Eye of the Tiger

Insight Three:

3. Be aware of the background noise.

Some people may find this corny, but I sometimes work out to the Rocky IV Soundtrack (which by the way is an AWESOME soundtrack!). When I hear some of the songs, I can see Rocky in my mind totally pumping iron. This motivates me to push beyond my current limits like few other things can.

I have also had the experience when I did not have my iPod, and thus my beloved Rocky IV, I was beginning to experience some problems leg pressing a weight I had previously pressed. As a result, I had decided that I would press less that day until I looked over and saw another guy I knew. I knew that he sometimes worked out at this gym, but had never seen him there before. See him there motivated me to move pass the weight I had decided to press towards reaching the original weight.

Both music and people can be a powerful motivation at the Gym. It can seriously allow you to push past self-imposed limits and cause you to rise higher. The same is true for your spiritual developments, and life in general. So the question comes to mind, what are you allowing to go into your head? Are you in an environment that is positive and uplifting, motivating you to reach towards the things of God? Or are you in an environment where people are always talking about life's problems and or are discouraging you from becoming all that God has called you to be?

You and I have each been called to achieve tremendous things, but we will never achieve them if we allow ourselves to reside in an environment that is constantly tearing us down. Sometimes we can not control the work environment, but we can most assurdly control the circle of friends we keep and the things we put into our heads. Are the friends you keep encouraging you to follow God or are they always sowing seeds of doubt and failure? Solomon in Proverbs (12:26) wrote, "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray" (NKJV). Even if they are not "wicked", if they are not leading you towards your destiny, you should seriously reconsider the time you spend with them. As assuredly as music and people have an effect on our Gym performance, so does our environment on our spiritual and physical lives.

So in the words of the Rocky IV song:

In the warriors code
There's no surrender
Though his body says stop
His spirit cries - never!
Deep in our soul
A quiet ember
Know it's you against you
It's the paradox
That drives us on
It's a battle of wills
In the heat of attack
It's the passion that kills
The victory is yours alone