As with any worthwhile, long term, pursuit; training is nowhere near as cool or flashy as it is made out to be. Like with other difficult undertakings, the end result is highly desirable. Frankly, however, a majority of the work itself is boring and difficult. For years on end, you sacrifice time (and at least some money) that you could be spent elsewhere to engage in activities that cause you discomfort. Then, you consistently eat according to your long term goals and not according to the momentary whims of your taste buds or stomach. There is very little that is gratifying about pursuing a high level of fitness, at least in the day-to-day sense.
These small, mundane actions compound. Over time and through rigorous adherence, you begin to see the beauty in the process.
This is is why it is important to instill in yourself (and your boys, if you are a father) a respect for the beauty of the mundane. The simple things, done at a high level, repeatedly. We know that we are to be faithful with little, so we can be faithful with much (Luke 16:10). This applies beyond just spiritually. Committing diligently to the small acts that make up the process of leading to your desired outcome is an important aspect. If you want to heat your home for the winter, thousands of individual pieces of firewood must be cut, split, and stacked. Likewise, if you want to build a strong and capable physique you will have to take thousands of individual sets uncomfortably close to failure. You’ll need to be disciplined thousands of times in getting out of bed on time to get your training in. You’ll need to choose foods that fit your goals rather than your short term desires, over and over again. It’s mundane.
The good news here is that habits get built. These small, mundane actions compound. Over time and through rigorous adherence, you begin to see the beauty in the process. You learn to respect, if not love, the mundane day-to-day tasks. Over the course of years, you can look back on what you were able to accomplish through seemingly onerous actions. The results speak for themselves. That is the beauty of the mundane.
