It’s from Lifehacker’s list of Ten Sentences that Can Change Your Life. I think this one is right for just about any athletic pursuit. Thanks Rachel for noting that.
Philosopher, feminist, parent, and cyclist! Co-founder of Fit Is a Feminist Issue, co-author of Fit at Mid-Life: A Feminist Fitness Journey, published by Greystone Books.
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I like a bit of both. This morning for example I pushed myself in the weight room. But then my upper body was tired for my swim. I did more breast stroke than I normally would and broke up a few of my laps with kicking only (with a flutter board).
But I have to say that I’ve got some negative reaction to sayings like the one above. I think it’s almost putting a negative spin on comfort (akin to laziness). In our achievement oriented world we devalue lives in which people aren’t always striving for something. i object to that. People don’t always need to be looking ahead to what they can achieve or accomplish. There is real virtue in accepting and being happy with where we are right now.
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Sure. And in some areas of my life that’s fine. But I like athletic competition and striving to get fitter, faster, stronger…that’s a big part of what I love about it all. And I think I can both appreciate what my body can do now and strive to get better. The striving bit doesn’t mean I have to think I’m inadequate now. I know I’m not.
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And it’s also, for me, a reminder about trying new things and not sticking with what I’m already good at! Especially as we age I think there is a tendency to stay more inside our comfort zones and not push. For me, it’s a reminder to keep pushing. I feel better when I do. But I get too that different motivational sayings work better for different people.
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Sure. I think it’s the implicit judgment in the saying “comfort is the enemy of achievement” that rubs me the wrong way. It’s not just saying that some people like to push themselves and some don’t. It’s suggesting that if you’re not achieving, if you’re just comfortable, then you’re somehow less than. I’m cautious about that message in a culture that prizes achievement (of certain kinds) so highly, at the expense of everything else. It’s not much different (in my view) from “no pain, no gain.”
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“No pain, no gain” works for me too. 🙂
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Ah! That’s why you like it when the coach yells “suffer!”
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Pushing myself feels good while I’m doing it. At least, that’s how I remember the experience afterward.
I like a bit of both. This morning for example I pushed myself in the weight room. But then my upper body was tired for my swim. I did more breast stroke than I normally would and broke up a few of my laps with kicking only (with a flutter board).
But I have to say that I’ve got some negative reaction to sayings like the one above. I think it’s almost putting a negative spin on comfort (akin to laziness). In our achievement oriented world we devalue lives in which people aren’t always striving for something. i object to that. People don’t always need to be looking ahead to what they can achieve or accomplish. There is real virtue in accepting and being happy with where we are right now.
Sure. And in some areas of my life that’s fine. But I like athletic competition and striving to get fitter, faster, stronger…that’s a big part of what I love about it all. And I think I can both appreciate what my body can do now and strive to get better. The striving bit doesn’t mean I have to think I’m inadequate now. I know I’m not.
And it’s also, for me, a reminder about trying new things and not sticking with what I’m already good at! Especially as we age I think there is a tendency to stay more inside our comfort zones and not push. For me, it’s a reminder to keep pushing. I feel better when I do. But I get too that different motivational sayings work better for different people.
Sure. I think it’s the implicit judgment in the saying “comfort is the enemy of achievement” that rubs me the wrong way. It’s not just saying that some people like to push themselves and some don’t. It’s suggesting that if you’re not achieving, if you’re just comfortable, then you’re somehow less than. I’m cautious about that message in a culture that prizes achievement (of certain kinds) so highly, at the expense of everything else. It’s not much different (in my view) from “no pain, no gain.”
“No pain, no gain” works for me too. 🙂
Ah! That’s why you like it when the coach yells “suffer!”
Pushing myself feels good while I’m doing it. At least, that’s how I remember the experience afterward.
Yeah, me too.