The Stuff I do at the Gym....Sheese!
The stuff I do at the gym…sheese!
by Michelle Shelton
My favorite saying is, “The way you do anything is the way you do everything.” I don’t know who said it. I think I heard it from T. Harv Eker. The thing is, from the very first time I heard it, I have contemplated it. I began to watch in my life to see if I thought it was true. Sure enough, I did see bits of truth creeping through and then one day at the gym it hit home!
My husband and I were at the gym and each of us was on an elliptical machine. We were side by side and I started to give him a little smack-talk.
“I am kicking your butt.” I taunted.
To which he replied, “I am not racing.”
“Chicken.” I said. He gave me a side-ways look.
Then it struck me! I looked over and he was on level 20 and climbing. What he was doing looked very difficult to me. It seemed to be very challenging to him too. I looked down at my own legs going 100 miles an hour. I realized my smack-talk was a sign of competition and I always do that! As I was noticing how each of us was working out on this machine these words came to my mind, “The way you do anything is the way you do everything”. Oh my gosh! This is exactly how we live our lives. I rush though everything. It is a race. Let’s get it done NOW! And the competition…well if THEY can do it, I can do it AND better! Once it gets to easy, I mix it up and add some new learning to challenge me so I don’t get bored and I start the climb again.
I began to process this thinking. I glanced over at my husband again and asked myself, what does he do in his life? Does he make things difficult? Does he push himself to the limit in his life? Does he take on HUGE challenges and sometimes suffer? Challenges to where he can hardly BREATHE. I would have to say yes, he does.
Fast forward a couple of months. I was at the gym this morning and I was watching people work out. I was thinking about my own workout and what I do to mix things up. I am constantly changing my workout for maximum benefits. When it starts to become easy I shift and challenge myself again. When it starts to get easy I mix it up again. Over and over I do this for what I think produces the best result. I think in all areas of my life…once I master it, it starts to become easy so I take it up a notch.
So, today I was watching other people at the gym. My husband wasn’t with me. I looked around and there was a woman who was running as fast as she can go on the treadmill. I have seen her there before. She comes in, does a few stretches, jumps on the treadmill and goes. When she is done, she heads out. I have said hello to her and I don’t think she really is aware of the other people around her. I wonder if her life is like that? I wonder if she is alone.
There was another gal that seemed as if she was strolling while she talked on her phone. She seemed very unaware of anyone else around her. She was talking very loud and didn’t seem to think about the fact that we may not care about her crappy date the night before or the fact that he was losing his hair. I wonder if she picks everyone apart or just this poor sap? She seemed a bit wrapped up in herself. A bit shallow.
One man was quite a bit overweight and he was barely moving on the treadmill while he read a book or something. I remember thinking, why bother? It didn’t seem like a book because it was loose, there were loose papers scattered about on the front of the machine and he seemed very unorganized. He was constantly shuffling through them. It seemed he kept loosing his place too. It looked like he would have to speed up to stop quite frankly. He was moving at a snails pace. I wondered if getting to the gym was a big accomplishment to him? He seemed like the slow and steady kind to me. It didn’t seem like he was going to push himself, EVER. At least he was at the gym and on the treadmill. I see people do this. You know the type…if I show up it will look like I am involved. Like I am doing something. I wonder if he is like this at work? I would bet the answer is yes. Unorganized. Slow. Moving yet not accomplishing much. Poor results.
This may sound like judgement. I don’t think it is. When I coach people, I hear them lie to themselves and justify all the time. Their result is always in their face. They tell me they want something and often ask me why they don’t have it. After all, I am the Coach, I must have their answers, right? I am being a little facetious here. A little.
“Hmmmm”, I say, “Perhaps you are lying when you say you want it?”
“WHAT?” Usually there is anger at that point. “How dare you call me a lier!”
I see it as stating the obvious. As a matter of fact, sometimes I think I should call myself Captain Obvious. In my head I can even hear the dun da da DAHHHHH of a superhero. The other things is, I think it’s funny when I point out the obvious and they think it is brilliant. I even sometimes wonder if I am missing something. Maybe someone is going to pop out from behind a curtain and go “DUH” or “Smile you’re on Candid Camera.”
Okay so back to the gym.
The last person I noticed was a guy “trying” to work out. What I mean is, he had someone talking to him. He was on one of the stationary bikes and he would peddle a bit and then slow down to talk and then peddle a bit more and then slow down. It didn’t seem like he was getting much of a workout in to me. As a matter of fact, I was seeing this happening in his life. I would guess he often allows others to take his time. To interrupt what he is doing. I would further guess he puts himself last. Behind others. After his “friend” left, his wife or partner showed up and said, “Let’s go.”
I hear him complaining as they walked out. He was complaining that he didn’t get his workout in and how he always felt like he couldn’t be “rude” to anyone. The word martyr flashed through my mind.
