“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” – Rush, Freewill (AKA: the greatest band of all time)
Alright, first thing, if you have never heard of Rush, let me point you in the right direction (CLICK ME NOW).
Beyond being an incredibly talented group of musicians, the band Rush just so happens to be well known for some profound and thought-provoking lyrics like the ones shared above.
Now I want to keep this short today, so I’ll get right to the point.
As we go through life there are going to be moments where we will feel like in-action is the best choice. Where it’s better to stick with what is known over the unknown because it’s going to keep us safe and certain.
But as athletes, or for anyone else really, no matter what you decide to do, you are going to experience some form of suffering. Check out the image below to see what I mean.
There are many paths of life and they all lead to different results. Yet, ultimately it comes down to what we are ready to experience through the journey that will determine how things turn out.
You can choose the road of comfort and coasting via Path A, but you are never going to achieve anything worthwhile (unless you are good with being average). This, of course, leads to the feeling of failure and suffering.
Conversely, you can embrace Path B. Here you’ll experience early setbacks, adversity, and a myriad of ways to suffer – but then you get better. You start to see major improvements. And evidently, you start to achieve what you want.
And this is what it all really comes down to. If you are screwed no matter which way you go, you can afford to take some risks. Because despite those risks, it’s worth doing it. Not to mention the cost of not doing it and pursuing Path A will lead you down a worse fate with more pain.
If you choose Path A, you waste your potential as an athlete and suffer for it. Or you choose path B, and you capitalize on your potential and suffer through the growth process
No matter which way you slice it, there will always be more than one way to experience suffering, you might as well choose the one that is going to lead you somewhere worthwhile.
So, the idea is simple. Choose your suffering. Make a choice on what is worth striving for and what you want to avoid. Let one pull you in and the other push you ahead.
-Derek
