortal. Remember you must die!”

This tradition was an opportunity for the general to throw a grand celebration, and it allowed him some self-promotion, which could come in handy should he decide to run for political office someday. It’s a bit tough running for office when nobody’s heard of you, after all.

The purpose of the slave whispering in his ear was to keep the general’s ego and perspective in check throughout the entire celebration, lest he forgets himself and does something disgraceful and offensive to the gods.

A few hundred years later, during the late Middle Ages, Memento Mori had developed into an art style known as Danse Macabre or the Dance of Death.

At this point in history, Europe had just been devastated by the Black Death pandemic, with the most fatalities ever recorded in human history; death was on everyone’s mind.

The Danse Macabre was a meditation on the universality of death: no matter how rich or how poor one is, death comes for us all.

The art would usually feature a personification of death (a skeleton or corpse) leading people from different stations in life – typically a pope, king, emperor, laborer, and child – in a dance to their graves.

In the 17th century, Dutch artists used a style of still life painting known as vanitas art (from the first chapter of Ecclesiastes, “All is vanity.”) as a Memento Mori. The artwork would feature skulls, rotting fruit, candles, hourglasses, dead and wilted flowers, and more atop tables as powerful imagery to remind the viewer of death.

By the 19th century, Memento Mori had moved from paintings to jewelry, with people from all walks of life wearing rings featuring skulls, coffins, the phrase “Memento Mori,” or a combination of the three as a constant reminder of the wearer’s mortality.

Though not nearly as prevalent in the minds of the general populace as it once was, Memento Mori is having a modern resurgence. People are buying Memento Mori medallions to carry with them in their pockets as a constant reminder that they will one day die.

Such well-known figures as Tim Ferriss, Casey Neistat, and more carry a Memento Mori medallion with them, and even Memento Mori rings are making a comeback.

I’m a part of this modern resurgence.

Memento Mori and The Twelve Labors Project

Memento Mori is the tool that I use to overcome the challenges in my life and find the inspiration to push through any obstacle that I see before me.

When I take on physical challenges as part of my Twelve Labors Project, Memento Mori is what keeps me grounded, focused on the present, and mindful of what truly matters in a universe that seems to be unraveling.

In 2016, for my 5th labor, I set out alone in the barren wilderness of the northern Mojave Desert to raise awareness of veteran suicide by pulling a 2.5-ton pickup truck across Death Valley.

With a landscape as beautiful as it is bleak, my only companions throughout the 22-mile challenge were stones sculpted over the millennia by the desert wind and rain, dunes that reflected the sun’s blinding light, the searing heat that burns anything that enters the Valley, and my thoughts.

Each mile that I pulled the truck through the desert represented one of the 22 lives that are lost each day to veteran suicide.

With every step I took and every inch of ground that I gained, Death Valley would try a little harder to convince me to take off the chest harness and quit the challenge; it only ever got hotter and drier as the journey progressed.

Naturally, the solitude that I experienced during the challenge forced me to confront the worst of myself – my doubts, my fears, my insecurities, and everything I had ever come to regret in my life.

I would take a step and hear a voice, “Give up! There is no shame in quitting.”

I would take another step and tell myself, “Memento Mori! Remember, you must die! Remember why you are here!”

Reflecting on my mortality and the memory of those who we’ve lost to suicide fortified my steps and made the seemingly impossible, possible.

The dichotomy between death and the present moment became more apparent than ever, opening my view to perspectives and insights that never before occurred to me.

It was the catalyst I needed to regain my momentum and embrace my fate moment by moment with a full heart and unyielding resolve.

Being alone in Death Valley with a 2.5-ton pickup truck strapped to your back is a surefire way to come face to face with your mortality, and the practice of Memento Mori is what allowed me to stay focused on a goal that was bigger than myself. I wasn’t striving for recognition when I hauled a truck across the desert.

I wanted to raise the awareness of an alarming problem that’s plaguing veterans. Whether or not I completed the labor or someone else did was irrelevant, so long as people were made aware of the cause that spurred the challenge.

I could have died at any point during my trek through the desert – I could die at any moment, really – the recognition, the accolades, it would all be meaningless to me after that.

The cause, however, would live-on.

“On fame. Look at their minds, the nature of their thought and what they seek or avoid. And see how, just as drifting sands constantly overlay the previous sand, so in our lives what we once did is very quickly covered over by subsequent layers.”

– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.34

How Memento Mori can Spur action

Memento Mori isn’t just a tool to motivate yourself to drag a truck through a hellish landscape – it can also act as a catalyst for motivation and productivity every day.

Procrastination is a challenge that most people face daily, and I’m no exception. Why bother getting out of bed every morning to face an uncomfortable world when comfort can be found already under the blankets? Why bother doing anything at all?

What kind of life would that be?

“So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it.”

– Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

Seneca knew that we so often waste life clinging to idleness and comforts that only serve to distract us from fulfilling our highest potential.

A life lived in pursuit of comfort while putting off our duty is a life spent wasting the finite amount of time we have. Find comfort in the uncomfortable, and remember you must die: why waste your time on trivialities when your time is short?

If you want to meet specific fitness goals, Memento Mori is the motivator you need to get to the gym (or perhaps your home gym for now) and accomplish those goals.

When you wake up in the morning, set an affirmation for yourself that you will do what you need to do to meet your goals, regardless of the obstacles you may face.

Remind yourself of your mortality and that you would rather not spend the precious time you have left watching television or sleeping.

That’s what I tell myself each day before I train, and it’s what you can say to yourself, too.

If your goal is to have a healthier diet, Memento Mori can help you to develop healthier eating and drinking habits. Life is short – do you want your final moments spent in a drunken haze? I doubt it.

Sure, we are all fated to die one day, but that doesn’t mean that we should use every moment we have in hedonistic pursuits. The cake is good, but should we eat it for every meal? Of course not.

Overindulgence in unhealthy eating and drinking will only bring death faster, while healthy habits will serve to keep life long and help you reach your fullest potential.

A healthy body makes for a healthy mind, after all.

