What I Gave I have, and What I Kept I’ve Lost

This is a saying that circulated around the weight room while I was playing football in college at San Diego State, initially brought up by the strength coach. It was used as some sort of a motivational piece to help us get into a mindset of going full speed during our upcoming workout or practice. The idea was simple: if you give all of your energy towards the workout, the payoff in the end will outdo what was initially put in. Essentially like an investment. And if you didn’t maximize the amount you put into your investment then you wouldn’t get that back in your return. Basically, give everything you have, and you will see the results quicker and more profoundly than if you only gave some.

This is a pretty well-known idea within the fitness industry and anyone involved in sports, because the more weights you lift, and the more time you spend practicing result in a quick return in growth and skill. But this idea doesn’t just end in the athletic realm, it branches off into other parts of your life all while keeping its continuity regardless of which aspect it’s involved in.

In the workplace, or if regarding a young adult/child a classroom, this saying makes itself useful once again. Take a look at everybody around you and notice the ones that are successful. That means anything, social media, music, art, business, etc. I would bet money that these are the people who do exactly what I am talking about when it pertains to what they are good at. They might not even be the most naturally gifted at what they do, but the fact that they put more of themselves into what they do, when they need to propels them above everyone else, regardless of where they start skill wise.

Relationships and friendships are effected positively by this as well. The only way either can blossom is if you continually feed it your time and energy. If you sit there and withhold things from people in your life, then you and that person will never have a shot to progress forward together. The biggest factor in any kind of relationship is trust, and if you can’t trust that giving more of yourself will benefit it, then you can definitely trust that there will be no growing trust and the relationship will stagnate. People have to believe that they have all of you and know what you’re about in order to trust and make something meaningful between the two of you.

You can’t withhold yourself and expect the same results as if you had given everything you have. Wasting opportunities to get better is a surefire way to never get to the level you want to be at in anything you do. So, if I have any tips regarding going after something, always remind yourself when you’re tired or don’t feel like doing something that necessary, that if you don’t give all of yourself to what you’re doing right now, you’re going to be behind on your progress and the next day you will be playing catch up, trying to make up the work you missed. But here’s the catch, you won’t really be able to ever get those moments back. So get it done now, the more you leave behind, the more you’ll be behind.