Thank God, it’s Fundamental Friday. This weekly article will venture into the fundamental elements of a variety of aspects of our lives and present the questions to us all, “Are we fundamental sound?”
Fundamental soundness includes various attributes. Achieving it requires mastery of these elements through diligent work ethics and maintaining a humble attitude. Consistency is one of those attributes we can clearly observe in those who are fundamentally sound. Consistency is the steadfast adherence to the same principles, course or form. Steady adherence is continuous devotion.
In the athletic world, we can observe in the successful athlete the consistency of proper training, exercise and mental preparedness that results in successful outcomes. These athletes develop a routine and regiment of exercise, food intake and rest that allows their body and mind to function at the highest level possible. Exercise or training is essential in training the muscles and mind to push points in which unsuccessful individuals give up or give in.
Generally speaking, these routines focus on all the muscle groups of the body which requires resting some muscles while working others. Cardio exercise is an important element that sometimes get missed, but is equally important to the endurance and stamina of each athlete. Therefore a consistent exercise routine is a daily routine that may focus on different muscle groups to allow some muscle to rest while other are being pushed to point of expanding and strengthening each one.
When individual athletes are serious about performing at a climatically high level, their food consumption is monitored and used to provide energy that their body needs. I am not suggesting that top-tier athletes’ eating habits sometimes don’t include foods that are not the best; however, these individuals are in tune with their bodies and realize that certain food groups are better than others.
This is particular true when we assess the time of day as well as the day of any event they are participating in. The saying, “You are what you eat,” has some validity in that some foods (whole foods in particular) provide energy and nutrients that body needs to get to and maintain a high level of output. Contrary to this concept are the foods that are loaded with sugar that may provide a temporary boost that can send the body into a crash within minutes after consumption.
When we eat is just as important as to what we eat. If food is eaten at a late hour, especially before going to bed, the body is working on digesting the food juxtapose resting each muscle and allowing the body to reach a level of healing and growing. In the previous article, we discussed timing. This is an example of timing that will control how our bodies react. The key is to commit to a life stay of eating right and not a temporary diet plan in order to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain time.
Lastly, in this tirade is resting. Our bodies must get a sufficient amount of rest in order to be revived, rejuvenated and ready for the next day and events. Committing to a bed time that allows the body and mind time to reach a deep rest is essential for the body to heal and repair any muscle or ligament that has been exercised, stretched push to a limit that allows natural growth to take place. This requires a daily routine similar to that of exercising. It is not just for the body, but also for the mind.
Consistency in these areas means it is done as a daily routine. These daily routines will develop into what many referred to as a habit. Something that we just do without thinking, a natural action or reaction based on routine that is always done.
When we consider our academic life, these same principles should be applied. Instead of a muscle group, it is our minds that is being stretched and strengthen with knowledge. This is true for any subject matter from mathematics to language arts. The consistency of studying materials in the manner that we exercise helps prepare our mind for both the test on a subject as well as the use of the information in our lives daily.
Only information that is retained can be manifested into knowledge. Knowledge is putting information to use, applying it in our daily lives. This application of information is no different that the exercising of the body. The food for the mind is information. And rest is simply that; rest. These elements have the same importance for us physically and mentally.
Our faith is realized in the same manner. Faith is an action word and it is what we do, not what we say. We cannot show what we believe or hope for. Those are mere thoughts. But our faith, it is demonstrated in our actions every day. And yes, consistency must exist in the same manner in order for a faith to become stronger and our action be demonstrative in what we believe and hope for.
The last word for today is REPOH. It is a word that demonstrates how we reach a habitual level in anything we do based on establishing consistency. Repeat daily until it becomes Easy. Once it become easy we will find it Pleasurable. Once it is pleasurable we will do it Often. Anything we do often will be a Habit. So, let’s be consistent and use REPOH to create habits of success. And then our actions, body and faith will all answer the questions, “Are you fundamentally sound?”
I am Ricardo Pryor, “The Motivator.” My education in mathematics combined with my coaching / mentoring expertise has provided an opportunity for me to visualize and incorporate the fundamentals of life, sports and faith to create a strong foundation for success. It is my goal to motivate other to master the fundamentals in order to reach a level of success built on an indestructible foundation.