Epitome: Nothing Beats Hard Work: In the Gym, In Life

Monday, December 22, 2008

Nothing Beats Hard Work: In the Gym, In Life

We can learn a lot about life from the microcosm of the gymnasium. I saw a couple of guys recently working hard to reduce the load of extra pounds they’d accumulated over years of good living. They were both happy and talkative and seemed to be having a lot of fun.

At another corner of the gym was a slightly younger guy training on his own. He seemed less comfortable as he went from one machine and station to another. He actually seemed in a hurry. He was training quite hard.

Then it struck me. There was a distinct difference in these guys’ physiques. The two enjoying themselves, chatting between sets of exercise, were out of condition. One was rotund, the other puffing frantically at various stages. The other guy was quite trim and muscularly toned, with beads of sweat and vein-infested arms to match.

There was also the difference in time expended in the gym. The two less conditioned guys were in the gym much longer than the fitter gent. The other guy was in and out of the gym in less than an hour; the less conditioned exponents lingered for at least thirty minutes longer--there was no hurry for them.

I got to thinking. What level of diligence does it take to succeed in the gym? What workload and level of commitment does it take to build and maintain a good body?

Perhaps the old 19th Century preacher, Henry Ward Beecher said it best:

“It is not work that kills men; it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more upon a man that he can bear. Worry is rust upon the blade. It is not revolution that destroys the machinery, but the friction.”

And this lesson beckons us to the broader landscape of life. What can we miss when we are prepared to work? I venture to say, ‘Not much.’ Work seems to run consistently with life; those who work seem to be happiest. Work satisfies.

Whether it’s work or work in the gym, don’t dilly dally around. Do your work and then go on to the next thing. Gossip and small talk really have no place where there are things to do. This is not to say a good chat is worthless; we must separate socialising from work. Do the work, then socialise.