Memento Mori and World Events

The world is currently experiencing turbulence that hasn’t been felt in a long time. Climate change is causing extremes in weather conditions that have led to intense droughts, massive forest and bush fires, and hurricanes, the like of which humanity has not seen since biblical times.

We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, with COVID-19 spreading through cities reminiscent of the Black Plague of the medieval period. Governments are using the fear and distraction caused by the pandemic to push agendas on both ends of the political spectrum.

American law enforcement is under magnified scrutiny due to cases where excessive uses of force and lack of human decency resulted in undue death. These things are occurring within an atmosphere of violent riots and peaceful protests against racial injustice and police brutality.

Some social issues are being conflated with broader ones to embolden movements and attacks against certain groups. In contrast, other important issues are being drowned out by a deafening silence solely for their lack of utility or mere convenience within the popular narrative.

As an American with deep love and hope for this country, who also happens to be a person of color, let us tread through these troubled waters together.

I believe that the greatest adversary to justice and inequality for all people are the unacknowledged unions between indifference and leadership, ignorance and power, and apathy and fear.

In the words of the American novelist and activist, James Baldwin:

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

We must have the courage to fight and disintegrate these shadow alliances today and hereafter, long after the media moves on from it, and it is no longer trending.

As Og Mandino once wrote:

“Tomorrow is only found in the calendar of fools.”

Memento Mori, as a practice during this complicated time in history, allows us to face our fears, flaws, and failures individually and as a country. These events compel purposeful action with a sense of urgency, not from a place of hate or vengeance, but from a place of empathy and compassion under the premise that this day, this hour, this moment is all we have.

Tomorrow is not a promise but a mere thought—an assumption of an uncertain future time and place arising in the present.

These actions include defending people’s right to criticize our country’s shortcomings and peacefully protest them while supporting the constitutional principles upon which America stands—all within the same breath of passion and wholehearted conviction.

We are all dying from a chronic condition called life. In truth, every second, we lose to laziness, procrastination, or indifference forever belongs to death.

Every opportunity to do good in the world, regardless of a person’s race, politics, religion, or social class, becomes a gift when we embrace the fact that every human on earth will one day experience the same loss of loved ones and suffering like you.

It makes sense to be kind to every person we encounter during these complex times when we remind ourselves that death is the final arbiter.

Out of the four Stoic virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice, Marcus Aurelius felt that justice was the most important of them all.

“And a commitment to justice in your own acts. Which means: thought and action resulting in the common good. What you were born to do.”

– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 9.31

When faced with a kind of turmoil that we haven’t seen for generations, Memento Mori can be the guide that helps us navigate through the present climate.

Every time you watch current events on the news or witness injustice happening in front of you, you have a choice between action or inaction.

Reflection on our mortality can allow us to see the bigger picture, face injustice like a true Stoic, and present solutions based on reason and sound judgment.

We must die, it’s true, but must we die having done nothing for the benefit of the greater good? No. Our lives have meaning when we live according to our principles and stand up for what is right and good in the world.

Death comes to everyone, that’s for sure – there’s no point in worrying about when or how it will come when the most uncertain part of life is how we choose to live it.

After all, death is only the end under the presumption that the story is solely about you. Our good deeds and strength of character are immortal, standing as living monuments in those we inspire—more powerful than mere words on a tombstone can ever be.

There’s a Greek proverb that I feel beautifully exemplifies the point I am trying to make:

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

Maybe we’re not all old yet, but if we want our society to grow, then we must plant the seeds of justice and love so that future generations can enjoy the shade of these trees.

Doing so is a choice that we must make, fully mindful of the fact that death comes to us all eventually, but the consequences of our choices live on in the world and affect the generations that follow.

“You may leave this life at any moment; have this possibility in your mind in all that you do or say or think.”

– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 2.11

Taking the advice of Marcus Aurelius, we can let the inevitability of our demise inform our way of life. With every single choice we make and every single action we take, we can view it in light of our death before we make that choice or take that action. Ask yourself these questions:

“Do I want to be remembered as the person who turned away from injustice?”

“Am I okay with being the cause of inequality and suffering?”

“Do I truly feel indifferent to the plight of the oppressed?”

When society lacks proper leadership, you must learn to look to your principles to lead yourself.

Living according to your principles may cause you to stand alone against a crowd; it can lead to fear and doubt, and will almost certainly bring the pressure down on you from individual members of society – but you must stand resolute.

If you can’t stand firm in your convictions while trying to improve society and crumple at the first sign of pushback or join the crowd when it acts against your principles, then you haven’t stood for anything at all. In chapter 24 of the Enchiridion, Epictetus has the following to say about benefitting communities:

“Well, what will my profession in the community be?’ Whatever position you are equipped to fill, so long as you preserve the man of trust and integrity. If you lose that in your zeal to be a public benefactor, what use in the end will you be to the community once you have been rendered shameless and corrupt?”

To that end, we must stand up to human indecency in the form of violence and rioting.

What would you hear if you went around your community and told people that you robbed their businesses for their benefit and destroyed their properties to protect their rights? It’s unlikely that you would face gratitude from victims of violence and theft, don’t you think?

Memento Mori can be the catalyst for action, but it can also be the catalyst for restraint. Use it to remind yourself of what type of behavior you want people to remember. Just as you can ask yourself questions to help you take action, you can also ask questions that promote restraint:

“Do I want to be remembered as the person who destroyed someone’s livelihood?”

“Am I willing to sacrifice my convictions just to satisfy the mob’s lust for violence?”

“Will this help my case or hurt it?”

Memento Mori will be the guide that reminds you that there is always a bigger picture and that it is not always wise to act, just as it is not always wise to remain inactive. Epictetus in chapter 33 of the Enchiridion once again admonishes us to be firm in our convictions:

“Settle on the type of person you want to be and stick to it, whether alone or in company.”

When you have decided who you want to be, Memento Mori will help you to stick to it, reminding you when to act and when not to.

It takes courage and sacrifice to do something for a cause greater than yourself, but you won’t lose yourself to the baser instincts of the ego so long as you remember this:

“Look behind you. Remember you are mortal. Remember you must die!”

