Love and Life

Recently i read an article posted by Charles Poliquin titled "The Myth of Discipline". Poliquin is one of the worlds leaders in Strength Training and has been involved with many professional athletes and Olympians throughout the world. I really enjoy reading his ideas and advice since he isn't the type of trainer who is affected by the what the latest crazy is in the world of Training.

This particular article initially gave me the impression it would be focusing on peoples work ethic in the gym and how more things than discipline play a role. I was pleasantly surprised when I finished reading the article. To summarise, Poliquin basically says that the most powerful factor is Love. Love is what drives us, what motivates us. You are the result of what you love most. When we are faced with a choice...its ultimately love which drives us...not self discipline.

Charles then goes on to 8 tips for escaping the myth of discipline. Some of the points that jumped out me were...

2. Love is the greatest creative force of the Universe. Use it wisely.

6. What you appreciate appreciates. Whenever you make a truly loving choice, say to yourself ‘Thank you for taking care of me in a loving way”. The more you talk to yourself like a loving parent, the faster you will grow. Let’s say, for example, you just did a single on the squat with a load you didn’t feel like doing. Say: “Wow! I am impressed with your strength of mind, that’s why you are a champion”. By documenting and rewarding your successes, they will grow in magnitude and frequency. Whenever I meet a goal, I reward myself with positive things like a vacation or a new piece of equipment. When I get something better, I make the choice of giving away the old piece to someone who will appreciate it. Living a clutter free life allows for more growth.

While I dont agree 100% with every point...what he says draws some parallels to my life as a Christian. In Matthew 22:37-39 it says:

Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

While I could write all day long about the teaching of "love" throughout the Bible, I think this verse highlights how significant love is and should be to each of us. The fact that Jesus states that it is the first and greatest commandment should underline that point.

But simply we can look at our everyday life, what we do with our free time, what we fill our mind with. We spend time with the people we love, we read about the things we love, we talk about the things we love. Before I was a Christian, I loved to read books about crime fiction, I loved to watch action movies, I loved to play and watch sport...so naturally these were the things I commonly spoke about. Once I was born again...that changed. I loved God and this was what I filled my life with...so naturally this was what i spoke about.

So while the article by Poliquin is directed at people who have a problem with discipline in their fitness lifestyle, the key points can also relate to other areas of life. When I have a choice between reading a fiction book or reading the Bible...its not discipline that will make my choice, but my love which will drive my decision. Some people will say to me "you are very disciplined to be able to go to gym so frequently and work so hard"...but its not actually discipline but more a love for working out and keeping my body looking good.