This is the 50 foot homemade boat that took our Uncle Peter 18 years to build.
He worked on it every day.
There’s only one rule to success: Never give up.
Uncle Peter
(Like going to the gym, or taking another step on your spiritual walk.)
(What are you building?)
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
Don’t you want to honor this tree?
I mean, it’s trying so hard to produce fruit that its little arms are literally breaking from the effort!
You want to put your arms around the little tree and say, “Dude! Chill! You’re not going to make it long term if you bear all this weight!”
Sort of (exactly) like going to the gym.
Don’t try so hard, but show up consistently to find your stride at the gym!
Sort of (exactly) like your spiritual life.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Join people in sixty countries who read this! (What? Hey, I don’t know why they read this, either! I think it’s because I’m cool.)
Previously, we proved definitively that we need to KEEP GOING BACK to the gym.
“But HOW do we keep going back to the gym, given that we got tired from our workout yesterday?” you ask.
No problem! That’s easy, friend! We fake our work out SO THAT we are rested enough to get back in the car and drive to the gym again tomorrow!
Join people in sixty countries who read this! (What? Hey, I don’t know why they read this, either! I think it’s because I’m cool.)
“But HOW does one fake a workout?” you ask, still puzzled. Oh, that’s easy, too! Here are four (easy!1) tips you can use to fake your workout! )
1.My favorite hack is to drink a LOT of water.
And by a LOT, I mean, a LOT!
You’re a thirsty person! Every rep, you may need another drink or two! The bonus of this approach is that what goes in must go out, and so you actually have a VALID (!) excuse to go to the bathroom.
Stay there for a while.
Maybe text someone while you’re in there! Then check your hair. Did it fall out of your hat while you worked out? Re-adjust it.
2.Wear a hat or a shirt that doesn’t quite fit right, so you keep stopping to adjust it.
Like maybe your hair keeps falling out of your hat, and you have to keep stopping and being annoyed at it.
This doesn’t work if you’re bald, but you can still choose a hat that’s the wrong size and keep stopping to adjust it. You can even curse your item as you do so, which makes you appear more authentic.Take a break and drink some water while you adjust your clothing items!
3.Listen carefully for exercise adaptations, such as when the instructor says, “Do this type of harder exercise if you are feeling very strong today.” Make a mental note of that. Then choose the lightest weight that you possibly can and the easiest exercise that you possibly can.
Wait until everyone else has almost finished their set.
Then, while they are standing around watching the (slackers – like you!) FINALLY finish up, do the exercise with the added spice, the one that is a little bit harder. Let them look at you. Humbly keep your gaze away from people so that they don’t suspect you of tricking them.
4.Choose the exercise bike that is the “easier” type. For example, at our gym, the “assault” bike is significantly harder than the “spin” bike. They’ll give you a higher goal for the easier bike because it’s easier to achieve.
Then, when you’re standing around tomorrow, waiting to start a new exercise class at the gym, you can casually mention what you pedaled or what your other such number was.
Remember to leave out the fact that you were on an easier bike. And they will surely be impressed!If they catch onto your tactics and ask you what kind of bike you were using, feign confusion or change the subject right away.2
Remember: If we keep going BACK to the gym, we will (eventually!) get (a bit!) stronger!
Oh, and our spiritual journey works on the same principle!
(What is the nudge from Holy Spirit that you sense may be your next step on your spiritual journey, friend? Let’s encourage each other to keep going, on our physical, spiritual and emotional journeys, to learn to soar in life.
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.
And I wish you every success as you get more S.T.U.P.I.D., friends. (S.T.U.P.I.D. is an “acronym”, which basically means, get more AWESOME. See HERE or HERE for clarification.)
I hope this helps you again today!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit: Is He Faking His Discouragement? (Who Knows!) by Sander Sammy on Unsplash
1 Anyone can do this!
2 Pro-tip: This tactic works well for avoiding a lot of other annoying additional clarifying questions on other conversation topics as well!
Last time, I clearly explained WHY you need to fake working out at the gym.
To summarize THAT excellent article, remember, the main goal is NOT to do a hard workout, but to COME BACK to the gym tomorrow!
And if it takes faking a workout to do this, well, that’s just the way life rolls!
People in 60 countries have read my writing, so be authentic by joining in with what everyone else is doing!
In a future article, I’ll outline 4 “Helpful” tips for HOW exactly to fake your workout!
Wait – I see you asking, “Who would read that stuff?” Well, a lot of others at the gym and who stay home from the gym seem to need this kind of help, I’m guessing, given how many others:
Hey, we’re all (a bit!) messed up! We might as well admit it! Or at least use our neuroses to our advantage, and at least get stronger at the gym!
