August 26, 2011
by bbluford
Chop big or chop small. Chop quickly or chop slowly. But whatever you do, Keep Choppin’!
Not long ago I was going through one of my crazy circuit training routines when one of the employees at the gym looked at me with a peculiar, perplexed, almost confused face. She’s seen me there dozens of times—always friendly and conversant—so I was wondering why she was looking at me in such a manner. Her confused look was actually, well, confusing me a bit. Later she walked by and said “Why do you work so hard? Is it like your thing or something?” I didn’t really know how to respond. As odd as it sounds, I initially felt the way I did when I was in high school, the same way a lot of kids, struggling to find an identity, to fit in yet stand out, feel. I thought back to a time when doing the best you could in school meant you were being a “teacher’s pet”, “bookworm”, or worse yet, a “know-it-all”. I remember when my teammates called me “Coach’s Favorite” just because I did my best to be first in every sprint, first in the weight room, and last to leave the field after practice. Even as you get older, these labels don’t escape you. Young men and women who go to college are often accused by their less ambitious friends and classmates of “thinking they’re better” than them. Even wearing a suit to work, as I experienced firsthand, can create a stir and be frowned upon when those around you are more comfortable in Kakis and Polo Shirts.
So, I was actually unprepared to respond to Jo, the employee who had caught me off guard with her comment. I forgot what my response was. I probably said something I thought was funny like “I have to keep at it because the pool boy my wife hired is too handsome.” Or I may have brushed it off with “Nobody’s going to do it for me.” Whatever I said, I realized later the real reason. And unlike my normal witty and charismatic responses, it’s not very funny, clever, or necessarily inspiring or informative. It is however, law. It is a universal law that, while boring and simple, is one that few accept, let alone embrace.
I’ve gotten to where I am, you see, not by large jumps or progressions. Whether as a student, a finance professional, a wanna-be programmer, a father and husband, or a fitness junkie (and sometimes coach), it’s always taken (actually taking) some time to grow and learn. And I’ve always understood and accepted that. It was never—it is never—one big step. It is dozens, hundreds, even thousands of small ones. When you’re chopping a tree down, for example, you never know which chop ultimately brings it down. It’s a combination of all of them. When you study for a test, you can never pinpoint which hour or minute ultimately produces the outstanding score you receive. And it’s never one, two, or even three things that make someone fall in love with you. It’s the entire you. The whole is always more than the sum of the parts. Read more of this post
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