A Balanced Life

By Dain Soppelsa

Life requires balance. We’ve all got things going on in our lives besides powerlifting, whether it’s families, jobs, running and owning businesses, or any number of other responsibilities; we need to make sure to give each item the appropriate amount of time and devotion. It’s easy to put too much emphasis on parts of our lives that don’t matter as much as others. Everything carries weight in life. We need all the things in our daily life. They are what makes us who we are. A well rounded person is a happy person.

[wa-wps]

We’ve all let our lives get out of balance at one time or another. It’s easy to do. Things like family can be easily taken for granted. It’s something that is always there and people don’t realize that when life throws you a curve ball or turns it upside down completely, the thing that you will think about is your loved ones. They are the ones that will support you and be by your side when you need it the most. Powerlifting or any other hobby won’t hold you up when you feel like you can’t stand. Always remember this and consistently give time and energy to the ones you love. If you don’t, you might not have them around when you need them the most. Get your priorities in order. One of the things I like the most about 10/20/Life is that it allows for you to have an off-season where you can give more time to your family and spend a little less time in the gym.

Jobs require balance as well. Obviously jobs provide the money for everything else we do in life. Everybody feels differently when it comes to their job. You’ll want to make sure you find something that you don’t despise, so that the rest of your life doesn’t suffer when going to work puts you in a bad mood. You don’t want to work so many hours that you don’t have time to do anything else. Some people don’t mind being workaholics and spending 80 percent of their lives at work, but you’ll miss out on a lot if you allow yourself to get out of balance. You only live once and you can’t take your money with you when you go. Try to find a company that places value on having a good work/life balance. You need to make enough money to pay your bills and be comfortable, but happiness is hard to put a price tag on. I know it’s a crazy concept, but salary doesn’t always have to be the deciding factor. You don’t want to spend your life trying to make a ton of money and forget about the people in your life.

I will say this for powerlifting or any other serious hobbies you have, anything worth doing is worth doing right. You don’t want to make powerlifting your whole life, but you don’t want to half ass it either. You won’t be satisfied with the results you’ll get. Don’t complain about not making progress or not doing well when you don’t train or practice as much as you should. Either you can devote the appropriate amount of time to something, or you can’t. There’s no point in just going through the motions. You may as well  not even participate in something at all if you can’t do it completely. So, I suggest that before taking on something, you need to take inventory of the things going on in your life and really think about whether or not there is room in your life to take this new item on, or not. If the answer is no, then don’t waste your time.

At the end of the day, the best recipe for success and happiness in life, is a well balanced one. Things in your life are as important as you make them. Give all parts of your life the time and devotion they deserve. When your lifting is going well, you will be a better husband, father, wife, mother, friend and co-worker. When you are happy outside of the gym, you will be a better lifter inside the gym. When you let your life get out of balance, every part of it can suffer. If you need to evaluate the way you’re living, you should do so. Think hard about what’s important to you because life is short and there are no second attempts. Make sure you get it right the first time.

The following two tabs change content below.
Avatar photo

Dain Soppelsa

Dain comes to the PowerRackStrength Team with many years of competitive experience. He started competing in southwest Michigan in 2001 and has primarily lifted multi-ply since then. He has totaled pro in 3 weight classes; 2304@275, 2435@308 and 2500@SHW. His best lifts include a 1060 squat, 800 bench and 715 deadlift.
No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Contact Brian Carroll

Schedule A Consult Below


Take 25% OFF
Your first purchase
Subscribe Now!