The post Memento Mori: A Simple Practice for a Complex Time appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

At the most basic level, pain is perceived as a wholly negative phenomenon. There is no denying that feeling pain or seeing pain in others is unpleasant and even upsetting. But pain can be a very beneficial asset in life, and if one becomes accustomed to pain, they are more likely to not allow it to become a problem.

I have voluntarily subjected myself to many types of pain over the course of my Labors, to demonstrate that if one embraces pain, it can be a transformative experience. I recently undertook and accomplished the goal of running 20 miles a day for 100 consecutive days to raise awareness for increased suicide rates within the veteran population. The degree of pain I experienced during this labor was not comfortable; it was not fun; and it was not glorious by any means. But I can also say without reservation that I am a better person because of the pain I endured.

If pain is accepted and embraced, it can lead to an increased sense of pleasure, an enhancement in one’s own life, and even elicit a positive reaction from those around us.

The Required Antagonist of Pleasure

The first positive benefit of pain is that it can enhance pleasure by providing a contrast. Pleasure is pain’s opposing phenomenon. While pleasure can obviously be felt regardless of whether one has felt pain in their life, feeling pain makes feeling pleasure all the more enjoyable, as there is something to compare it to. If you were happy all the time, how would you know it? Research in psychology indicates that:

“Pleasure is limited by the amount of pain it removes. That is, pleasure is only understood within the context of pain and the relief of pain is itself a pleasurable experience. Consider the enjoyment of food after a long fast, the pleasure of cool water after being in the hot sun, or the sensation of a hot spa following submersion in icy cold water”¹

In essence, pleasure really has no meaning unless it can be compared to its antagonist. Subjecting oneself to pain makes the pleasure that follows doubly satisfying. I have personally felt this juxtaposition during many of my labors. For example, in 2015, for Parkinson’s Disease research, I climbed a 20ft rope so many times within a 27-hour period that it equated to the height of Mt. Everest (29,030ft). My entire body felt torn, especially my arms. However, after weeks of recovery, the simple fact that my arms were no longer in pain gave me an immense amount of pleasure. Just acknowledging that lack of pain made me feel physically well and mentally more resilient.

Pain and Your Brain

Another reason why pain can be beneficial is that it enhances one’s long-term cognitive ability and self-regulation. When one subjects themselves to pain, they are essentially demonstrating to themselves the depths to which they are willing to go, which can be used in the future to compare all other painful experiences. Two Australian researchers found that introducing aerobic training increased pain tolerance and improved vigor, while decreasing fatigue, tension and depression.²

When one subjects themselves to pain (in the above example, intense aerobic exercise), all future experiences of pain that are less intense than the initial exposure have something to be compared to. This enhances self-regulation, by providing a reference point for the amount of pain that one’s body can endure, and also increases cognitive ability by decreasing depression and anxiety.

I can personally attest to these enhancements, specifically during another labor of mine that involved pulling a full-size pickup truck for 22 miles across Death Valley. By the end of this event, I understood how far I could push my body under the most extreme external conditions, giving me a benchmark for all future pain-inducing experiences. Death Valley represented the depression and desolation that envelops the minds of those afflicted with PTSD and thoughts of suicide.

After accomplishing my mission under those excruciatingly painful conditions, I felt a sense of hope that others within that same space, mentally, could find strength in their most vulnerable state and greatness after their darkest hour. In truth, all pain comes to an end, no matter how seemingly hopeless and desolate the environment is that surrounds you.

The Shortcut to Mindfulness

A recurring lesson during all my Labors is that pain can be used as a tool for self-mastery and mindfulness. I do not measure success by having mastered a skill, setting a world record, or by simply reaching a destination. Those things can be done with diligent study and practice in most cases. I am more concerned with the man I need to become, and the degree of pain I will embrace or overcome along the way.

Pain increases our presence in life. Imagine building a house, and as you’re hammering a nail into a plank of wood, you slip with the hammer and smash your finger. What will you do? Will you immediately continue building the house, or tend to your finger? Of course, you will first tend to your finger; this is the function of pain. It interrupts everything that we are thinking, feeling, or doing, and forces us to focus on what is happening right here and right now. The effect is that we are more engaged with the present and less engaged with external, uncontrollable factors.

In essence, pain is a shortcut to mindfulness. During my 100-day journey of running 2000 miles, the more I suffered, the more pleasure I felt. Sometimes it was the “runner’s high” after a particularly grueling 20-mile run, and at other times it was simply the pleasure of knowing that I had survived another day, mile, minute, or step. The fact that I was in pain meant that I had an opportunity to discover a means to embrace or overcome it. If I allowed my mind to solely focus on the pain, both my mind and my efforts would be debased. To reach the end of my labor, I needed to do it step-by-step and day-by-day.

Pain is only a symptom of the effort I put into my Labors. So, step-by-step, I ran toward my goal and through the lens of pain, I saw that the 100-day effort was made from 100 single days. There was no difference between one day and another. 99 days became 98; 50 days became 10 days; and finally, I reached the last day. The first and the last day were no different. The beginning was the end and the end was the beginning.

Witnesses to Pain

Finally, pain can be beneficial in a more outward way, by producing feelings of empathy and affiliation within those witnessing the pain itself. When a person is in pain, those surrounding that person want to help relieve it by helping that person out in any way they can. Have you ever watched a friend, family member, or loved one go through some sort of physical pain or mental anguish, and just felt that you would do anything to relinquish that pain? This feeling can be manipulated to induce good in the world.

By subjecting myself to a 20-mile run for 100 days straight, I used this feeling to raise awareness for veteran suicide rates. And it largely worked, as people read about my story or actually watched me in person, and felt the need to contribute to my cause or support in any way they could. If done correctly, one can subject themselves to pain in order to transform the world for the better.

