The 3:40AM Reminder That Effort Is Always a Choice

EFFORT IS A CHOICE
3:40am

Feet hit the floor, teeth brushed, dressed and down the stairs. Amino Recovery + Creatine in my shaker and out the door.

It’s about 0.4 miles to the front of my neighborhood, where awaits my first order of business for the day… a 10-round mental-zapping workout consisting of Sandbag Burpees with a Toss, 4-Count Flutter Kicks, Ruck Swings & Thrusters, and a 100m Ruck. 60 in the Ruck, 80 in the Sandbag.

The list is short when it comes to things you actually want to do in the early morning hours, and I can assure you that carrying a 60-lb Ruck with an 80-lb Sandbag on your back is not one of them. But here we are.

I’m currently training for an event that’s in a category of one called GORUCK Selection. I’ll spare you my long-winded attempt at explaining what it is (just hit up Google/YouTube), but it’s a 48-hour endurance event put on by the awesome folks at GORUCK out of Jacksonville Beach, Florida. It’s the only event they put on where the cadre are actively trying to get you to quit, and most of the event is completely unknown.

I’ve done different types of events throughout the years that have tested me to my limits both physically and mentally, including a failed attempt at Selection a few years back.

I’ve learned, adjusted, and done other events that have built my confidence since then. I’ve dissected what went well, and more importantly, what went wrong during that event. I’ve attacked my weaknesses and have done the stuff I don’t want to do. And now it’s time to toe the line again and make peace with the beast that’s been looming since October 2021.

We always have a choice. Are you willing to do what it really takes? Are you going to show up on the days you don’t want to? When it’s inconvenient? When you’re sore? When you’re tired? When the day gets away from you and you tell yourself, “Oh, one day doesn’t matter.”

In a world where we control very little, it’s imperative that we double down on what we do control.

What do we control? The inputs. The effort. The work we put in. And as long as we pour everything we have and turn over every stone we can find, we can let it all hang out and be at peace with whatever happens.

I’m still haunted by that day in October 2021. I’ll never forget how I felt. But it’s forced me to grow. It’s forced me to get better. As a dad, husband, and human.

In a world of never-ending uncontrollables, we need to stay focused on what’s in our sphere of influence. Nothing else.

Effort is a choice.

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