No Pain No Gain

Injuries are common in any sport, so it is in GymnasiumJ. And so, I too was not spared from it! The other day during my regular workout session, I had broke out my middle finger of the right hand as it got crushed mercilessly between iron plates. The result is a fracture. Huh….this could demand at least 3 months of complete rest from stepping into gym, I thought to myself. Well, the next immediate day I had to collect some of my forgotten luggage from gym, so i made a visit again. I went little early in the morning around 4 30 AM to get my things and return home. May be destiny has some other plan for me.

Well, when I stepped into gym, I have seen something intense… !!!!! I saw a middle aged man, around 45 years working out hard. When I saw him doing that, I just couldn't stop myself and went near to him and asked “Hey, This is awesome…What motivates you?”  I know that I should not have asked such a question, firstly because he is much older than me and secondly he is complete stranger….!! Still, I don’t know what happened to me J. Then he answered to me saying “This question comes up at least 3 times a week while in the gym.  I can only assume someone sees me, my leg and other injuries and imagines how difficult it must have been to recover from such a traumatic event”..  I stopped him there…..traumatic event?  Then he replied to me saying “What the hell else am I supposed to do?”  Three years ago I was an officer at Coastal Guard. Now, because according to your standards I’m “disabled”, am I’m supposed to be a different person?  Sit around and feel sorry for myself?  That’s not in my nature; it’s not a CHOICE I’m willing to accept.” I was really taken aback by his words. YES, he was disabled and having NO LEGS.

Then I thought to myself, motivation or the lack thereof is a CHOICE. We can choose it.  Just like everything else in our lives we make a choice whether consciously or subconsciously, we chose who we are going to be and who we are going to become.  Are you happy with who you are today?  If not, what are you going to do to change it? Yes I am a firm believer of destiny , but this incident educated me that  we should not feel like everything in our life is beyond our control - we are a victim of life’s circumstances. No matter what happens to us, we have complete control in how we react to the situation. This incident also taught me that all your wants in the life comes with a sacrifice.  

Honestly, this man motivated me to be better.  To stop making excuses and to get off and start taking steps to become the person we want to be.  I’m humbled, even embarrassed, that he served as inspiration to me. Because,  it’s that person, who can’t even walk.

When I feel sorry for my finger being broken, I think of him and how much more he is suffering, how much more he have lost and still pushing on. .  Next time when I am tired, when I had a long day, my head hurts, shoulder hurts or feet hurt, I would just like to think: there is someone out there worse than me that would give anything to be able to call that a “bad” day. I really want to THINK ABOUT IT.

I’m fortunate enough to have had a unique life experience that has allowed me to be exposed to some of the most inspiring individuals anyone could ever hope to come across.  It’s hard for me to bitch about my injuries or situation having spent 2-3 months recovering next to a 45-year man who is missing both his legs.  I was amazed by his sheer will and determination to regain part of what was taken from him.  I walked away from watching him thinking to myself “There is no way I could do give up” not only in case of gym but in every move of our life.  

Every day I wake up and have a choice.  As the age old saying goes  “Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy”.

I can look at my finger and feel sorry for myself or I can choose to be better than yesterday. So,i choose to embrace what’s hard, not to fear failure and to strive to become better. 

And so…I got motivated again!!!!