The feeling of pain is by no means fun. It can prove to be excruciating at times, and simply overwhelming if one is not prepared for it. But through the experience of pain, people become better. They have something to compare pleasure to. They increase their pain tolerance and cognitive ability, and can elicit a positive emotional response from others, which can be used to create a more positive world. This is what I hope to achieve through my Twelve Labors, and I believe that I am on my way to doing just that.

Do not fear pain. Under the right context, it can be a tool for self-discovery, mindfulness, and a great multiplier in life. You just need to find a purpose or cause that makes it worth embracing. 

References:

1. Bastian, Brock, Jolanda Jetten, Matthew J. Hornsey, and Siri Leknes. “The positive consequences of pain: A biopsychosocial approach.” Personality and Social Psychology Review 18, no. 3 (2014): 256-279.

2. Anshel, Mark H., and Kenneth G. Russell. “Effect of aerobic and strength training on pain tolerance, pain appraisal and mood of unfit males as a function of pain location.” Journal of Sports Sciences 12, no. 6 (1994): 535-547.

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Physical performance, regardless of whether it is working out at the gym, laboring in the fields, or running a marathon, takes much more than determination and training. Nutrition is an essential key to optimum training and peak physical performance, which is why so many athletes and gym enthusiasts take their diets seriously. There is plenty of science behind food intake as it relates to physical performance, and entire career paths are dedicated to this study.

One such path the study of glycolysis, which is the body’s method to convert glucose to pyruvate. In layman’s terms, glycolysis is the body’s process of breaking down carbohydrates into acids that your body uses to sustain itself during physical performance.

Everyone who participates in physically demanding activities should understand how their food intake can impact their real-world ability. Knowledge of the effects of meal frequency and timing with reference to physical performance, as well as the intricacies of metabolic optimization, will increase physical prowess and performance gains.

Fuel Before the Clock Starts

Pre-workout nutrition is incredibly important for the overall quality of physical performance, as well as lasting endurance. A 2014 research review found that:

“Carbohydrate feedings prior to endurance exercise are common and have generally shown to enhance performance, despite increasing insulin levels and reducing fat oxidation. These metabolic effects may be attenuated by consuming low glycemic index carbohydrates and/or modified starches before exercise. High fat meals seem to have beneficial metabolic effects.”¹

Simply put, eating meals with a high concentration of carbs with a low glycemic index, as well as modified starches, is perhaps the best way to ready yourself for physical performance. Through glycolysis, these carbohydrates are transformed into beneficial acids that help propel the body forward, increasing your capacity for endurance and intensity, resulting in a much more satisfactory workout. While eating meals rich in carbs is not a necessity, it certainly does help, and is much more beneficial when compared to working out on an empty stomach, in terms of raw performance. Pre-exercise meals should not be eaten directly before athletic ability, but should be eaten within one to two hours of activity, allowing the body to naturally digest and consume the carbs.

The Gray Area of Intra-Workout Nutrition

Metabolic optimization can also be increased by eating the right foods during physical performance. This is perhaps the most complex aspect of performance-enhancing nutrition, as there is not really a perfect time during physical activity to eat. According to Dr. Jenna Bell-Wilson:

“Succinct recommendations for carbohydrate intake during the energy phase or during activity are difficult to nail down…Research supports the use of carbohydrate during activity, but the amount and form are still foggy…Ingestion of protein during the energy phase may be advantageous in addition to carbohydrate”

Once again, carbohydrates are the primary means in which nutrition should be obtained during physical performance. However, the timing of the ingestion of nutrtition rich in carbohydrates is still hotly debated, and is heavily dependent on the duration and intensity of the activity. Those who choose to replenish themselves during physical performance find that liquids are much more advantageous than solid foods, as liquids are much easier to take in and keep down. They are also easier to absorb. That being said, what you eat and when you eat during physical activity is highly dependent on the individual and the sport.

It’s Not Over When It’s Over

Metabolic optimization can be enhanced even after physical performance has ceased. Post-workout nutrition is every bit as important as pre-workout and intra-workout nutrition, but there is a specific timeframe in which this nutrition should be consumed. An extensive 2013 review noted that:

“…when training is initiated more than ~3-4 hours after the preceding meal, the classical recommendation to consume protein (at least 25g) as soon as possible seems warranted in order to reverse the catabolic state, which in turn could expedite muscular recovery and growth.”²

The science here states that post-exercise nutrition is important, but it is less important if proper pre-exercise nutrition was heeded. In the event that pre-exercise nutrition was skipped or otherwise unattainable, then post-workout nutrition heavily favors proteins over carbohydrates. And not just that, but a rather large supplement of protein is favored in order to offset any naturally occurring muscular catabolism. With all of this in mind, it may not be a bad idea to engage in post-workout nutrition even if proper pre- and intra-workout nutrition was heeded; there certainly is no negative effect that can occur, so it is better to be overly safe than do nothing at all.

Get the Most From Your Metcon

Now that you have your pre-workout and intra-workout nutrition dialed in, let’s look at how to maximize your time if your primary goal is metabolic conditioning. Nutrition alone can go a long way in preparing you for a great workout, but it can all be undone if your workout isn’t just as dialed as your food intake. As with any form of exercise, it boils down to the SAID principle: specific adaptation to imposed demand.

There are a few tried-and-true strategies to maximize metabolism during your workout. One such strategy is high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT has been shown to increase both fat and carbohydrate metabolism in human skeletal muscle.³ While there is research showing that, given unlimited time to train, steady-state cardio can be just as effective as HIIT for increasing both total metabolism and fat metabolism, the latter is the most time-efficient form of metabolic conditioning (metcon). In under 20 minutes, HIIT generates oxygen deficits (and thus increased fat metabolism) for a period of time extending after the workout. To achieve the same effect doing steady state cardio, it takes closer to 60 minutes.⁴

Manipulating rest periods will also enhance the effectiveness of metabolic conditioning by creating the progressive oxygen debt crucial for fat burning. Exact rest periods vary based on the fitness level and work capacity of the individual, but as a general rule of thumb, you should be breathing hard throughout the entire workout. Resting between 15 and 60 seconds between sets should work for the majority of people, and the “talk test” can be used to measure your effort level: if you can speak in complete sentences without taking a breath, you’re not quite working hard enough.