“But why would we do all the work of pretending to fake a workout?” you ask. Great question! Well, our other options are to:
But WOW! No Thanks! In my humble experience, those approaches are WAY too expensive in therapy costs and WAY too time-consuming in terms of hours spent in a counselling office!
For those of you annoyingly “healed” ones, here’s a few other quotes to keep you going.
The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.
and
Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God . . .
Sometimes, though, you have to ask, “Why be fixed later, when you can cobble together an approach that works for you to scrape through life now?” At least, that is what I always say! And, “We all simply are who we are!” as all of us know, already!
And so, as we conclude today’s article, Julie Meyer sings, “You made it so simple, God, anyone can do this,” which I am listening to as I write, and I include here below – Oh! And this reminds me!
I almost forgot to mention that healing always comes that way, too, friend, as we make time for the Holy Spirit to do His beautiful work of feeding our souls, which are incessantly hungry for affirmation. We could receive our affirmation from God instead of from people (I.e., He already loves you!).
If remembering God loves us anyway helps us care less about looking like a COMPLETE LOSER (no offence), when we are learning to show up at the gym, well, that’s another approach, too!
I hope this helps you!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit: Is He Faking It Or Not? Who Knows! (My Point!) by Gordon Cowie on Unsplash
The new guy working out next to me at the gym sounds like he is having a baby every time he lifts his weights, which are obviously at least twenty times too heavy for him.
“Dude. Chill. You’re not going to make it at that level!” I want to yell at him.
People in 59 countries have read my writing, so be authentic by joining in with what everyone else is doing!
What I really want to say is, “Just get THROUGH the class and COME BACK TOMORROW, S.T.U.P.I.D.!” (No! I’m NOT calling him STUPID! This is an “acronym” (sort of) for a high-level, (un)patented training technique you can learn more about HERE!)
And of course, the Holy Grail in this advice is that you should (of course) FAKE working out, SO THAT you’ll come back again tomorrow.
To get through your exercise class, and be TRULY successful by showing up at the gym tomorrow and the next day and the next and (you get the picture), all you need to do is to fake your work out, like this:
The ONLY goal, remember, is to come back to exercise class tomorrow.
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.1
And so, as you will soon learn, there are many ways to fake a workout so that you can get through it. I will give you four tips on the practical details of HOW EXACTLY to fake your workout another time, so it’s easier for you to come back the following day. But for now, or when all else fails, you can lie on the floor in the fetal position for a while. I’ve done that, so that’s how you know that’s okay to do, too. Remember, I write so that you can be a LOT more like me!
Finally, as proof that I actually know what I’m talking about, I will include a quote from an expert! The instructors who run the gyms who actually want you to get strong have goals like this.
This is actually a real picture of an encouraging poster that was put up recently at my gym.
The instructor’s goal for you is CONSISTENCY. So, to be consistent, we (simply) need to help our ego feel that we are great enough (even if we fake some of the workout!) to get through it and show up again tomorrow. So keep being S.T.U.P.I.D.
The rest is easy!
And, how do you get REMARKABLY buff even though you’ve been faking your workouts? Oh, that’s easy too, friend!
You’ll (eventually) get buff because you keep coming back tomorrow.
If you keep coming back, you’re guaranteed to get stronger!
Pro Tip: Oh! And enjoy your double slice of chocolate cake after the gym, as well! If you worked out, you get extra cake! At least, that’s my motto!
I hope this helps you!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits: WOW! by Ben White on Unsplash, Hey! It Happens! by Dillon Wanner on Unsplash, The MOST Amazing Person At The Gym Today! by Grace Anne Bobadilla on Unsplash
1 Yes! This quote IS referring to the spiritual life, but it’s the same principle, S.T.U.P.I.D.! (No! I’m NOT calling you STUPID!)
My gym installed this mat recently.
Yes, this new mat WAS installed soon after I purchased a membership there, but that is OBVIOUSLY a coincidence, okay! I can’t believe you think there’s any relationship between these two dissociated events! Yes, this article is partially about having a big ego, AND about having a big ego at the gym.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
BUT I’m talking about a GOOD, HELPFUL type of huge ego!
YES! It IS the kind of ego that looks down on others, but NOT RIGHT AWAY. So, give me the benefit of the doubt, people!
For those of you who haven’t slammed your laptop closed yet, let’s dive into four helpful tips from today’s article.
But first, here is an astonishing fact:
People, it’s not that hard to go to the gym.
Really. I just went there. It was, like, 20 minutes of work in a half-hour class, and the rest was stretching and stuff.
