#Diatia 4: You've got to push yourself

You need to push yourself, and you need to push yourself in such a way, that you purposefully place yourself in a position where you have no choice but to push yourself.  When you’re out and about walking or running or rucking you can slow down a bit, the same goes for an elliptical trainer, or static bike, or rowing machine.  Your problem is your internal dialogue, it tells you things like, “slow down a bit,” or “take a little rest,” or “you’re trying your best,” or “you’ve nothing left to give.”  When your body tells you this, it’s time to stop, when your mind tells you this, it’s time to grind it out.  These two are not the same thing.  The only places that don’t allow you to stop are one on one combat sports, and certain mechanical machines.  This brings me back to the running machine, you don’t work it, that is your effort makes it move, like an elliptical trainer, or static bike, or rowing machine.  Instead the track of the running machine moves and then you have to keep with it.  The machine doesn’t stop, it keeps going, and there are plenty of videos of people being fired of the back of them to illustrate the point.  Tell the truth have you laughed? Because they are pretty funny, well, if you think things like that are funny.  It doesn’t really matter how you trick yourself, or force yourself, or manipulate yourself into doing something, all that matters is that you do it, and that you’re successful.  Before leaving this point, there are machines that have productively linked mechanisation and competition.  For example, there are static bikes that allow you to race other people, you can even see your progress via CGI (computer generated image).  From what I can see they appear to be pretty expensive, but look amazing!  This concept has existed for a long time, I remember twenty years ago using a rowing machine where you raced another boat.  The graphics were extraordinarily basic, but the mental stimulation was huge.  The moral of the story is you need to purposely push yourself, and if you don’t do it on purpose you won’t do it at all!