The take-home message from the research on metabolic conditioning boils down to two simple ideas: increase your intensity and decrease your rest to optimize your workout.

Physical performance is a combination of many factors. Perhaps chief among them is proper nutrition, occurring before, during, and after physical activity. Pre-workout nutrition should focus heavily on carbohydrate; intra-workout nutrition should focus on a combination of carbohydrates and proteins, and post-workout nutrition should focus heavily on proteins. By following this regimen, metabolic optimization through glycolysis should occur, resulting in more satisfactory physical performance. Making this a part of your routine will greatly improve your performance and guarantee a much more noticeable burn before, during, and after your workout.

References:

1. Ormsbee, Michael J., Christopher W. Bach, and Daniel A. Baur. “Pre-exercise nutrition: the role of macronutrients, modified starches and supplements on metabolism and endurance performance.” Nutrients 6, no. 5 (2014): 1782-1808.

2. Aragon, Alan Albert, and Brad Jon Schoenfeld. “Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window?” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 10, no. 1 (2013): 5.

3. Perry, Christopher GR, George JF Heigenhauser, Arend Bonen, and Lawrence L. Spriet. “High-intensity aerobic interval training increases fat and carbohydrate metabolic capacities in human skeletal muscle.” Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 33, no. 6 (2008): 1112-1123.

4. Skelly, Lauren E., Patricia C. Andrews, Jenna B. Gillen, Brian J. Martin, Michael E. Percival, and Martin J. Gibala. “High-intensity interval exercise induces 24-h energy expenditure similar to traditional endurance exercise despite reduced time commitment.” Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 39, no. 7 (2014): 845-848.

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The flow state. Some people think it’s a myth, an urban legend, a rumor that top athletes and performers spread to throw others off of their trail. But for those that have experienced this phenomenon, it is something that is all too real, all too powerful, and all too game-changing.

You could think of the flow state as a naturally occurring drug that makes you faster, stronger, smarter, and increases your reflexes and acumen. This mental state is scientifically documented, and achievable by anyone who puts their mind to it. But it takes work. Hard work. It takes dedication, sometimes years of it. And it takes “pushing the limits” to an entirely new level.

The Scientific Phenomenon of Flow

Steven Kotler defines flow as “the term used by researchers for optimal states of consciousness, those peak moments of total absorption where self vanishes, time flies, and all aspects of performance go through the roof.” Flow is a scientific phenomenon in which the brain operates at a higher level in all aspects.

Whether during a physical or mental task, flow is accessible to anyone and everyone. The feeling is almost indescribable, and because there has been very little awareness spread about this phenomenon, many people may have experienced flow without even realizing it.

The effects of the flow state may vary slightly from person to person, and from task to task. If a physical task is being undertaken, then the flow state may seem as if the mind and body are truly connected. Many runners who have experienced the “runner’s high” were actually experiencing flow. But if a mental task is being undertaken, such as computer work or writing, the flow state may feel as if the mind is connected to the screen or the paper. The body becomes nothing more than background noise and the mind takes over everything else.

How can you activate the flow state? The answer is complex because everyone will enter their own flow state in a unique way. However, by utilizing the following three methods, you can force your body and mind into overdrive, and accomplish feats you could never have imagined. But these methods require that you are physically and mentally challenged with complexities and hardships first.

Flow From External Circumstances

Counterintuitive though it may seem, the flow state can actually be forced upon you. Take for example my experience in the Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School. Physical training exercises were a near-everyday occurrence, and I actually began to feel comfortable giving it all I had in whatever test of endurance was on schedule for the day. I knew what to expect and what was expected of me, so it was simple for my mind to shut off and let my body do the work. These are not optimal conditions for flow, but they did work.

Then one day I badly injured both of my knees during a workout on the beach. Suddenly, I was thrust into a state of complexity, where routine physical training was no longer routine. It was a strange and challenging world for me. I could no longer perform in the way I had become accustomed. During rehabilitation, I spiraled into a deep and dark depression. As self-pity took over my mind, I began self-medicating with alcohol, isolating myself from friends and co-workers. I thought that I would never again reach that peak of performance that I had worked so hard to attain. I had officially hit rock bottom.

But it was in that instant, at that rock bottom, that the flow state was triggered. It was literally forced upon me, and I needed to make a choice: I could either be the cause or the effect in my life. I chose to be the cause of everything that happens in my life, take the lessons learned from it, and create the actions to achieve my desired outcome. As I drug myself out of that hole, I began to experience flow in my rehabilitation sessions. Flow allowed me to rehabilitate faster and more aggressively than I had thought possible. Soon, I was back on my feet, in both a literal and figurative sense.

I owe the rest of my life to finding that state of flow, as my Twelve Labors Project was born from that state. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the leading researchers of the flow state:

“When a challenge is bigger than one’s level of skill, one becomes anxious and stressed. On the other hand, when the level of skill exceeds the size of the challenge, one becomes bored and distracted. Since the experience of this [flow] state is just in the middle, the balance is essential.”

In my experience above, the routine physical events were the equivalent of my skills exceeding the challenge. My rehabilitation was equivalent to the challenge exceeding my skills. Only when I realized that I had it in me to overcome the challenge of rehabilitation was the balance struck, and the flow state engaged. If you want to find the flow state, you need to find that balance as well, in whatever you are doing in life. Find a challenge that is just barely out of reach, but don’t settle on one that you know you can accomplish with ease.

Flow From a Mentor

Another trigger for flow can be found in a person that is close to you. Parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors are people that, although it may not be explicit in their job description, are there to help you reach the flow state. The reason for this is simple. These people have the ability and authority to push you to your limit.

When left to their own devices, most people are going to choose what is most comfortable, or the path of least resistance, and therefore the least challenging goal to attain. But when those same people are pushed by someone they respect to achieve all they can, there is an incentive to not let that mentor down, and so that person digs deep; sometimes deep enough to trigger flow.

