“The Hunger”
In order to enduringly enjoy the rigors of hard and progress-yielding training, one must- at some level- romanticize physicality and strength. They can’t be looked at as peers, they have to be seen as idols; Viewed as the proverbial sword in the stone.
Not the people that have attained them (that is to be cautiously avoided), but the achievements themselves. Physicality is not a person… strength does not have feelings or a soul… they are specters, equally feared and revered by those with sharp and progress-driven minds.
I could train by myself in a tiny, dark room and be fulfilled by both the process and the effort, but that is not to say I am not also motivated by the presentation of it. When I move confidently, or learn something new, or practice something familiar, I am focused on the mechanics and organization and application, but also the appearance of the task-at-hand. I think about executing every rep of everything I do to the satisfaction of the person that did it first, and in the hope that they would be pleased with my performance/ interpretation of their creation.
If performing something I created, the attention to detail is even stronger, as I hope anyone witnessing and practicing it can both enjoy the work and reasoning that went into its development, and the detail and care that went into its refinement and demonstration.
The reason there is so much “I” language in the previous paragraph is that, ultimately, training is selfish. Others may benefit from the work you do, and the ideas you conceive, and the empowerment you share, but at the end of the day, the act of physical training IS “I” language; It is important to identify it as such so as to not dilute the process.
No one’s training or movement is going to look just like yours; One of the most dangerous mistakes made in the eternal quest for strength, power, conditioning, technicality, originality, etc. is the plug-and-play nature many approach it with. There must be intelligent interpretation, and it must lead to evolutionary process.
There are movement standards- great ones- but there is also an entire world of development that must be done outside the already-established parameters; You’re not going to find the ghosts in the castle by simply walking up the stairs and ringing the bell… Not the scary ones, anyway.
If held in high enough regard, the training (and its desired by-products of strength, power, will, skill…) will force you into realms of personal progress that will only then allow access to its mysteries and finer points. If for some reason that sounds silly, then you’re just not quite there yet, or sadly haven’t been paying attention along your way.
Training without the desire or ability to critical-think and consume its often-elusive details will relegate most to a very specific place, offering but a taste of a possibly much more satisfying meal;
Once you’ve decided that participation in physical culture is more than a casual pastime, clean your plate of all the details available to you (the ones left behind could be those you most need), and leave no stone unturned in searching for the stones you’ve left unturned.