Perseverance

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Last week, while doing squats pm the Kabuki Transformer Safety Squat bar, it felt really good, although a little awkward. I thought the awkwardness was from the specially bar being built in an universal manner, but a little on the larger size to accommodate really large lifters with thick necks. It was just something to get used to. But, when I unracked the weights to put the bar up, I realized that I had the left and right sides unequally clocked in, by a large margin.

Yet, I was still able to maintain balance and squat deeply for most of the sets and repetitions, , but I couldve done more weight and pushed a little more. But, you have to knowq when to give yourselve grace and a pat on the back for a job well done, even if it is not the way you would have originally planned. Being harsh to yourself rarely does much good, it only leads to depression and lack of motiviation to push further and get better the next time.

A year ago, I tried jump rope briefly tried jump rope and thoroughly enjoyed it, but stopped. Why? I made the mistake of recording myself and seeing how uncoordinated that my technique was, and allowed the harsh self criticism to set in. Instead of giving myself grace and taking myself into giving this daily practice and seeing what would happen after those months upon months of daily practice would ldo to my technique. The health will still be reaped with or without perfect technique , regardless.

We have to embrace the awkardness of getting better, becoming more confident, feeling stronger physically, spritiually and mentality. The more times that we create a “start over”, because of our harsh self criticism, it will only compund into deep regret, Regret that you did not accomplish when you were still healthy and at your peak. But, still a long as you get up, you can still change.

Grace is an essential part of life, whether you are giving it to yourself or to others. It feels much better to chuckle or give a smile to something not entirely done correctly, because at least it was tried and done. That is all that really maters.

This evening, I get back under the barbell for squats, and I am going to make sure that it is clocked in correctly and also do jump rope. It will all become better as long as perseverance is kept and quitting is never an option, never is again. Remember to give grace as long as you try, just try, a little better each trme.