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- Are You Prepared?
A quick note from the author: The Strange Him!! newsletter was initially going to be published weekly and sent out on Friday mornings. Due to a recent change at work, staying on that schedule doesn't seem feasible. The Strange Him!! newsletter will now be published on Saturday mornings going forward. I hope you will continue to support and, hopefully, enjoy The Strange Him!!
Say What?
Last week's newsletter included a powerful and thought-provoking statement: "Commit to doing hard things in your life." This simple yet profound message invites us to reflect on the nature of challenges and the role they play in our personal growth and development. But why should we embrace challenges in the first place? Naturally, as human beings, we are wired to seek ease and comfort, gravitating towards situations that offer us a sense of security and familiarity. So why, then, should we step out of our comfort zones and face hard things head-on? Maybe we can shed some light on why doing hard things is good for us.
Seek Hard/Difficult
I’m betting everyone reading this has a life that is all peaches and cream, a bowl full of cherries, and for some of my buddies, beer and skittles. There are never any issues with home life. You have no bills, are debt-free, and all the money you bring in is surplus. None of your family has ever been sick or broken a bone. The car always runs perfectly and, as a matter of fact, your car knows to never have a flat tire. Does this sound like any of us? Hardly. No matter how good life is, there are always, always, always going to be situations that come up that are difficult to deal with. Every single one of us. None of us go looking for these times in our life; they just show up. And usually at the most inopportune time. I’m not going to give examples, as all of us can think of a time in our life when things got really tough. Were you prepared? Yet another reason to do hard things is because when we do hard things, we push the bounds of mediocrity. Doing hard things will force us outside of our comfort zone. Our comfort zone is where we find mediocrity and our limits. When we challenge ourselves to do something hard, we find ourselves stepping outside of our box, away from mediocrity, self-doubt, and our preconceived doubts. Each of us has 8 dimensions of well-being. Look at the Wellness Wheel below and see how your life aligns with the dimensions of wellness shown. These are the prevalent areas of our life that we commonly relate to every day.
The Wellnes Wheel - The 8 Dimensions of Wellness
After looking at the wheel, think back on the times you have run into the unexpected walls of life. How many of these dimensions did it affect? Are you still struggling with some areas? How did you get through that time? What helped? We will explore a few different ideas that are “hard.” These ideas, or others you may think of, might help prepare us for the struggles that we all inevitably face in this life. By consistently seeking out to do hard things, we will undoubtedly gain confidence to face the battles of life when they arise. Doing hard things can impact both the big areas of our life and the little things. Heck, there are times I just need to be able to hold the board up over my head with one arm while I use the other to screw it in so it will stay up. If I hadn't started putting hard things in my life to do, who knows, I might need someone else to hold that board up. Doing hard things is all about preparing and equipping yourself for the things that are inevitably going to happen in our life.
About six years ago, I started with my group (F3). After a couple of years, I fell off for a little while, but I am back on the wagon pretty consistently now. This morning I burned about 740 calories in 50 minutes. Was it tough? Harder than I wanted it to be. Did I really want to do it? I really did, but I lay in bed... but... I knew I needed to because if I didn't,
I would feel bad because I let myself down. (My day just starts wrong when I feel I have let myself down. I would imagine this is true for all of us.)
I would feel bad because I would feel like I let my buddies down, the ones I work out with. (Accountability is a real tool that can be a huge benefit in your life. If you missed the “EXCUSES” newsletter, go back and check it out. We talked a little about Excuses and Accountability.)
I would feel bad because I would start thinking that I missed an opportunity to make myself better, and because I missed it, I am either no better than I was the day before or worse than I was the day before.
Ready to better yourself? Hard tasks are something I try to embrace, but I will be honest, it is not always fun or easy. Read through the following ideas and you may find something that might just interest you. Even if these particular suggestions don't ignite your fire, they'll undoubtedly inspire you to uncover your own hard challenges. Seek out those hard activities and interests and you can not only start preparing yourself for the valleys in life we all experience but you might also push yourself to new heights you have never witnessed.
