Ep30—Harnessing Grit to Shatter Barriers

Here's your personal invitation to a journey of self-discovery and strength, as we navigate the complex intertwining of mental and physical fitness. Your host, Paul Hawthorne, takes us on a rollercoaster ride, sharing his own experiences of overcoming fears and self-doubts, using the gym as his battlefield. Drawing on the grit and tenacity it takes to push his physical boundaries, Paul reveals how he is able to conquer his mental hurdles, leading us to explore how we can apply these strategies to more than just our fitness routines.

We’re not just talking about weights and treadmills here, we're delving into the philosophy of "staying within yourself". Across this episode, Paul artfully expands this concept to other aspects of life, like producing a successful podcast, building meaningful relationships, and breaking through self-imposed barriers. Diving into the psychology of the fear of an uncertain future, Paul offers a powerful reminder to live in the present, to simplify, and to not let the fear of the future impede your current progress. So, tune in for a fresh perspective on overcoming personal challenges, and learn how you can cultivate your own strength. Let's shatter those barriers together!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:22

Hello and welcome to the Healing Is Everything podcast. I'm your host, paul Hawthorne. In this week's episode, I'm going to devolve some thoughts I've had on intro inspection discovering your strength and having a positive impact on your universe and those fortunate enough to be part of it. Now you know, like you know, how I like to go deep, so here's my perspective on this topic. So most times, our deepest source of agony doesn't stem from the situation, but from what we speculate. That instant might be right or imply. It's not about the circumstances, but our interpretation of them.

Speaker 1: 1:09

This is a philosophy I personally relate to fitness or weight training, as it's where its resonance is most evident. To me. It's unignorable, considering my near daily trips to the gym with a preconceivable you know, five to six times per week, if not more. It allows me to delve into this theory based on this personal experience that I have at the gym. Now, on most days when I'm in the gym, it could be for strength training or muscle endurance. It offers an opportunity to vent the day's frustrations or simply hit the reset button. However, there are instances when I feel that this particular workout will serve a different purpose. It will be a test of my metal. These are the instances when I'm prepared to give my all, ready to push my boundaries.

Speaker 1: 2:07

What I've found as is I incrementally increase the workload or the weights during my hour long session is that my mind tends to obsess over what's to come. It constantly cautions me about the energy that remains to be expended, questioning whether I have the stamina to reach my personal record. Now, this is especially intense during the last set of exercises, when my body is drained and I continue to push to my maximum capacity. While executing the final reps of a heavy set, my body continuously signals to my brain that I'm not yet done, creating an association of more repetitions with increased discomfort. Now, I don't know if this happens to you, but this often results in a minor cycle of panic where I simultaneously trying to talk myself out of pursuing one more set or rep. Now is not the time to hold back. I tell myself I've come way too far and I'm so close to reaching my daily goal. It finally occurred to me that, while the struggle in the last rep of the set is challenging, it's the notion that there's more to come that's most painful. It's not the physical strength but the internal monologue that causes the most discomfort. In fact, I believe I could sustain this level of exertion for another hour if it were a life or death scenario, if it were necessary. It's not the task or goal laid out before me, it's my interpretation of it, and so this small phrase has enabled me to reassess and refine my approach, not just in circumstances like these or when performing other demanding tasks like running or practicing yoga, but in trying to do everything else associated with my life Produce an impactful podcast, for example, or share wisdom and insights across various platforms, or cultivate relationships, challenge limits in any other aspect of my life.

Speaker 1: 4:28

I have a simple phrase that I think is super helpful in these moments Stay within yourself. It's the principle that your role is so incredibly straightforward that it's startling. Just take one step after another, certainly glance up so you know where you're heading, but there's no need to overanalyze, interpret or dissect. There's no division between there and here. Then and now, there is only this moment. Hence step a gain and a gain and a gain when my mind begins to ponder how much is left.

Speaker 1: 5:18

I have betrayed the mantra. No external distractions are permitted. Stay within yourself. You have a task at hand and more than competent to execute it, but external elements must be excluded, distractions must be resisted and sometimes, when you get it right, you hit a stride, a pace that akin to a machine, a rhythm that's incomparable. Stay within yourself, breath by breath, as the air nourishes your muscles aching from the exertion of the pushing that weight, repeatedly, as the air enters your lungs and is exhaled into the world. You realize that when life is simplified to such an extent, obstinably significant things are revealed for what they truly are Simply a commitment to doing the little things consistently. It's amusing to reflect on every gym, every piece of home equipment I've ever purchased, and pair the location with the lesson it taught me, the moments of revelation, the memories of gyms forever interwoven within my life, what they offered me, what it meant as I carried it forward into the world. And here we are again new chapter, new insight. Once the work-o-closer shed, the rest of the day commences, recollecting how fiercely I strive to complete that last rep during my final set serves as a guiding mentor.

Speaker 1: 7:16

Paul, simplicity is everything. It tells me. That difficult thing isn't really that hard because it isn't that large, it's not that complex. The fears you've conjured are self-made. Your pain isn't focusing on the present, it's pointed towards the next gym session. It questions what could go wrong, how long this can be sustained and whether I have the endurance to do it. Each query gives strength to an opponent that has no place in my world. They aren't helping me reach any finish line. In fact, they represent that negative self-talk I try hard, so hard, to suppress. But here they are quite skilled at masquerading as the bare facts of the situation. But they are not. They have no right to be near me or around me.

Speaker 1: 8:18

Breathe and exert. In reality, I need to simplify the world around me into a single word Now. And what you discover when you eliminate the emotion, the surplus, the simplicity of the task at hand. It may not be easy, but it's straightforward. Complexity is progress's foe. Right now might not be comfortable, but at least you're acting with clarity, and that is always sufficient to keep going, to advance, to stay within yourself, and that's what this is all about.

Speaker 1: 9:04

Asking the question where are you letting the future impede what you're doing now? Where are you letting the pain of what hasn't arrived yet, the fear of the roads yet traversed, prevent you from doing something that you're absolutely capable of? In this example, it's about breathing and pushing the weight. It's essentially switching off the mind and shifting into autopilot. Find the rhythm and strength and maintain. But the question is what is your passion? What metaphorical thing are you challenging yourself with daily? Have you identified one and two? What needs to happen right now to get there? Forget about the gap Right now. What is the simple solution? What is required of you in this moment and, perhaps most importantly, what needs to be cast aside and controlled?

Speaker 1: 10:15

It's often the case that we stagnate not because we lack the tools or abilities, but because we're overwhelmed with the wrong things, the wrong routines, the wrong thoughts. The most effective way to break through that self-imposed barrier is to actually construct barriers that prevent complexity from even attempting to make its present known. What is your singular passion? Stay within yourself, because when you do, you realize your strength. Stay within yourself because you are the architect of your narrative. Stay within yourself because all you need is the present to push forward In these moments. Life tried to pull you 1000 different directions, tell you 1000 different stories, but you pushed it all away. Find that power within the moment and stay within yourself. Well, everybody, I hope you enjoyed this week's episode. I will leave you with this message, like I do for every episode Believe in yourself, be kind to yourself and cherish your loved ones, sending you peace, healing and so much love. Bye for now, you.