There are two thoughts that work well individually, but even better together. Both thoughts are true, but since they are at opposite ends of the work/rest spectrum, they naturally balance each other out in a healthy way.

The first thought is something that we’ve all realized at certain points in life, but may have forgotten.

“I’d like to exercise, but I feel like doing [anything else] instead. Therefore, I need to get amped up (motivated) or suck it up (use willpower) to exercise.”

This is the typical thought when facing resistance to an activity, a direct battle of resistance vs will. You can win this way, but it’s not always the best strategy. We so often engage in direct battles because we fail to see the many other options at our disposal. One of my favorite historical figures is war general Sun Tzu, because he was a master strategist, and all the way back in the BC era, he spoke on the importance and power of indirect attack.

Life is going to knock us all on our backs. How often and to what extent varies by person and by season of life. But your response is a choice.

Resilience Can Begin Right Now

I wanted to be a professional NFL wide receiver when I was young. I was fast, coordinated, and had great hands. But I weighed 130 pounds in high school and college. That dream wasn’t going to work. There are many things that aren’t attainable, or at least not attainable in a short time frame.

In 1915, Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 were in trouble. Their ship, The Endurance, was crushed by pack ice in the Weddell Sea. They were 1,200 miles from civilization, in an endless sea of ice. Alfred Lansing wrote a book about their struggle for survival called, “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.”

In such extreme circumstances, we can learn a lot about the human condition. I found this excerpt particularly eye-opening.

Drinking more water can change your life if you currently don’t drink enough of it. In my experience, you’ll find out quickly if you have been one of those people when you start drinking more water.

It is nonsensical to say that all people should drink the exact same amount of water per day. A 300 pound man will probably need more water than an 80 pound child. Athletes will need more than non-athletes. So it makes sense that water intake is personal and experimentation is needed.