Become a Specimen
(or at least be in your own eyes)
Want to challenge yourself to do something physically hard in your life? Check out a few of the following. This list is in no way exhaustive, but they are things I know. I will leave a link down below to each of these.
F3 - (Fitness, Fellowship, Faith) This is my cult. This is my weekly dose of doing something physically hard in my life. This group has been my motivation to try and up the ante a few times. I have some guys I workout with that subscribe to this newsletter (I’m not sure they can read it…they might get one of their kids to read it to them, but I digress) and when they read this they are going to be like…I never saw that coming or he is not for real. Well, it is for real! The follow physically hard thing I am going to try in my life with be the next hard thing on this list.
GORUCK - A few years a go, I did an event and hurt my foot. That injury kept me sidelined for quite a while. This was a 50-mile ruck that was to be completed 20 hours. To some that might not sound like much but it was the hardest thing I have ever done physically (and almost the toughest mentally) in my life. Since then, I guess my brain has gotten softer and I seem to have forgotten what that ruck did to me and I am ready now to tackle a new GORUCK challenge…a Tough! This is a 10-12- hour event that will cover 15-20 miles. Not only will the participant be carrying 30lbs in their rucksack for the duration but there will be multiple stages/obstacles to overcome during this event. This is an ultimate form of team building. It is all about the team succeeding and from that one gains an opportunity to grow as an individual.
Want more of an individual challenge? Try a Spartan Race. “From obstacle course racing to regular Trail foot races, Extreme Endurance events and Peak Races, and even paddleboarding, this list truly has something for everyone.” As you can see if you want to test yourself, Spartan can fill that need. From some of the most extreme endurance races that can humble most anyone to 5K Sprints with 20 obstacles…if you have a bit a of physical training you can conquer a sprint.
Need something to test your will, perseverance, and possibly change your life as you know it? Give the Cocodona 250 a run. Staring at Deep Canyon Ranch in Black Canyon City and ending after a continuous 250 mile route, in Flagstaff, Arizona. Chadd Wright said that if the Cocodona 250 would have had some cold rain thrown in, it would have been as tough as Hell Week during SEAL training. If that’s not tough, I don’t know what is.
Strengthen Your Gray Matter
Challenges aren't always physical; intellectual pursuits can be just as demanding. At 52, I feel as though I am pushing my intellectual limits. Thirty years ago, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology. In my final semester, I took the first of two exams in my pursuit to obtain my Professional Engineer’s license. Scoring a 68 without preparation drove me in a different direction. Disappointed, I chose to pursue my Professional Land Surveyor’s license instead. Now, 30 years later with a new job and a different direction, I am preparing to retake that initial exam, again, and try to earn my Professional Engineer’s license, again. Years have passed since I last tackled subjects like calculus, chemistry, physics, and dynamics. Yet, my determination to improve my family's future drives me to face this challenge head-on. The outcome is uncertain, but I am committed to trying rather than giving up. Perhaps you have aspirations you've yet to pursue. It's never too late to start a new intellectual journey. Continuous learning is always within reach, no matter the difficulty. Embracing long-held intellectual challenges can foster personal growth and positively impact your overall well-being. Just because it is hard, doesn’t mean you can’t achieve it.
What about your wallet?
