138: Gather Strength as You Go

Ryan Holiday shares the following compelling insight in his book, The Obstacle is the Way,

"Margaret Thatcher didn’t become known as the Iron Lady until she was sixty years old. There’s a saying in Latin: Vires acquirit eundo (We gather strength as we go). That’s how it works. That’s our motto."1

A good motto. Would you agree?

I like to think of the motto as a key to how you approach and navigate your aging journey. By aging journey — something I refer to a lot in my writing here — I'm emphasizing the awareness you have about your age and it's timeline relative to your daily quality of life.

Days become weeks. Weeks become months. Months become years. You get the picture. That's the aging journey and it's most relevant when you begin to do the math relative to your age or are at least aware of the math.

There are days when I feel like the math isn't mathing and there are days when I lose count or choose not to focus on it, frankly because I'm enjoying the ride.

And speaking of the ride, maybe that's a subtle take-away from what Holiday states in the opening quotation: the ride or the aging journey is an opportunity to "gather strength as you go."

Who says your journey must be a weak limp to the finish line at some point in your future. I call BS on that thinking. You with me?

Gathered strength gives you the energy to navigate the ups and downs of aging, regardless of where you are on the timeline.

The way I see it, if you're still breathing, your heart's still beating, and you awakened to another sunrise — the "gym's" open and ready for you to put in your reps and make the effort to gather some strength as you go.

Gather strength through conscious effort

Your thoughts most often control your actions. Thus, what you think about will either compel you or repel you.

I try to arrange my daily life around intentional thinking time. That typically requires activity that doesn't demand time at a keyboard, being on my phone, or consuming media.

My morning walks have become a conscious effort "gym" of sorts for me. I'm intentional during my walking time because I want to be conscious of my thoughts, the sounds around me, the breeze blowing through the trees alongside the trail I walk on, and any other aspect of the immediate environment.

That means, no AirPods in my ears. No music or podcasts. Phone in hand or in my pocket but not engaged with. No step tracker alert on my Apple Watch. I'm fully conscious in the moment.

If what I just described seems foreign or rare to you, I recommend doing a consciousness evaluation of how much time you allow for unplugged, untethered thinking without noise - social, cultural, media, or otherwise.

There's a time for conscious energy given to the music and media I enjoy but making a conscious effort to think and reflect without it is sacred space. It's space reserved for what enables me to gather physical, mental, and emotional strength.

• Pause to think: turn off the noise, be present in the moment. Gathered strength lives in the pause.
• Move to think: walk, run, hike, swim, move however you choose. Gathered strength comes through conscious movement.
• Live to think: observe life, people, circumstances, opportunities to contribute. Gathered strength expands your wisdom and your opportunities for ongoing growth.

Gather strength through unconscious effort

I can do some things seemingly without thinking about it. I type on a keyboard somewhat unconsciously (thanks to my high school typing teacher, Ms. Frazier, for her training on an IBM Selectric typewriter).

What skill, habit, or way of life would qualify as unconscious effort for you? I'm referring to those habits or actions that you do reflexively, without conscious awareness.

Here are some seeds for thought:

• Faith: however you interpret it. Live in the flow of a power you trust but cannot see.
• Hope: the quiet confidence that everything will one day be okay.
• Love: the security and warmth that you matter to someone.

Gathered strength that comes from unconscious effort enables you to age peacefully, without worry or the temptation to overthink the reality of aging or the process.

Gather strength through focused effort

Life, at whatever age you are, requires some level of discipline. Routines change with age. But discipline keeps you accountable, at least, to yourself.

Discipline sharpens your focus. I believe it's essential to maintain some level of consistent focus on something meaningful to you as you age. Without goals or something that excites you, you'll drift into boredom and feeling purposeless. Those emotions open to the door to depression or a decline in your health and well being.

Any action is better than no action. A small goal is better than giving into the notion that you've aged out of goal setting or having something meaningful to contribute to your immediate family, friends, or the world around you.

In the least, awaken daily knowing that each day is a gift. That realization will prevent you from taking the day before you for granted, as if it's an entitlement. It's not, it's a gift.

• Do something daily that adds to your legacy: journal your thoughts, insights, and the wisdom you've gained.
• Believe that you have something to contribute: refuse to give into ageism thinking you're good-ole-days are behind you.
• Stay vibrant mentally: feed your mind, avoid mind-numbing, crap media, read, increase your knowledge-base, and share your wisdom as often as you can.

Aging has its share of challenges and setbacks but strength is available if you gather it along the way.

• Make a conscious effort
• Stay in the flow through unconscious effort
• Focus your effort on what will outlast you

Press on...

Eddie

Sources:

1-The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday, p.179.