Hello! I know haven’t written anything in a couple of months, and that’s because I’ve had a massive case a “writer’s block”. There’s been nothing inspiring me enough to write about, so I’m taking a lesson from myself in the past and I’m going to write about something old and close to me. Nothing like getting the juices flowing than just doing more of what you’re trying to get done.
Everyone has hobbies. Everyone has activities that they enjoy doing to pass the time or better themselves. But, what I’ve noticed that most people go through phases where they dive deep into a new hobby and then they are over it 6 months down the road. On the other hand, there are people who have a “defining” hobby, one that is part of the makeup of themselves as a person. Not necessarily something they do to better themselves, but an activity that seems as if it’s embedded into their DNA. It is what makes them who they are, not just something they do.
For me, it’s the weight room. Or even just exercising in its entirety. I’m 27 years old, and I’ve been working out for about 20 years, pretty much since I began training in Shootfighting at the age of 6. Ever since then, the gym is where I go to sift through my mind and put my energy into positive action. While it benefitted me physically, it also made a big impact on me mentally. What it means to me and my mentality towards it, is a lot different than most everyone I’ve met in my life.
I work out every day. I always do something physical, even if it’s as little as just one set of push-ups, I do some form of a work out every day. I plan my days around what kind of work out I’m going to do and what time I’m going to do it. I’ve altered and even canceled plans in order to make sure I did what I needed to get done. And honestly, I’ll work out twice a day most days, because one isn’t enough. A day without it will throw me out of whack and ruin my mood for the rest of the day. It’s the one constant in my life that I know I can count on regardless of the time, weather, or where I am in the world. It’s comforting to know that no matter how bad things might ever get, there’s an option for me to fall back on to make things better within myself.
Where I work out is very sacred to me. I work out on my own more times than I work out with others, because of what it means to me. I don’t like having people with me because they usually don’t have the same view of it as I do and don’t possess the same mentality for it as myself. Yes, there are others who go to the same gyms, and there are groups of others I train amongst within certain settings, but they are members of the gym just like I am. It’s more a case of them working out at the same time as I do, and not necessarily with me. But, there is a very small group of people in my life who I have invited to come and work out with me, and in some special cases, to come and join the gym with me. They all happen to be people I really care about. I don’t just let others work out with me, I’ll even make excuses as to why I can’t work out with them for that reason. It’s very important to me, and it is a piece time I’m selfish about so I don’t take it for granted.
It doesn’t matter what happens, good days, bad days, or whether I’m happy, sad, anxious, excited, depressed, upset, overjoyed, sick, healthy, injured, etc., it does not matter. The prescription for it all is the weight room. I’ve gone in immediately after getting the best news of my life to celebrate with myself, and I’ve have gone in by myself after having some kind of emotional episode. I went and put the music on as loud as I could so I couldn’t hear myself think, and lifted for an hour with tears running down my face. Essentially lifting the thoughts away and letting any anger and sadness expel itself out of my mind and body, all while in one of the few sacred places in my life where I know I can go and be vulnerable and be exactly who I am.
The weights don’t judge, they don’t lie, all they do is tell you exactly who you are and what you can do.
What is your defining activity and why does it mean so much to you?