The Voices

Some mornings the voices arrive before you do.

You wake up slow and ask yourself why you slept that long. Before your feet hit the floor the voices start.

Training today does not matter. Nobody is watching. Nobody cares. You are not elite. You are not exceptional. You are barely average.

That is the script. Most people hear it and go back to bed. They tell themselves the rest day is earned. The voices win, and they call it self-care.

You must do something different.

You are going to hear the voices and recognize them. Yes. All of that is true. You are not elite. You are not exceptional. You are barely average.

The voices are not lying to you. They are telling you the truth about where you are. That truth is the starting line, not the verdict. They are fueling the mission

This is exactly why you cannot take the day off.

The person with natural talent can afford a missed session. The one with elite genetics can afford a soft week. You are neither. You have to fight harder than other people just to stay mid-pack. The voices that are listing your limits are also handing you the reason to go.

Read that again. The voices are the reason. Not the obstacle.

The voices never go away. Not at twenty. Not at forty. Not at sixty. The person who waits for them to quiet down before he trains will never train. The person who trains while they are still talking is the one who builds something.

On the other side of the work, they get quieter. Not gone. Quieter. That is the deal.

The workout is part physical, part mental. Some days it is mostly mental. Some days the only training that happens is the act of getting out the door while the voices tell you not to.

Lace the shoes. Open the door. Step outside.

Bring the voices with you. Just get out of the door and start moving.

“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” — Seneca