The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

The last few days have been pretty busy.

I’ve been sustaining my workout regime, as well as digging back into my textbooks to prepare for the final exam I have coming up in a week and a half.

My workouts over the last few days have been challenging. I pushed myself to do just over two miles for my cardio workout yesterday, and believe me when I say I felt every step. I had a hard time even getting myself onto the treadmill yesterday, and throughout the entire workout I just wanted to get off.

I couldn’t get my pace up, and I didn’t set any distance records. In fact, my workout yesterday was more about going through the motions than anything, and some times that is all that matters.

The fact of the matter is, our brains are designed to protect us. Our brains don’t like discomfort, they don’t like effort. Our brains have developed in such a way to carry us on the path of least resistance. This isn’t always a bad thing, but something I have learned over the last few months and years is that without discomfort, there is no growth.

Since I’ve dealt with mental health issues, my brain would buckle when my emotions got to be too strong. I would reach to self harm. I would get suicidal. My brain would have me flee from the offending emotions.

I’m not going to discount medication in helping me get to where I am, but the medication isn’t the whole story. Learning how to sit in the discomfort has been a game changer for me. Learning how to push through the discomfort has helped me get stronger, mentally and physically.

Instead of buckling under the discomfort now, I’ve learned how to go through the motions, even when I’m not feeling it;, well, at least on most days. Somedays I succumb to things, but it happens must less frequently than it used too.

Two motivational people that have helped me with this change in mental attitude are people I have speaker about before: former Navy SEALs David Goggins and Jocko Willink. Both of them have a multitude of videos on YouTube that are well worth checking out, and their teachings don’t just apply to fitness, but to life.

One of Jocko’s main talking points is “Discipline equals freedom,” and he is absolutely correct. Since I’ve started down this path, my focus has been much better, and though I’m still not where I want to be, I am a hell of a lot closer. Having the discipline to push through the discomfort is helping in me in all aspects of my life. It’s helping with my work. My fitness. My mental health.

Still, with my mental health, not every day is a good day, and I do need to stay within my limits, which means I need my sleep, I need my down time, and I need to watch my stress levels. Still, pushing my limits allows them to grow, and my limits have grown exponentially over the last couple of years.

Fatigued or no, I know I am on the right track, maintaining this discipline in all aspects of my life. My writing continues to improve. My fitness continues to evolve. I’m learning more and more all the time.

Kevin

Link To Jocko Willink YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqcY4CAuBFNFho6JgygCnA

Link to David Goggins Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTTReIVTUjWIper6KTy65_g