Below is your weekly dose of 4 Thought Friday, a short list of idea’s, thoughts, and experiments from a few members of the Mako Team. Enjoy!
Kaley’s Reading:
“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” This is a quote from an audiobook I am almost done listening to titled “The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph” by Ryan Holiday. I think everyone can relate to this book, as I believe we all encounter many obstacles in our lives. I recently had a conversation with a friend about a set back in their career and as we were talking they said something powerful; “my job does not define me.” I just started listening to this book when this conversation occurred and I realized they were literally turning their trial into triumph. They were able to instantly see the opportunity to pursue other interests if this job didn’t work out and were confident they would succeed no matter what job they held. I definitely recommend this book, especially if you enjoy self-development books as I do!
Tori’s Inspired:
“A grandfather is talking with his grandson and he says there are two wolves inside of us which are always a battle. One is a good wolf, which represents things like kindness, bravery, and love. One is a bad wolf, which represents things like greed, hatred, and fear. The grandson stops and thinks for a second then looks up at his grandfather and says, “Grandfather which one wins?” The Grandfather quietly replies, “The one you feed.”
I’ve heard this parable a few times but I first heard it from Mark Divine of Sealfit and it resonated with me ever since. It represents the internal dialogue we use throughout our day.
Yesterday I was doing a 20-minute row to warm up and felt a little bit shittier than usual. Before I even got to minute 5 I was trying to find ways out of it. Thinking to myself “A 10-minute warm-up is good enough” or “maybe I can just do more sets when I’m snatching” (I call this bargaining). I went on to get through the row for 5 minutes at a time, each harder than the last. I wanted to just move on to my next piece but I used this as mental training. As much as my mind and body wanted to quit, there was still the part of my mind that said “no you started this you’re going to finish”, and that’s the voice I chose to listen to. In situations like these, I remind myself that most people quit at 40%. There’s always more to give, even when your mind is trying to tell you that you can’t.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation in or outside the gym, remember the story of two wolves, and make sure you feed the right one.
Cuz’s Great Looks:
You have probably noticed quite a few new faces around the gym lately. You remember what it was like when you walked into your first class and how overwhelming it was. Now multiply that x10 and you know how these new members feel after meeting ME first! I’m well aware of how my physique and overall great looks can be intimidating and it has always been a struggle for me.
Let’s make sure to introduce ourselves and get to know these new members so that they can feel like a part of the Mako family!
Seth Enjoying:
A few Fridays ago I wrote about how I’ve been working on my drawing/sketching and Matt Davenport suggested this Book to me: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I’ve only gotten through the 1st few chapters and one drawing exercise. One thing that excites me the most about the book is the author talking about how we have become increasingly Left brain wired in life. I have noticed this in my life and it is one of the reasons I am working on drawing to reignite my left side of the brain. In this books the author list all of the benefits and gets into the science, but one of the points that hit home for me the most was the lack of Arts in school and how since we have removed arts our general test aptitude scores have gone down compared with other countries. This is just one of the facts the book talks about, lots of interesting points to go along with teaching people how to draw, as it is a learned skill that can be taught to anyone just like the ABC’s.
