Feed Your Spirit to Achieve Your Goals

The week before Christmas is a tough time to talk about health and fitness.  People are focused on the upcoming holidays and aren’t ready for the “New Year, New You” campaigns that will be arriving soon after.

So, I will tell you a simple story about the human spirit instead.

A few weeks ago, there was a 38-degree day that was particularly windy – the kind of windy that blows your neighbors’ belongings into your yard.  A man walked outsideand said, “Brrrr. This weather is ridiculous.”  But something inside him felt the wind and said,“You should go running.”

“What?!” the man responded.  “It’s terrible out here. Why should I?”

“Because you can. And because no one else is.”

Now, he liked running, but he didn’t do it everyday- and definitely not in conditions like this.  The conversation continued.

“Just go for it. It will be a great win.”  The conversation felt very one-sided.

“Ok, I’ll do it!” he decided. The man liked the idea of going out when most people would not.  He liked the challenge of battling the elements.  He liked that a small part of him thought he could do it, and he wanted to feed this part of himself.

The man changed his clothes and went running.

The End.

I said it was a simple story!  No enemy to vanquish.  No global never-done-before-challenge- just an ordinary man with a simple choice. But simple stories are important. They lead to big stories: enemies are vanquished and challenges are met because someone first listened to that little voice just once.

As a personal trainer, I deal with the human body.  I do not have a degree that deals with the science and workings of the human mind.

But I have plenty of experience with the human spirit.  And I believe at least part of it is that little voice that calls us to greater things than we think we can do.  And THAT directly affects how you take care of yourself and what you can accomplish.

I believe we all begin with powerful spirits (2 Timothy 1:7) but develop timid spirits by not caring for them.  Our spirits need food.  You feed it by saying, “Yes. Yes, I can do that, and I will.”  You MUST say this, or the voice will get quieter.  And, eventually, it may stop talking to you altogether.

Don’t let your spirit become timid. Feed it. Feed it by sharing, giving, celebrating, embracing, and spending time with your favorite people this holiday season.

Enjoy your holiday time. Listen for that little voice, and strengthen it through simple choices.  Then, in a few weeks when you see that “New Year, New You” sign, you will hear the voice of your spirit clearly . . . and go for it!

Merry Christmas.