In a modern culture where immediate results are expected, the prospect of uncertainty and risk of failure can be difficult to digest.
This applies to modern life but can be found in the continuous journey & pursuit of health, fitness & personal wellbeing too.
I was recently skipping through my r&b playlist and came across the powerful vocal ballad, Through The Fire by Chaka Khan released in 1984. I discovered the song in the early 2000’s when the hook was sampled by another young producer/artist who went on to have huge commercial success.
The song centres on three key themes and is ultimately about braving emotional challenges and facing uncertainty for the sake of true love. I use the same three themes to explore how we can overcome challenges when pursuing our health, fitness & personal wellbeing goals:
Uncertainty - “Even the best laid plans of mice & men go awry”, is a quote by Poet, Robert Burns. For example, the fitness training is impacted by poor weather, injury or an issue entirely outside of your control. Whether we like it or not, lack of sureness is part of the game. One response and approach to uncertainty is endurance. Stick with it, hang in there & you’ll smash it.
Risk - How will I feel if I don’t finish the challenge? I’ll be so embarrassed if I fail! What if I lose the game or miss my target? These are questions I’ve quietly asked myself, I think it’s pretty normal too, isn’t it? 🤷🏾⁉️ “I like taking risks it gives me energy”, is a quote by Jay Chiat. To put a spin on his company Chiat/Day’s axiom, “The trick is not in what you “do”, it’s in the way you “do” it. Feeling vulnerable when pursuing your next big hairy audacious fitness goal is ok. Do it anyway, you will not regret it.
Determination - The nutrition plan looked easier on paper. 👀 The burpee challenge didn’t look so hard on screen. 🥵 No one mentioned how tough it is to keep going when everything says, stop! 👋🏾🛑 All uphill challenges require a determined spirit to get to the summit 🧗🏾🏔️but as we cannot see subjective traits, its difficult to measure how much of this ingredient is required. To make it simple, it just needs your commitment to doing what is necessary to get to the next milestone (not the finish line), just the next step.
So in the words of the great Chaka Khan through the lens of health, fitness & personal wellbeing:
“Through the fire,
to the limit,
to the wall,
For a chance to be with you 🫵🏽,
I’d gladly risk it all.”
I’d love to learn what tips helped others handle uncertainty, risk and built their personal determination. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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