At what point will you quit?

At what point will you quit?

It’s something we really don’t know until we are pushed to the wall. Some people let go nearly immediately. Yet others possess an iron will. They fight on even in the face of insane odds. I’ve had friends who have stared a terminal cancer diagnosis in the face and laughed. They fought until the end and lived every second — and in most of the cases lived way longer than the doctors said they would. They had grit. I’ve had friends who have lost their jobs and just shrugged their shoulders. They now have even better jobs. They also had grit.

I get up at 4 a.m. for a 5 a.m. bootcamp for a reason. Trust me, there are other workout options out there — most aren’t as brutal on my body and soul. Paul Lacoste’s workouts are tough. Very tough. In fact, I didn’t like the program the first time I did it. Some mornings I even dreaded it. Why?

My mind wasn’t right.

Forgive me for sounding like Cool Hand Luke and my high school football coach John Paty, but it’s true. I was tired. I was sore. I was hurt. My attitude sucked.

What I didn’t realize was that PLS was more than a physical workout. It’s also a mental one. There are many times I want to quit. But I don’t. Today, on the last station, we were doing six inches with our legs while pushing weights to the sky. More core was sore. I was tired. I hurt. I wanted to quit.

But I didn’t.

I want you to understand something — I am not the greatest athlete in the world. I’m not even the best athlete in my line. But what I do from 5 a.m. until 6 a.m. carries me through the day. I’ve had some stuff happen this past year that would have crippled the old me. Now I know I have resilience and will. Every morning I train my mind. I practice not quitting.

Paul Lacoste talks about the “Next Level.” That’s the next level for me. Pushing through the pain and exhaustion that life can throw at you. It’s living on purpose.

I now know at what point I will quit. And it’s a long way off.