20 minutes in a day with 1,440 minutes. That’s 0.01% of your day1. Come on, people!
The only reason why going to the gym is so hard is that you do too much!
And why do you do too much? Well, it’s probably because, like me, you’re a smidgen self-conscious2 when you lift tiny weights, and everyone else has medium (or even large) weights. But don’t get rid of that ego, friend! No! Just be like me and use your unhealthy pride to your own advantage!
What do I mean?
The thing with me is that I know that I’m prideful3. And so, then if I can talk about having an exceptional ego, then it doesn’t control me. And I can realize that my big ego is trying to stop me from going to the gym.
And then I can step on that ego and say, “No! You’re not stopping me from going to the gym! I’m going to go even if I look like a complete loser!” And then I can end up going to the gym.
And then I can be more prideful than others because I’m stronger than others after several months, so I’m actually more prideful in the end.
So this is what you should do:
(1) Actually get to the gym. Even if you are still in your pajamas. Good job!
(2) Remember that THE POINT of being at the gym is to look down on others, but LATER! Keep this in the back of your mind! Let your unhealthy ego fuel you into healthy habits!
Stop being prideful NOW so you can be more prideful later when it really matters!
(3) Don’t worry about lifting heavy weights or doing so much when you’re there! That part is overrated anyway, in my experience!
What you DO at the gym doesn’t actually matter!
(4) And don’t worry about looking like an idiot when you’re there! Yes, you’re not going to be very strong. Get over it! Of course, you’re not very strong! People there have done a lot more work than you. It’s like you’re sitting next to a concert pianist, and you’re sitting there next to them, learning the scales on the piano and wondering why you’re not that good.
Well, yes, you’re not that good, but you’ll get better every time you go, right?
And then you may even find a new vision for yourself!
This encouraging quote below is a partial4 fit with the main point of this article today, but that’s all I got.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace
Remember: Have fun at the gym!5
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – You! You MADE IT there! by Eddie Jones on Unsplash
1 I’m even telling the truth here! 20/1,440
2 Also called “prideful”
3 (Yes, okay! In unhealthy ways, too! Fine! I admit it!)
4 You can’t expect EVERYONE to agree with my extraordinarily helpful advice, anyway -And so there may not be quite as many free quotes that AI can find that line up EXACTLY with my main point.
5 (And then keep going back.)
“Yeah, I don’t even know how I found her,” I mentioned to my husband offhandedly, as I distractedly finished my lunch. I had forgotten.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
We were talking about my chiropractor, who was like a gift from God, healing my back with her expertise.
The next morning, my prayer group reminded me how I had found her. Years earlier, a friend had some trouble with her foot. She mentioned the name of the person who is now my chiropractor.
Her, Holy Spirit seemed to nudge my heart.
My friend was reluctant to share her contact information with me. “I have no idea if she even adjusts backs,” she cautioned.
Her, Holy Spirit seemed to repeat.
I was in a phase of rejecting all therapy at that time.
Everything I tried, every physiotherapist, chiropractor, masseuse, and others had made me worse. Much worse. I was afraid to try anyone else.
“I’ll just have to solve this on my own,” I had thought.
But with a nudge from God, I made the call. I was tense and nervous in her office that first day. But she became the gift God gave to me.
And I was thankful for her.
Until I forgot about her (Hey! It happens!)
Months later, I hobbled around, one hand on my back, bent over and twisted.
Even though it had NOTHING to do with my ego, an inadequate assessment of my own strength, or trying to impress others, I did (a teensy bit!) too much in my new CrossFit class that week.
Aside: This is a picture of me at the gym so you can be suitably impressed with how strong I am!
Wait – I meant to put in this picture1, below – Whatever!
But on that (annoying) day, after my too-intense workout, I could feel my lower back muscles clench, pushing me into a C-shape. “This strain will probably get better on its own,” I thought. I was in denial, again, but my body kept slowly bending me over.
The name of my chiropractor popped into my head.
Oh right! But we were leaving on holiday.
I didn’t think I had the time to see her, and she is normally booked weeks in advance, anyway.
I continued to pack, holding my aching back. But again, and again, the chiropractor’s name went through my head that morning, as I was thinking of other things. This is one of the ways God speaks to us.
He reminds us, again and again.
We don’t always pay attention to the first few2 times.
I finally called the chiropractor, the one I hadn’t seen in five months, the one I had somehow forgotten about after a season of happy back. She surprisingly had one cancellation that morning, which worked perfectly before we left on holiday. Her touch was like the hand of God.
I don’t mean to be overly dramatic, but that is how it felt to me.