I was once fortunate enough to be taken under the wing of a mentor, Rob Stella. Rob is a retired Navy SEAL. After 24 years of service, he became one of the founding partners at Acumen Performance Group (APG), where he and his team help clients “develop the mental toughness, leadership and team building skills needed to thrive in demanding environments.” Rob has always been there for me, but his presence was not always greeted with a smile because he was constantly pushing me to my limits. I knew that when I was working out with Rob, I was in for complete and utter physical exhaustion.

After a particular night of raucous partying, I knew that the following morning I had to “pay the man.” As punishment for inevitably showing up late to work, I was told to do a 14-mile timed run in boots. I was on an empty stomach and, needless to say, the physical screening test which consists of a timed 500m swim, max push ups, pull ups, sit ups and a 1.5mi timed run that preceded the consequential 14-miler didn’t go very well, either.

If that wasn’t difficult enough, Rob then organized a 3-hour workout on the beach. Just as the beach session got started, I felt my limit was reached. I could physically do no more. It wasn’t for lack of trying. My body began to cramp and seize in places that I didn’t know I had. I really wanted to prove to myself, Rob, and the other guys around me that I could have fun and still perform. It was Rob’s words in that moment that revived me in a sense and triggered one of the most glorious flow states of my life. Rob said,

“I know you’re having a rough day, but if you quit here, you’ll be a quitter the rest of your life. In life, there’s only results and excuses. Get rid of the excuses, and all you’re left with is the results. Might not be the results you want, but if you take ownership of it, then you have the power to create the outcome you want. So, you need to make a choice right here and right now. I’m not your Mommy and I can’t choose for you.”

I didn’t want to be a quitter or to disappoint Rob or my team, and I certainly didn’t want anyone to confuse Rob as my mother. The flow state was engaged, and I overcame what remains to this day one of the most exhausting workouts of my life.

I still hear Rob’s words whenever I am feeling at my worst, and the memory of the outcome of his words is enough to recreate that inner strength. The flow state can be accessed by many different triggers, but each trigger is unique to each person. If you wish to trigger flow, try utilizing a mentor or a coach, or anyone that can help push you above and beyond your perceived limits.

The Independent Flow State

While the above examples rely on outside forces to engage the flow state, the third trigger is completely internal. It relies only on the person working towards flow. If mastered, this approach can allow nearly unlimited access to the enhanced mental state. Triggering flow by yourself requires intense training, immense focus, and just a tiny amount of luck. By learning how your mind and body interact with each other, and using that information to your advantage, you can ultimately learn how and when to invoke flow.

But it is not as simple as flipping a switch. In fact, triggering flow for yourself may be the most difficult method; but that difficulty and complexity is a necessity for entering the flow state.

My Twelve Labors Project pits me against some of the most challenging tasks known to the human body and mind. Whether it be 24 hours of nonstop pull ups, rope climbing the equivalent of Mt. Everest, pulling a truck across Death Valley, or running 20 miles for 100 straight days, some would argue that I have achieved much more than most people, at least on the physical spectrum. But regardless of the feat and regardless of the labor, there is one thing that got me through each and every task: flow state.

There comes a moment during each one of these tasks where my mind recognizes that the pain, the agony, and the suffering cannot possibly reach a higher point. While the pain may be blinding, it is at this point that my mind takes over, in a sort of purgatory between hell and nirvana. And it is at this moment that the pain subsides, the suffering vanishes, and the agony diminishes. Somehow, my body and mind connect more than they ever have, and I am able to clearly visualize what it is I must achieve. That visualization, a completely mental concept, becomes a physical manifestation.

My senses become hyperreal, yet somehow, simultaneously nonexistent. It is as if I am in a dream, where my mind takes over any and all concepts of physicality. It is at this point that the flow state has been triggered, completely by my own volition. Once this mental state has been triggered, everything but the task at hand is tuned out; my own breathing, my surroundings, my thoughts, the pain in my limbs, all dissipate into the ether. When people say “live in the moment,” this is the most literal sense of that saying.

Flow can be accessed by yourself, regardless of the activity. You don’t have to be doing a day’s worth of pull ups to access flow. You simply need to be doing something you enjoy, but which is challenging enough to require you put forth your full effort, and doing something that requires an intense amount of focus, perhaps more than you’re normally used to giving. You could be sitting at your desk working on a difficult math problem, you could be running in a straight line, or you could even be cooking a difficult three-course meal. The circumstances do not matter, which is what makes flow such a unique concept in and of itself. As long as you are working towards a goal that you absolutely need to accomplish, and as long as that goal presents a veritable amount of challenge, you can trigger flow state without any outside help.

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The concept of momentum can be applied to our dreams, goals, and aspirations, and it can affect us even when we are lying in bed at night. We do not necessarily need to move our bodies in order to keep momentum going, although that is a requirement for physical challenges. But we do need to keep our minds moving in order to keep our dreams alive and on track.

Momentum of the Mind

It is useful to conceptualize momentum as the speed at which a person propels themselves toward their goals. Those who achieve much during their lifetimes are also the people who constantly move toward making their dreams a reality. While the first part of a goal may be to visualize attaining that goal, it is far from the only action that must be taken. Those who have big dreams, but stop the process at the visualization stage, are an object at rest.

Psychological momentum borrows much from the concept of physical momentum, but with a few metaphysical properties mixed in. Researchers have defined it as:

“… a perceptual phenomenon that changes human behavior and performance. It is ‘experienced as a psychological force in which several factors or qualities converge in a synergistic way to enable one to perform at a level not ordinarily possible”

Once someone has enabled their own psychological momentum, they become more likely to string together successes and achieve multiple goals in a short duration of time.

Momentum Killers

Psychological momentum is every bit as important as physical momentum, and the two become intertwined when striving toward physical goals. However, there are several impediments that can interfere with your psychological momentum.

The most common and most powerful impediment to momentum is fear. While dreaming of significant success is necessary for achievement, those goals often require a large amount of time, commitment, and energy. These requirements tend to intensify the chances of failing at the goal in question. This risk of failure is often perceived as scary, as nobody wants to perceive themselves as a failure, or worse, have others perceive them as a failure. This fear stifles psychological momentum, which then stifles physical momentum, stopping a person from achieving their dreams.

