#6 The Perfect Day

We had what I’d call a perfect fall day in Boston. The weather couldn’t have been better. The sky was pure blue, warm with a light cool breeze, and the leaves were in peak color.

Days like that make you wish they could last forever, or at least repeat themselves. But they can’t, and they won’t. The harder truth to grasp is that it wouldn’t be a good thing if they did. The world moves in cycles, constantly changing. If one thing in a system is altered, the entire system shifts. I’ve learned this firsthand in engineering, where this rule always applies.

The good and bad days will pass—some faster than others, some more frequent. On that "perfect" fall day, I didn’t want to waste it. The worst feeling is knowing you have something good and not using it to its full potential. When you face a less-than-ideal situation, like bad weather, you don’t feel the same pressure to make the most of it.

It’s like being a coach. If you have every resource imaginable—equipment, technology, nutrition—and still fail to get the desired results, it feels brutal. But if you’re limited on all fronts and don’t get the results, it doesn’t sting as much.

The same goes for having an incredible home gym versus having nothing at all. Or having that perfect gym, then suddenly having to train on the road for a week.

We often feel pressure from “good” situations in a crippling way. But perhaps learning how to have a good day when the weather is perfect, and also when it’s awful, can teach us the resilience to make the most of whatever we’re dealt.

 

By: Isaac Lewis