Trust the Training

Confession:  This post is inspired by Lauren Hanna Foster’s recent post Trust the Practice.  I saw a tweet/retweet with the titled and was led to read the post, mostly by its recollection of a refrain from my past “Trust your training.”  The implication being, if you’ve put in the work, when you need it your training will in turn work for you.  Regardless whether you intellectually understand it, or emotionally agree–you have trained, your training will carry you through.  In a survival scenario, or in a grueling race, rely on your training.

Lauren’s post isn’t about life or death, but it is about Showing Up and Putting in the Work.  If you show up, the Practice will carry you through.

I encountered this yesterday.  After a day of barely dragging myself through, I had a soccer practice to run in the evening.  The last thing I wanted to do was go out, down to the fields, and pretend to be highly motivated for my girls.  Funny thing is, though the mere act of getting there was a struggle, once I hit the fields, the sluggishness disappeared.  No pretending.  I was highly motivated.  I left practice elated and feeling good, so good in fact I didn’t remember how shitty I felt going in, until I read Lauren’s piece.

This is how it is with Training, too.  It’s on the schedule.  There are always other, more pressing, things coming up.  There is always a crisis, some reason to not go.  But once you get there (if you can manage it), all the excuses melt away, and all the terrible things which will happen, don’t.  And your sense of dragging through, quickly fades.  Time recedes, and before you know it, the session is coming to a close.  Oftentime, the session comes to a close too soon, and we want more.

Now, for me, Training is my Practice.  My monkey mind, lower self, nafs, whatever you call it, seems to try its best to throw me off track.  It’s arguments are intellectually compelling, emotionally powerful.  It’s too cold, you have too much to do.  But the logic and emotional power never hold up in the face of simply Showing Up.

Trust the Training.

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 | Categories: goals, training, Warrior | Tags: habits, mystic, practice, spirit, training, warrior | 1 Comment