Beating Your Time

“No Matter How Good You Are, There’s Always Someone Out There Beating Your Time.”

As a teenager, this maxim of my dad’s came across to me as “The success you have today is never enough. You’ll never BE good enough. You’ll always have to keep struggling just to stay afloat. Anything else is slacking.”

I suspect he didn’t mean it that harshly.

These days I hear a different message. Someone out there outperforms me … yup. That’s life. There are thousands of things to excel at and nobody has time for them all, even when we have the raw talent. But what do I want from myself? Am I the best I can be, today, at the things that matter to me TODAY?

My father was a hard worker who often ignored his own emotional and physical well-being. At 50 I realized I was on the same path, and that what I wanted to excel at was MY potential. Nobody else’s. Including the potential to live a better quality of life, with greater health and deeper fulfillment, than he could find for himself.

Near the end of his life, there were a couple of occasions when he told me directly that he saw my achievements and respected them.

The kicker was: I already respected them myself. That self-respect came late but it created the opportunity for even more.

I’m beating my own time every day. If not in weight lifted or miles ridden on my bike, then in making it another day older and still living as well as I can. I’m nearly the age he was when his health began to catch up with him. I have much better chances than he did. He absolutely wanted that for me. A big part of my work as a fitness professional is attempting to create circumstances where you can do that for yourself too.

© 2022 Grampa Fitness

Disclaimer: Ideas expressed in this blog post should not be construed as official advice on how to safely perform fitness activities. Always consult with your doctor and other medical professionals as necessary, before engaging in exercise.