You might be wondering right now, what does doing hard have to do with my wallet? Are you 100% confident in your financial literacy when you talk to someone about money? I struggle with my confidence in this area for sure. have you ever heard of a candlestick chart? Until this morning, I had never even heard the term much less know how to use one. Dig into your wallet. Do have enough Benjamins in your wallet to go anywhere you want to take off and go to today? Do you have enough zeros to the left side of the decimal point to say you are financially independent? Nope, me either. There are few things harder than being on the outside looking in regarding money. If you are anything like me, it is nothing about the material things or keeping up with the Joneses. No, it is about freedom. Freedom from the 9-5, the rat race, the grind or whatever you want to call it. Challenge yourself to do something hard regarding your finances. It can be something as simple sounding as getting out of debt and being consumer debt free. Dig in and see how hard it is to start watching every penny in order to bring your finances from the red and into the black. Take it upon yourself to become financially literate. It will take time as there is so much as it relates to finance. I started trying to educate myself last year and I still have trouble remembering the difference between a mutual fund and a hedge fund. Look at the graph below. Do you really understand what it is saying? I honestly cant say I do. Disregarding the graph, do you know what the S&P 500 is? I might know but to be honest, it would just be a guess.
The point of all this is, do something related to your finances that is hard, something that will make you better, something that will get you one step closer to freedom. Who doesnt want to be free??
Get Even Keeled
This might be one of the trickier areas on the Wellness Wheel for some folks: emotional well-being. Emotional well-being is a crucial aspect of our overall health, yet it often gets overlooked or pushed aside. Some of you might be carrying a heavy burden, something you keep buried deep inside, hidden from the world. It can feel like an old anchor, weighing you down, making it difficult to move forward in life. Sometimes, our pride stops us from dealing with our emotions the way we should. We as MEN might think that admitting we need help is a sign of weakness, but in reality, it takes immense strength to confront our inner struggles.
Doing the tough thing might mean seeking professional help to handle the daily burdens. This could involve talking to a therapist or counselor who can provide you with the tools and strategies to manage your emotions effectively. Or maybe it’s reaching out to a family member you distanced yourself from years ago. Reconnecting with someone from your past can be daunting, but it might be exactly what you need to right the ship. Find your even keel and be the MAN you need and want to be.
I know I quoted this last week, but I think it stands to be repeated.
The reason to deliberately do hard things is so that when non-self-elected challenges arrive (& they will), you can tell yourself: “I don’t know how this is all going to turn out, but I am certain I can do hard things.” Don’t self injure. But doing hard things is always worthwhile.
Andrew D. Huberman, Ph. D.
I will weekly continue to promote my “cult”! If you want to put your toe in the pool of doing physically hard things. This is a great place to start.
F3 Nation - Fitness | Fellowship | Faith ®
F3 is a national network of free, peer-led workouts for men. Our mission is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.
I know I have mentioned GORUCK every week since we have started this also. GORUCK is a great place to find events that will take you out of your comfort zone and stretch you to the point where you cant keep going…and then your realize you can.
The GORUCK Challenge
GORUCK builds the best, toughest rucking gear to equip the rucking revolution — we force multiply through training, Events, and GORUCK Clubs that empower real world communities in service to something greater than themselves.
On your on or with a team. Spartan has something for everyone from every age to every skill level.
Spartan Race | Obstacle Course Race | Find Your Next Challenge
Committing to the hardest obstacle course race on the planet will make you physically fit, mentally strong and more resilient. What are you waiting for? Sign up today and race with us in 2024.
One for true ultrarunners who want to push themselves to the absolute limit. The Cocodona 250 is for you.
Home
The Cocodona 250 links together some of the most iconic trails and towns in Arizona for one monumental undertaking of 250 consecutive miles on foot.
10 Reasons Why Lifelong Learning is the Only Option
By Caroline Vander Ark & Mary Ryerse - It's important to foster a love of lifelong learning. Click here for reasons & ways to get started.
Become smarter and wiser regarding your finances. This is not a end all be all, but might be a good place to start.
Why Financial Literacy Is Important And How You Can Improve Yours
Learn about financial literacy, including its importance, scope, and benefits. Here's a high-level overview on becoming financially literate.
If you are having some emotional/mental problems. Reach out to someone…anyone. Asking for help is not a weakness. Getting past their pride, becoming vulnerable, and reaching out it is one of the hardest things a person do. If you dont know where to turn click below to find someone who can guide and direct you and help you get back to a better you.
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