Mind over Matter

I’m sure most of you if not all of you know the phrase “Mind Over Matter.” It’s basically pushing through difficulties to achieve a goal. I remember as a teenager seeing the Clint Eastwood move “Heartbreak Ridge” the phrase being used in a way that I think of every time I use the term. In the movie Clint Eastwood plays a Marine gunnery sergeant trying getting a motley crew of Marines (Forest Recon) back into sharp. In a scene where a big muscle bound guy comes up to him and tells him that the group no longer has to mind or obey his orders because he no longer matters. It’s a great scene.

I had a “mind over matter” moment today at the gym. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I do 25 minutes on a stationary bike and 20 to 30 minutes swimming laps in the pool. Today, after 5 minutes my body was telling me to just swim 15 minutes because I over worked my shoulders and back yesterday doing free weights. I told myself to just get to 15 minutes and then we will see. After pushing through 15 minutes in the pool, I pushed on and did a full 30 minutes of laps. I pushed through the pain and achieved my goal of swimming 30 minutes. I have to say that I’m tired right now but this too will soon pass.