Another impediment to psychological momentum is poverty of the mind. Questions like, “What if I am not good enough?” or “What if I try as hard as I can, but fail anyway?” indicate poverty of the mind, and it is a large part of why so many people fail to realize their achievements and accomplish goals. These obstacles are all mental, which means the only way to overcome them is to persevere, equip a positive attitude, and most importantly, never stop moving toward the ultimate goal, regardless of what it is or what it entails.

Fear and poverty of the mind are akin to the time of slavery and oppression. Slaves were given a sense of fear and poverty which made them stationary. Because of this, they were obedient and conformed to everything the slave master demanded.

Consider the relationships in your life. Who is injecting the virus of fear and poverty into you? Maybe it’s your work, gym, or school environment. Perhaps it’s the people on your social media networks. Regardless of the source, if you feel enslaved, it is because you are afraid and have been made to feel poor.

Reversing Inertia

While in Naval Special Warfare training, I suffered a career-altering injury to both of my knees. I immediately felt fear. I was afraid to take the necessary steps to regain my momentum, because I feared the probability of never achieving my vision of success. I fell into a dark place, gained a lot of weight, self-medicated with alcohol, and isolated myself from co-workers, friends and family. I viewed myself as a failure, and had very low self-worth. In short, I became an object at rest.

In order to climb out of the void I was in and free myself from the grips of all that stifled my momentum, I needed to change my environment and set aside limiting beliefs of myself. I surrounded myself with people who gave me courage and made me feel rich inside.

Believe that you are resilient. Find strength in past accomplishments, and see the value in failure. Past performance is not a predictor of future results.

The Tire Won’t Flip Itself

Through my Twelve Labors Project, I have pushed my body to the brink of exertion, and quite honestly, past it. I owe all my previous and future successes to the concept of momentum, both physically and psychologically.

Positive physical and psychological momentum is what allowed me to accomplish my second Labor, flipping a 250-lb tire for thirteen miles straight to raise awareness of veteran mental health issues. I performed this feat the morning after my father passed away, and I attribute my ability to do so to positive psychological momentum.

From a metaphorical perspective, the tire represented an impediment to both physical and psychological momentum. It also represented the heavy burden that some of our nation’s veterans carry from their service. If I stopped flipping the tire for even a moment, or if I put in only a fraction of the effort required, the tire would have fallen back on me, quite literally putting an end to my physical momentum, and putting a large dent in my psychological momentum.

But with enough physical and mental tenacity, that tire kept on flipping, and while the task was nothing like easy, it was much more manageable when I kept my mind and my body moving forward. If I had faltered, or allowed fear, hesitation, or the grief of losing my Dad stifle my momentum, that challenge would not have been completed.

Commitment and a concentrated effort are what allow psychological momentum to continue, and thus allow for the human body to continue moving forward.

Mind Your Mental Momentum

Momentum is something we all know about, but it doesn’t happen on its own. With enough psychological momentum, it is possible to accomplish anything, no matter how big or how small. Pay attention to your own internal momentum, because once it is stopped in its tracks, much like physical momentum, you’ll remain remain right where you are, instead of getting closer to your goals.

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Just as the body has to obey the laws of nature and physical properties, the mind has to obey laws of its own. While there are many mental strategies for peak performance, one in particular seems to be the most important, and that is the law of visualization and imagination. The mind must first be able to visualize, picture, or otherwise imagine what it wants the body to accomplish, before the body can set out to accomplish a task.

This is where the concept of imagination comes into play. At first glance, one may think that imagination is something for children or artists, but this could not be further from the truth. The mind’s ability to imagine with depth and detail is just as central to the physical task at hand as the body’s preparedness.

Visualization: The Power to Create Experiences

When talking about the mind’s ability to imagine, create, and envision, it is necessary to understand the exact process. It is not enough to simply think to yourself, “I can do this.” Nor will imagining success guarantee that you will get there. Instead, one needs to invoke the powers of mental imagery. According to author and Ironman triathlete Ralph Teller:

“Mental imagery, also called visualization and mental rehearsal, is the process by which we create or recreate experiences in the mind using information stored in our memory. This structured imagery is aided by a vivid imagination. The more control we have over our imagination, the more we are able to control our performance”

The key phrase here is “create or recreate experiences.” Simply put, you need to trick your mind into believing that you have already gone through with the task and accomplished it. For extreme physical challenges, this means not just idly thinking about the task at hand, but creating the experience piece by piece, down to the most minute detail.

For example, before my third Labor, in which I climbed a 20ft rope until I reached the height of Mt. Everest (29,030ft) for Parkinson’s Disease awareness, I spend weeks inside my own head creating the experience of what it would be like to climb up Mt. Everest. I did not simply sit down and repeatedly think “I am going to climb the height of Mt. Everest”. I actually tricked my mind into believing that I had already done so.

I mentally prepared as if I was actually going to make the literal climb up the steep, rocky face of the world’s highest mountain. This meant imagining every arm-reach up to the next stony handhold. This meant imagining the intense cold of the environment, combined with the intense heat of my body as it exerted every last ounce of energy it had. This meant feeling the splintering rope underneath my hands as I pulled my body weight up with my arms and legs. By the end of my multi-week imagination process, I could actually feel the calluses on my hands, despite not yet having made the actual climb. I could feel the mental exhaustion, coupled with the triumph that one feels after reaching the peak. In essence, my mind fully believed that I had made the climb to the top of Everest even before I attempted and succeeded at the rope climb challenge.

On May 22nd, 2016, the author pulled a 2.2+ ton truck for 22 miles across Death Valley in the Mojave Desert. He did it to raise funds and awareness for veteran suicides.

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I knew in my heart and in my mind that the rope climb could be accomplished because my mind thought it had already done so. It is hard to describe how intensely one needs to imagine in order to accomplish this feat, but it is possible, and it is one of the greatest resources for accomplishing any task in one’s life, no matter how big or how small.

