I recently decided to do something about a problem that my cell phone had been having for quite a while. Long story short, my phone didn’t enjoy charging, and getting it to charge would often take ten or more attempts at jamming the charging cable in and setting it down just right so as not to shift the cable at all. I say that I decided to do something about it because I have, since the problem arose, been relatively certain that there was probably a fairly simple solution out there. But, for whatever reason, it took the better part of a year for me to decide that I no longer wanted to put up with the daily hassle of battling my phone to get it to charge. And, sure enough, Google provided me with a solution to my problem within 30 seconds, and after about 20 minutes of tinkering, my problem was solved.

I’m telling you this story not because I imagine you’re particularly interested in my cell phone woes, but because it perfectly illustrates how we often choose to captain our lives. We choose to put up with pain or inconvenience or discontent or deficiency or sickness for so long that it starts to feel normal. Because we’re lazy or intimidated or uncertain, we decide “not today… I’ll worry about that later.” We allow ourselves to carry on doing what we know is less than optimal. Sometimes, we eventually reach a tipping point where we decide to make a change. Unfortunately, this tipping point often comes on the heels of catastrophe. Understanding that we can do better is not enough -- it takes a personal disaster -- a heart attack, an injury, a bankruptcy -- to get us to the point we’re finally willing to do something about the problem we’ve put up with (as it got progressively worse) for the last two decades. One need look no further than the health condition and daily habits of the average American today to find this strange trend in action.

The funny thing is, through my whole cell phone endeavor, I can guarantee that I spent a lot more than 20 minutes and 30 seconds over the last year fussing with the phone and cable to get it to charge. I burned hours of my life putting up with what ended up being a problem that I could solve with 30 seconds of internet and 20 minutes of elbow grease. But cell phones that won’t charge are far and away the most innocuous of things that we choose to put up with. My story is easy to laugh at, but the same story is played out every day with choices that put health and well being on the line.

So consider this an encouragement to stop putting up with whatever it is. I’m certain we all have a something that we’re willingly putting up with, and have been for some time. A bum knee, a lack of energy, a dead-end job, declining health, a burnt out light bulb, an unhealthy relationship. Here's the thing: you can do something about it. Stop putting up with it and fix it.

- Preston Sprimont

1/9/17

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  3 rds

  
  




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  30s max ring dips

  
  


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  Rest 1 min

  
  


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  30s max T2B

  
  


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  Rest 1 min

  
  

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  10 min AMRAP

  
  




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  40 air squats

  
  


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  40 sit-ups

  
  


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  40 push-ups