Hey guys. Here are a few pics and vids from today's workout. Whether you're trying to get fit and build a healthy and fit physique, or trying to master the Greek of the New Testament, you have to be hyped, but not by the results. If you're just constantly thinking about the results, then you'll never be satisfied. You'll never be in the moment. I get rewarded every single day for being the person I want to become by executing the habits I know I need to take me to that position. I'm not even thinking about the results. I'm thinking about the present, about the joy of hard work. That's the feeling that brings me the greatest joy. People misinterpret the focus on results too much. You can't just be chasing results all the time. Results are the byproduct of the lifestyle you want to live, the person you want to be. The happiest people I see in the gym aren't those who are happy from achieving results. They're happy from the identity they have.
Every so often I get to preach in churches pastored by my former students. Sometimes I show them my Greek New Testament and ask them to read a verse or two. By "read" I don't mean simply pronouncing the Greek words out loud. I mean translating the Greek into English. It's very seldom that a student is able to do this. Mind you, these are students who have had me for 3-4 semesters of Greek and got straight As in their classes. The problem is that they failed to stay in the game.
Likewise in the gym. To get the physique you want starts with your mindset. Anyone you have ever seen with a great physique has started by developing their mindset. You can have the perfect workout plan, but none of that is going to matter if you don't have the mindset or the consistent system to actually back it up. If you're only interested in having the looks without building the mindset that guarantees it, my website is not for you. We're talking about an actual life change where we change our self identity. We change our belief system. We build systems that last. Achieving what you want is less about the results that you think you need and more about the person you want to become. Because every goal that you want has a lifestyle attached to it. If you constantly live in this state where all you think about are the results, you will never keep motivated to keep pushing forward. And what this means is that you just have to crave hard work. You have to love the idea of being the person who's doing what is required.
When I was studying Greek, I was only able to make actual change in my life and start getting results once I started being hyped not by the results but by the work. This is the only way to generate real consistency in your life. I know I can keep on giving myself a pat on the back as long as I stay in the game. There is no other skill in your life that will reward you as much as knowing how to be consistent, how to show up for yourself every single day.
That's true whether you're reading the Bible in Greek or weight training at the gym.