Imagination and the Flow State

Part of the reason why mental preparation and intense visualization are so crucial to achieving peak performance is because of the concept known as “flow.” Flow, sometimes referred to as “being in the zone,” is something that many people experience, whether during a physical challenge or something that is of extreme interest or importance. Researchers have attempted to outline the effects of flow:

“Among the various characteristics attributed to being in this state are a fusion of body and mind, a heightened sense of skill mastery, deep concentration, emotional buoyancy, increased self-confidence, a focus on the present, low self-consciousness, perceptions of effortlessness, feelings of relaxation, self-transcendence, and automaticity of performance.”

Despite its instinctual nature, it is often difficult to reach this mental state. The flow state is a requirement when setting one’s goals to the highest level, and because it is a fusion of mind and body, the mind is just as important as the body, and vice versa. You could be the most physically fit person in the world, but if you lack self-confidence and imagination, you will fail where an athlete of lesser physical stature will succeed with ease.

Condition the Mind

Peak performance relies on the laws of the mind. You can no more achieve peak performance with a weak mind than you could with a weak body. This symbiotic relationship requires you to pay as much attention to your mental preparation as physical preparation.

Conditioning your mind will necessarily require a much different approach than the body, but you will only reach your potential if you are pushing both to their absolute limits. For the mind, this means painting a detailed mental portrait of what you want to accomplish. You must practice this skill until you have the ability to mentally experience your goal before your feet leave the ground.

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Challenges can come in many different forms, and everyone lives a different life full of different aspirations, mindsets, and setbacks. For some, just getting out of bed in the morning may be the toughest challenge of their life. For others, a challenge is something that requires training to beat, physical endurance to overcome, and unwavering tenacity. When all of these characteristics are combined, and when an individual or team puts forth their full effort, challenges can be met head-on and overcome. When this happens, challenges become a learning experience for those that have refused to quit in the wake of terrible odds.

The Pull Up World Record

It is this mentality that propels me forward each and every day. My life has been full of challenges, mental, emotional, and purely physical. Some have been set by others, some have been set by society, but I find the most rewarding challenges to beat are those set for myself. I am the only person in this world who knows and understands what I am truly capable of, and I try to test that limit by setting personal goals that, at first, seem impossible.

One such challenge that I set for myself was to become the world record holder for most pull ups performed in a 24-hour period. The following is an account of that challenge, the hurdles I faced along the way, and a reflection on what I learned about myself through the experience.

In order to gain a better contextual understanding of the above feat, here is an excerpt from the Navy Times’ coverage:

The 28-year-old petty officer shattered the Guinness World Record for most pullups with 5,804 in 24 hours on Sept. 27 at North End Fitness in Oak Harbor, Washington. On his second attempt, he even upped the ante by wearing a 30-pound pack… Mixing feats of strength with fundraising, McCastle has raised thousands of dollars for veterans’ organizations… “I wanted to add the extra pack to represent their burden that they carry,” he said. “They don’t take that pack off. They carry it with them for the rest of their lives.”

Simply put, I challenged myself to perform the most pullups by anyone in a 24-hour period, both to challenge my physical endurance and to challenge others to donate their money to a worthy cause.

The First Attempt

But I was not able to overcome this challenge immediately. I had attempted the challenge several months before, and came nowhere close to finishing it. That attempt left me mentally anguished and disappointed in my lack of physicality.

But then something truly inspiring happened. I realized that my physicality was only a part of who I am, and not the whole identity that I had previously attached myself to. My family, friends, unit, and even several strangers who knew about my exploits commended me on my effort and gave me positive feedback that helped me regain my mental and physical composure.

Furthermore, I was paying closer attention to the feedback that my own body was giving me. What I found was that, after closer inspection, I needed to work on my cardio more, instead of constantly doing pullups all day. This would ensure that the oxygen I was breathing in was being used as efficiently as possible. The more oxygen you have in your body, the more endurance one has in the long-run. So I refocused my training and went at it hard for the next 10 months.

The Feedback From Failure

While the training and concentration played a significant part in me overcoming the challenge the second time, I believe it also had to do with failing hard the first time. Growth only occurs in a state of discomfort. That initial failure removed me from my comfortable, ordered life, and thrust me into a state of complexity and uncertainty, where outcomes are unpredictable, which in turn forced me to adapt and grow.

At first, I was disheartened, but I learned to use my first attempt as a learning experience for the second time around. Failing the first time put me in the mindset I needed to have to overcome the challenge on the second attempt. Not that “no” was in my heart the first time, but it was not even in my peripheral vision the second time. There was no “attempt” this time around; only success.

Looking back on the challenge, there were several moments that taught me a lot. During the final hours, which were by far the most difficult, I found that I could feel my body reacting better to my training than it did the first time around. While it was still difficult, I noticed it was slightly easier than the first time, and my breathing was much more steady and meaningful.

The biggest takeaway was that failing at something does not immediately make you a failure. What makes you a failure is not doubling your training, not doubling your concentration, and not doubling your work ethic to conquer the challenge in the future. Choosing to do those things in the wake of failure transforms what was once thought impossible into something manageable or bearable.

Finally, I learned that even when I think I am dialed in, there is always room for improvement. I can always be in a better mindset. I can always be more optimistic. I can always try harder to make my actions meaningful for others. Coming away from this challenge, I was certainly not unscathed. But I am in a far better place, now that I have proven to myself and the world that I can achieve anything I put my mind to.

You can show your support for Mike’s labors on behalf of veterans by donating to his Veterans Suicide and Retreat Fund.

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It’s benchmark day again, and time to finish off this challenge on a high note so, give it all you’ve got if you have gotten this far.. Test yourself with the following routine over 6 minutes. Every Friday, or 3rd day of this challenge, we will have a new benchmark workout for you to try.

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If you have no access to a pull-up bar, do push-ups.

The post Frog Fit Challenge – Day 2 of 3, Week 12 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you have no access to a pull-up bar, do push-ups.

The post Frog Fit Challenge – Day 1 of 3, Week 12 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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