As I entered the gas station near my house at 5am, I was looking forward to my routine hot cup of coffee. It started out as a normal morning, but as I walked in I felt a man right on my heels, looking me up and down. I poured my coffee and secured the lid. Again, I felt the man just staring at me. I decided to make eye contact and wish him a good morning. When I did, I was staring into the thickest pair of eyeglasses I had ever seen. “Good morning,” I said. The man shifted his eyes from me to his coffee cup. He was dumping powdered creamer in his cup and all over the counter. I bet he used half of the container. I felt like we were both in a cloud of creamer dust trying to talk to each other. Without looking up he asked, “You workout?” “Yes Sir,” I answered. He turned as if he were a cowboy about to pull a six shooter on me, and pointed to his stomach. “I’m 77 years old and I walk 7 miles a day. You don’t think that’s enough?” he asked still pointing to his stomach. Being a goal oriented Strength Coach, I of course asked, “Enough for what?” At this point, he was still pointing to his stomach and stirring the paste in his coffee cup. He stopped stirring and excitingly said, “Punch me in the stomach. Go ahead! Punch!” And soooooooo…..I did. Well, not really a punch because I envisioned security cameras in the store recording a young man knocking out an elderly man. This snowballed into visions of myself in handcuffs on our local news channel and then in a viral video on Entertainment Tonight. So in a flash, I karate chopped the gentleman’s stomach, fully expecting to feel my fingers go through his stomach, across his vertebrae, into his spinal canal, thus severing the spinal cord, and paralyzing a man who was probably a war hero. Instead his stomach stopped my hand, jammed my fingers, and yes, caused me to make some sort of audible cry for help. I began to shake my hand in an effort to unjam every single one of my knuckles. “Yes Sir…7 miles is enough,” I said. The elderly man smiled and winked at me through the twelve sheets of glass that made up his eyeglasses. I paid for my coffee and drove to my gym.
So what lesson did my fight with the old man at the gas station inspire me to share with you? Take a self-defense class? Don’t mess with old people? Don’t make eye contact with people at 5am? Stop drinking coffee? Not at all. My message to you is : BE EXCITED!
Be excited about the things you have, the things you do and the people you interact with in your life. And yes, even be excited about your exercise program. We all know attitude is a huge factor in your adherence to a specific nutritional pattern and exercise program. I don’t even want to go that deep though. I just want to tell you to be excited about what you’re doing for your health. Be excited you’re doing something so positive for yourself. Be excited you are extending the years you get to share yourself and your gifts with us – the world. If you have children, do not complain about the way you “have to” eat. Do not speak negative words about “having to” go exercise. Let them hear your excitement about working out and eating healthy foods. Your excitement will set up positive pathways and habits in their own minds. I’m not saying you have to go around town demanding people punch you in the stomach, but you can certainly talk about what you’re doing. Ask others to join you. Show and speak excitement and gratitude about doing the things that make you whole and healthy. Give someone an encouraging wink. You never know, your excitement about your own life may make all the difference in the world to another. It may even give you an opportunity to share your testimony. Your joy and excitement brings glory to God and reflects His light to others! Lastly, if you happen to run into an elderly man wearing thick glasses, with what looks like mud in his coffee cup and he asks you if you think walking 7 miles a day is enough for a 77 year old, look down at the ground and simply say, “Sounds good to me sir.” Then turn…and calmly walk away my friend…just waaaallllk away:)
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
God Bless!