My body obeyed the chiropractor’s touch and re-aligned. My posture was upright. I (carefully) went about my day, and in only several days, instead of several months, I was running again.
I could run faster, complete the triathlon, and horse around with the kids again sooner, much sooner.
(There is another and another who helped my back a ton as well, but those are different stories.)
God walked with me in my pain, and His Spirit guided me to a person who used her skills to allow God’s healing through my body.
And I have remembered, now, to be thankful to God for her, too.
If I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me.
Need some advice?
God, you long to give out treasures, but we so infrequently come to You to receive. Help us, Jesus, to run to You as a small child in distress runs to their parent, longing for an embrace. May we trust You more deeply with our headaches, heartaches, body aches, and spiritual aches.
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – Yeah! I Feel Like That, Too! by Thomas Oxford on Unsplash, Me! by Random Person Standing Nearby, and Wow! She’s STRONG! by Marvin Cors on Unsplash (No Wait – Reverse The Order Of Those Last Two Photos – Whatever!)
1 What? WHO said that’s a “Training Bar” and “Training Weights”! You can’t prove it from that photo! (To my editor: Can they?)
2 Hundred
We are serving up a previously published article for you to feast on, while our family is on spring break in Victoria, Canada (maturely, of course!), appreciating other people’s spring flowers.
My mouth hung open. I stared at the woman walking past me. It was not polite to stare (I know, okay!), but I forgot that my mouth was still hanging open.
I had just worked out at the gym. My muscles were getting EVEN stronger! For example, this time I didn’t have to go to the far edge of the gym to find lighter weights than the ones our instructor set out for the group class.
Click HERE to continue reading.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
But I intended for her to laugh at me that time.
(That’s how we know that she is bright, brilliant and sophisticated – She laughs at the RIGHT time.1)
The funny thing I said to the newbie at the gym after the exercise class was this:
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
“You can eat TWO pieces of cake when you get home because you went to the gym!”
“Hahaha!” they laughed.
But STOP for a second. Insert that sound that makes people rewind or halt in a movie – Time stands still for a second while we ask:
WHY, EXACTLY, ARE THEY LAUGHING?
Besides the fact of my sophisticated, exceptionally humorous remarks, they are laughing because:
NO ONE WANTS TO EAT TWO PIECES OF CAKE IMMEDIATELY AFTER GOING TO THE GYM.
Why not?
Because going to the gym, even once, changes our identity.
This identity hack was actually the one thing that helped me to stay within [basically) my weight goal for most of my life – I didn’t focus on losing weight. I focused on movement. This focus changed my self-perceived identity.
As mentioned HERE, I hate it when others (or even the best side of me!) tell me what to do!
“Stop being so bossy!” I yell at them, or even at myself. But if I get some exercise, I don’t immediately want two pieces of cake (it takes a few hours). Being the kind of person who exercises changes my identity, so better dietary habits come a little more easily.
“I’M THE KIND OF PERSON WHO GOES TO THE GYM”, my mind tells my mouth.
An energy ball (or other healthier treat) suddenly seems more appealing, anyway, right now, is how I feel.
Who we believe we are drives our behavior.
So, (1) Go to the gym or get outside for a walk or run to begin to change your own idea of who you are!
And when do we start this? We can even begin this type of identity transformation before we get to the gym if we are experts! For example, once my friend said,
“I go swimming three times a week!”
“Oh wow!” I said. “How long have you been doing that?”
“I went swimming twice!” he continued.
He knows who he is! A swimmer! Showing up at the pool is that much easier, friends!
If that fails, then another great identity hack to help us choose healthier habits is (of course) to:
(2) Pretend to be someone else! (This is one of my favorite life and identity hacks.) More on this HERE!
And whichever of these two identity hacks you choose, remember to be S.T.U.P.I.D. about it while you’re at it! (Explanation HERE.)
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Oh! And did you know that God is constantly whispering to us, asking us to change our view of ourselves, too?
If you knew who God made you to be, you’d never want to be anyone else.
Have a listen to what God is whispering, friend.
You may just be surprised at who you end up becoming, once you know who you really are, too.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
As the song below sings, “You call me deeper still into love . . .” consider asking God, “How do I see myself differently from how You see me?” And may who you believe you are align exactly with how God sees you, friend. (Everything gets easier to DO when we have a closer understanding of who we really ARE.)
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits – How’s Your Life? (Need Someone New To Drive Your Car?) by Prophsee Journals on Unsplash, Are Energy Balls Your New Best Friend, Too? by Ophélie Pgt on Unsplash
1 NOT like many of the people who read these articles who laugh at all the serious stuff and are serious when it’s time to laugh at my funny jokes! Why?
“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 