- Express gratitude. – It's hard to stay low emotionally if you honestly count your blessings.
- Cultivate optimism. – Donald Trump. Lance Armstrong. Steve Jobs. These guys have all seen the short end of the stick, but chose to look at it differently- with optimism. It takes practice though, so keep trying new approaches if the old ones aren't actually helping you change your attitude.
- Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Nobody has exactly the same experiences that shaped you, not a single person in the world. In much the same way, no one is identical when it comes to training and genetics. Keep the blinders on, and get back to work: the more you dwell on the apparent injustice of it all, the less happy you'll be. Conversely, the harder you work at bettering your situation, the less unjust things will appear over time.
- Practice acts of kindness. – Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Help in a special ed classroom. Seriously, it's addicting and actually releases serotonin.
- Nurture social relationships. – This doesn't mean 'go get a bazillion friends on facebook/twitter', it means that the deeper you cultivate a relationship, the more joy you'll have in it.
- Develop strategies for coping. – The quip is that life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you choose to respond. Think about your responses in advance, and you'll do much better!
- Learn to forgive. – Hating others is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Let it go, bro. Sister, just forgive her.
- Increase flow experiences. – We also call this 'being in the zone'. This is your personal 'Matrix Moment' where things slow down, and you are literally the master of your universe- able to move deftly from one task to the next, making complete sense of the puzzles that you've undertaken solving. A good resource is the original research: 'Flow'.
- Savor life’s joys. – Stop and smell the roses. In a world of frenetic delights, we all need to unplug and learn to enjoy the enduring nature of innate beauty/pleasure.
- Commit to your goals. – Regret comes from not doing what you feel in your heart you should have done. So... have the opposite of that by doing the opposite of that. Make sense?
- Practice spirituality. – You are not the center of the universe, right? Well, what is?... Choose wisely, and remain devout.
- Take care of your body. – Better than anti-depressant drugs, and cheaper too. The whole reason you're reading this blog is to get better at this, I know, so please consider the following:
- This point isn't at the top of the list, but fitness can form an extremely solid foundation for the other points, and the gym can become a sacred place- like church- where you literally come closer to happiness and possibly even Divinity as you discover your limits, break them, and redefine what's possible for yourself- while helping others, and building friendships, etc.
Thanks for checking this one out- admittedly a little different than what I usually post, but I sincerely hope it helps you push through your plateaus and find even more joy in your training! What brings you happiness outside of your fitness efforts?
Stay Strong, Friends.
