Social media allows for us to share our life’s experiences with others. While there is nothing wrong with showcasing these “defining moments” of our lives on Facebook, Instagram, or other platforms, we should all realize that these snippets are only windows into our lives. We don’t get to see the whole picture, only what the user decides he/she will show.

We often don’t think about or understand the process it took for those pictures to make their way onto our screens. A perfect example would be a video of a large set of dominos falling down. We see the end result, but have very little idea as to how long of a process the set-up took unless we’ve done a similar task.

I refer to these sorts of “setups” as “the grind.” “The grind” involves how you spend your time when you are tired. Do you hang the gloves and call it quits, or do you push on for another round? What about after that round? How do you react in the face of adversity? I think we should never cheat ourselves, and we should constantly be looking to press our limits so that we can grow. (Extreme Example: David Goggins)

Personally, a good example would be during a workout. For me, the biggest challenge I get is when I am trying to do as many push-ups as possible. I’ll get to around the 65-70rep mark, and I notice my mind telling me to quit. “You’re tired Paul, stop!” The voice appears every time. If I ignore this thought,  I noticed that I can consistently push out another ~10 reps. I realized that the only way I could know my limit is to continue on past the doubt until my arms are physically incapable of holding my body up. I don’t stop until my chin hits the floor. This has been my routine. I just need to apply this mindset to other areas of my life now!

With practice and repetition, we can slowly but surely chisel our minds and our bodies into the best versions of ourselves. The grind might include blood, sweat, and tears, but these are necessary. The end result is a thing of beauty.

Embrace the grind 🙂