The month of November I was privileged to take part in a sermon series entitled, “Pre-Hab.” King’s Cross Church in Tullahoma, TN decided to take an idea that I presented to them during a typical Tuesday night small group workout, and run with it.
It was very humbling to me when Kal Busman came to me and told me that they were going to do a series in November (2015) on “Pre-Hab.” Pre-Hab was a term I introduced to our Tuesday night workout group (King’s Cross’ Relentless).
The concept of “Pre-Hab” is synonymous with proactive. Most people have heard of re-hab, short for rehabilitation. Well “Pre-Hab” is the opposite of that. “Pre-Hab” looks at things and tries to find ways to avoid problems in the first place.
(Disclaimer: the videos were intended to be light-hearted and play off of the typical, egotistical trainer. Most of you who know me, know that the guy in the videos isn’t the real me. If you decide to believe otherwise, well, that’s funny in and of itself. Laugh, cry, and be entertained. If you get anything of value out of the video, consider yourself lucky.)
This is the 3rd part of a four part article. The 1st part can be found here and the 2nd part can be found here. The 4th part has yet to be written and therefore, does not have a corresponding link at the time of this writing.
Week 3 – Grit
Grit is something I can relate to. It goes hand in hand with being relentless. Grit allows you to push through the small aches and pains. There is a difference in being hurt and being injured.
Hurt is a minor thing such as a bruise, or sprain. Being injured is a serious matter and is often grounds for a recovery protocol.
The Pre-Hab life calls for some smarts. You must be able to differentiate between being hurt and being injured. Even though a founding principle of Pre-Hab is to prevent injuries from happening, you can’t stop everything. There’s always the unpredictable that happens on occasions.
Grit allows you to push through those minor things because they are not serious. They are there to slow you down. You mustn’t let that happen.
In the gym, grit can be found in the final sets. Your muscles are beyond fatigued but there are still reps left on the agenda. Do you throw in the towel early or gut it out and finish what you started?
In business, grit can be found in the late evening hours. When most of the world punches the time clock at 5:00 PM on the dot, those with grit don’t consider leaving until they are finished with the daily task. Even then, they consider on getting further ahead by continuing to work.
Those with grit believe in an ultimate “there.” They are not focused on the small things that may cause pain or heartaches at the moment. They crave the end result so badly, these small things are irrelevant. They view them as but small prices to pay in order to get where they know they are destined to be.
I recently posted a statement on Twitter and Facebook that read,
“Asshole or #Relentless?
#MatterOfPerception”
Sometimes it’s necessary to put your foot down on something. When I find myself in these positions, it’s not easy. I don’t feel like I handle them in the best way possible. But then again, I’m not here to make others understand why I’m here. I’m here for a task.
Either get on my plan or get out of my way. It’s harsh. It’s strict. But, that’s what being Relentless is all about. And that’s what Grit is all about. It’ not about always being the nice guy.
Am I saying to be an asshole all the time? Of course not. There is a time and place.
How do you develop grit?
One must have COURAGE. There is no grit or relentlessness without courage. You must be able to take risks. Not blind risks, any idiot can do that. I’m talking about calculated risk.
“Grit doesn’t avoid because it seems too hard.”
– Kal Busman
As humans, we have a natural tendency to make things easier. That’s why I see movement compensations during exercises. That’s why many choose to take elevators instead of stairs. And it’s why many choose fast food instead of preparing your day ahead of time.
The easier, the better. Just look at how much technology has made our lives easier. That’s good news for you! If you’re a person with grit, people like you are far and few between. The universe is open to you my friend. Go out and take what’s yours.
We must make a conscious effort to not take the easy way out. We must put things in place that take us out of our comfort zones.
Comfort zones = death zones.
There is nothing to be gained from comfort. Comfort is normal. Those with grit don’t want to be normal. Normality is what weak people call living. I call it death.
Harsh? Of course it is.
#Relentless
Pre-Hab is proactive. It prepares us for what is to come. But if we are unable to take risks and challenge ourselves with new tasks, we don’t need grit. We don’t need Pre-Hab.
Quite possibly one of my favorite Bruce Lee quotes is: “Pray not for an easy life but for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
Nobody remembers somebody because of all the challenges they never faced. A life lived without taking any risks is not a life I want to live. If you’re reading this and have made it this far, I’d be willing to bet it’s not a life you want to live either.
Living this Pre-Hab lifestyle with grit is necessary. Grit allows us to overcome doubt. It answers questions like “what if I don’t have what it takes?” Stop selling yourself so short. You are more capable than you know. But you’ll never reach your true potential if you give in when things get hard.
Don’t worry about screwing up. There is no such thing as a failure who keeps trying. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. It’s simple. We teach this to our kids but it gets lost along the way as we age. Let’s bring it back.
Get some grit. If you don’t have any, find people who do. You will either gain some grit or they’ll run you off. Don’t feel like you have to do this alone. Our life journeys are meant to be shared, in some form or another.
Stay Relentless my friends.
