By Tim Snyder
I love mornings. I truly believe God created the sunrise for people to enjoy and to remember who it is that made the beauty of each day. The one thing I have a hard time doing in the mornings is exercising. For some reason my body loves to wake up early but it has never had the motivation to do anything once it was up but watch T.V. and read the paper.
Winter had finally broken and spring in Nebraska was on the verge of taking over another year. Susan and I had taken our bikes to the local cycle shop to be put together correctly and fine tuned for our adventure to begin. I was working full-time and Susan was busy with her home business, so the only time for us to ride was early in the morning.
There were days we would get on our bikes and start heading out in the middle of April that we could still see our breath and question again, “why are we doing this?” Each week we would increase the amount of time we would spend on the bikes, trying to find whatever “hills” we could in the middle of flat Nebraska.
There were many times the alarm would go off and I would ask myself, “Is it 5:30 in the morning again?” My body just wasn’t ready to get up and get on that bike again. The problem was, I knew if I didn’t give my best effort in the spring, the event later that summer would not be a success.
Though I thought I was in pretty good physical condition, to complete the Bike Ride for the Family, a total of 222 miles in three days, would take training on my part. I would have to do things that were not fun. I would have to eat better foods so my body would react the way it needed to with the energy I was burning. I would have to mentally train myself that even though it hurts, in the end, it was worth the reward.
When I think about the lives we live and how God created us for a purpose, I realize that without good physical, mental, spiritual training, I can’t be everything I was created to be. Is it fun to go through all that pain? Absolutely not! Do I enjoy eating the right types of food and bypass the “good” looking fast-food restaurants for the sake of being healthy? Not always. Do I spend enough time learning about how God created me and my passions in life? Not as much as I should.
I was just having a conversation with a former college basketball player I coached about the upcoming season. He mentioned how he was sore from all the running and how he couldn’t wait until the games got started. I had to remind him that without the hard practices and sore legs, his chances of being on a winning team at the end of the season were not very likely. You must put in the work early on to have the desired results in the end.
As you search your purpose in life and are looking to compete each and every day with what the world has in store for you, how much better will you be if you are doing the right things with your mind, body, soul?
This takes work, it doesn’t just happen. It takes dedication, even if it means getting up earlier in the morning to accomplish them. It means planning for the end result in mind, even when it is not fun to do.
Here are the three areas of your life that I feel you need to constantly train to be the best you can be.
1. Spiritual Life
The success you have in your life will depend on your reliance and strength that comes from the One who created your life. I have to admit, for years I was not great at making this a huge priority in my life. I call myself a Christian but would neglect spending time learning and growing in Christ.
Through a series of events in my life, I have come to realize how important it is for me to make time and be trained in God’s Word and not just wear the name Christian but to “be” a Christian in my walk and talk.
For me this means making sure I have time in God’s Word each and every day. This can be a challenge when life seems too busy to make the time. I used all the excuses in my life for not doing it. I finally realized that was just what they were, excuses. Spend time in prayer to the One who will listen to your pains and your joys when people around you seem too busy to care. Find someone to be accountable to you about your spiritual training.
2. Mental Life
So much of who we are is related to how we think of ourselves in life. If you are one who has had various issues in life that have been set backs and you constantly think of yourself with a negative attitude, that is just what the result is going to be in your life. Negative thoughts lead to negative actions. The more garbage you fill your mind with the more “issues” you will continue to have in your life.
Have you ever been around that “happy go-lucky” person and on the outside you are saying, “man I wish he/she would just chill” but on the inside you are saying, “I wish I could have just a part of that in my life.” You can have that in your life. You can be whoever you desire to be, but it starts with what you believe about yourself.
It is all about your attitude. It is not about your past, but who you are today. It is about what you are filling your mind with every moment of every day. If you are thinking negative thoughts or filling your mind with things you know are wrong, guess what your attitude will be like.
Surround yourself with positive things. Find people who can be an encouragement to you. Read uplifting stories about people making a difference in the world. Listen to positive music when you sit at your desk or while at home. You have the ability to choose every day what your mental life will be like.
3. Physical Life
I have seen over the years this is an area of life that most people don’t like to talk about or do anything about. The media shows us through advertising what the world thinks a person should look like. This usually consists of a young, attractive model or the guy with the six pack abs while carrying his six pack out of the store.
Over the years, I have tried to keep myself active and in good physical shape. I have also used many excuses why not to go to the gym or go for a run outside. I have also come to realize if a person does not take care of their body, life can be cut short.
Physical training is a lot of work and requires time and dedication. Eating the right types of food to maintain a healthy lifestyle takes planning and effort. It is so convenient just to run through the drive through and pick something up compared to taking the time to make something at home.
The Bible says in I Corinthians 6:19 that your “body is a temple.” When I read that and think about my own life, I desire my temple to be the best it can be.
Carve out time in your week to spend training your body to live a healthier life. Set a goal to accomplish something to keep you motivated. Not only did I do the bike ride, but I have completed two full marathons as well since then. Did I do them because I loved running 26.2 miles? Nope. I did them because I knew I needed to keep my body in the best physical condition I could.
Training is not easy and many times not very fun but the end result is all worth it.
Chalk Talk
1. Set two goals for each of the following areas:
o Spiritual Life
o Mental Life
o Physical Life
2. What are two things for each area that you will need to add to or eliminate from your routine to accomplish those goals?
3. Write down what you desire your life to look like six months from now because of your training in these three areas.
Tim Snyder Coaching helps people who are searching to rediscover their passion and purpose for the life and career. Tim has spent a number of years working with individuals and organizations that are going through transition issues as well as setting goals for success. No one situation in a person’s life is the same, so Tim designing the coaching experience to what benefits the individual best. Tim has also designed a number of Keynote Presentations dealing vision and passion to help challenge organizations and companies.