Patience…

Rhi Reynolds

32 days until I’m on that platform. 32 days until the real test. 32 days. I can’t stop thinking about it; I can’t stop counting down the days. As an individual, and as a creature of habit, I am finding it increasingly difficult to rid myself of the bad habits. Since this journey has begun, I’ve discovered a new side of myself: a side that I’m beginning to like. However, despite the positive findings, there also has been some illumination to my faults. I realize I’m not the only person in the world who has flaws, so I came to a conclusion: preoccupation with that one bad behavior can devour you, but only if you let it. If you tackle the problem as soon as it’s recognized, you can turn a shortcoming into a success. The defect I noticed at the end of this week of training: impatience.

“Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.”

I can’t think of a better and more applicable quote for this particular circumstance. Impatience is one of the worse qualities that can plague you. I find that I have more patience in certain situations. When it comes to something I am striving for, I want to see results fast. In my rational mind I know results aren’t instantaneous. Trust me, that’s half the struggle. Every time I approach the bar, thoughts of the American Open barge into my head without even asking. Impatience creeps up when I feel like I’m not being consistent with my technique. It doubles when I miss a lift. It triples when I feel like I’m stuck at a certain weight that I should be throwing around like it’s a joke.

I’m sharing this with you not because I had a terrible training week. It’s not because I was at an emotional low. Actually, I had a great first week of training. I honestly felt like sharing because I noticed my impatience despite the focus I had throughout the week. I didn’t have perfect workouts all week. There were certain requirements in my program that I felt distinctly weak with. Not weak to the point of not completing it, but where the movement was difficult. We all know when something is difficult and doesn’t feel autonomous yet that we allow that small sliver of a doubt to sneak in. At least, that’s how I feel. I recognize my strengths and weaknesses, but I also am impatient and want to turn those weaknesses into strengths right away, without too much complication. Again, that isn’t the realistic way of thinking, is it? Being impatient when I don’t see the results right away leads me to become frustrated. When I’m frustrated I start questioning the task immediately. When I question something I start doubting…the process continues rolling downhill.

What I have learned is an early acknowledgement of the issue allows an expedient resolution. The earlier I can grasp what’s wrong, the faster I can execute the proper steps to address the issue. Every time I encountered a minor dilemma, I just took a breath. I took a breath and stepped back, and was patient. I reminded myself that impatience is just going to limit my success in the future. If it doesn’t come right away, then I’ll keep working diligently. If I’m cutting my pull short to get under the bar, I’ll just keep working on my triple extension. If I’m not clearing my knees away consistently the same way every time I’ll keep working until it is. If I’m not snatching a million pounds by the time the open rolls around, I eventually will get there.

Training toward the American Open is not nearly as physical as it is mental. And it demands quite a bit of physical labor. The great thing about the week off was that this week of training was pain free: physically and mentally. I allowed by body to heal, and let myself collect my thoughts. Without that week off, I don’t think I would have been able to single out my impatience problem. I would have just been tired and more impatient. Practicing the art of patience requires patience in itself. If that makes any sense.  I’m applying my newfound patience, and reminding myself that it is only the first week of training. I still have 5 more to go. If I’m impatient now I’m not getting anywhere. I want to go somewhere. That place happens to be in Texas. So, I’m gonna go back to living under that bar.

P.S. – If you want to read about what my week of training looked like, check out Outlaw Barbell’s American Open Peaking Cycle at http://theoutlawway.com/category/barbell/.  Spencer Arnold has us on a serious program!