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Finding Victory

 


I have been feeling like I’ve been fighting something off for a few days, so it was no surprise this morning to feel some congestion creeping into my chest. Warming up at the gym, my muscles and joints felt stiff and inflamed. I was already tired and fatigued before the warm-up was over. Then the excuses started coming. The desire to give in crept into my thoughts. I could hear the voice of Resistance trying to convince me to surrender and skip the workout.

“Your body deserves a break.”

“You need the rest.”

And the most insidious one, “You’ve done enough, you have earned the right to relax and take it easy.”

While it probably is true that my body could have used the rest and extra recovery, I also knew my mind needed to push back against the Resistance. It needed a fight. I am in the middle of a tough stretch with a lot on my plate and several extra obligations; I needed to start this week with a victory.

I forced myself through the workout. I did not break any records. The NFL did not send any scouts to watch my lifts. No one cheered. But I also did not give in. And while I did not feel the way I would have liked and things were rough going at times, I made all the lifts I set out to do. It was not pretty, but I got it done.

Too often we focus on the outcome of a personal battle to determine success or failure. But there are times that the victory is not in the outcome, it is in the struggle. Sometimes, the victory is not in the fight, it is the fight.

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