Sometimes the most important truths are upside down!
“Finally!” I thought.
I had been attending these same classes at the gym for seven months.
It’s only taken me seven months to arrive, so now I can tell others what to do! I sized them up as newbies and immediately joined their group. I looked forward to showing off my knowledge, to “encourage” them, of course.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
This is not even a lie, but in the first set of exercises, I somehow got confused and started doing exercises from the other set.
The two newbies patiently explained to me how to rotate through the three exercises that were listed on the board right in front of me.
“Well, everyone makes a mistake at some point!” I thought to myself.
I sulked while doing the triceps extension exercise, and then the new lady had the audacity to lean over and tell ME to pull my lats down before extending my arms.
I felt like throttling her because I’VE been going to the gym for a while – not YOU! I’M the one who’s supposed to know what’s going on here – not YOU! I’M the one who’s getting stronger – not YOU!
During the break, the irritating newbie who knew what was going on all the time revealed that she used to be an exercise instructor.
“Bad luck!” I thought, waiting for my next victim, a new person at the gym.
Sooner or later, I’ve got to be able to “help” someone else so I can feel1 superior to someone!
The instructors asked us to set a fitness goal for the new year in that class that day. The only one I could think of was the one the instructor had told me. One day, when she was shocked at my (relative) improvement, she blurted out that she thought I could do one (yes, that’s ONE) pull-up next year (yes, that’s next YEAR) if I keep coming to the gym every day and keep working hard!
I actually didn’t have any faith or confidence that I could achieve this goal.
Still, she thinks I will get stronger because I KEEP COMING BACK to the gym, even though everyone else (show-offs!) always seems to know what’s going on all the time, and even though I might not (always!) be impressive to look at when I’m at the gym.
AND you WILL get fitter, too, if you are S.T.U.P.I.D., not S.M.A.R.T.
“What do you mean,” you ask, scratching your head.
Last time, we discussed how the best types of goals are S.T.U.P.I.D., not S.M.A.R.T. A S.M.A.R.T. goal is (See the Footnote2 – They are boring to read about!), but S.T.U.P.I.D. goals are based (however loosely) on the high-powered acronym full of immense wisdom, “K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple, STUPID.” (See full explanation of the details of S.T.U.P.I.D. Goal Setting HERE.)
So setting a S.T.U.P.I.D. goal means that you keep it simple and choose TO KEEP GOING.
For example, if you KEEP GOING to the gym, even if you’re not very strong and you still don’t know what’s going on after seven months, you will actually get fitter because you’ve set a S.T.U.P.I.D. goal.
“I’m going to KEEP GOING” to the gym is my S.T.U.P.I.D. goal. It’s simple. I keep going, S.T.U.P.I.D.!
So set a S.T.U.P.I.D. fitness goal and then keep going!
We are getting stronger, even if we’re not really much “help” to anyone else practically, and we still get confused (sometimes!).
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.
Setting S.T.U.P.I.D. goals is similarly immensely important for other areas of life, including emotional and spiritual growth. However, you can’t expect me to share ALL my manifest wisdom at once! Stay tuned for next time, and I’ll continue to draw on the insights gained from my time at the gym and in life, in general, so that I can continue to “help” you, too!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
After some thankfulness for the good things already in your life, consider asking God what the new direction you need to set your life and your heart towards is. Will you keep going and not give up, too, friend? May God give you the joy, courage (and of course, the S.M.A.R.T.s) to keep walking in the right direction, friend.
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – He’s Getting Fit, Too! by Centre for Ageing Better on Unsplash
1 A BIT at least! I’m human!
2 S.M.A.R.T. Goal: S = Specific, M = Measurable, A = Attainable, R = Relevant, T = Time-bound
Restoring Life 