You’ve heard the phrase, Mind over matter. I have always thought of it from the perspective that the mind could overcome a situation or challenge. Webster’s Online Dictionary has several definitions for the word “matter.”
1 a : a subject under consideration
b : a subject of disagreement or litigation
c plural : the events or circumstances of a particular situation
d : the subject or substance of a discourse or writing
e : something of an indicated kind or having to do with an indicated field or situation
With “enough” mental toughness you (I) could get through or overcome any situation. Mustering the appropriate grit anyone could get through any hardship or challenge. And if you (I) didn’t overcome the situation it was simply because sufficient “intestinal fortitude” wasn’t mustered – try harder next time.
When I attended military school in college, we used to say, “It’s mind over matter. I don’t mind, and you don’t matter.” (We were young, thought it sounded clever and physical hazing wasn’t allowed.)
What I’ve learned recently from many of today’s greatest philosophers is that the mind is so powerful that thoughts can manifest – “Thoughts are things.” This philosophy incorporates another meaning:
2 a : the substance of which a physical object is composed
Quantum physicists talk about the mind’s ability to shape the outcome of experiments. Philosophers talk of the power of manifestation – the mind’s ability to create substance – more on that another time.
What I’ve experienced is that “Mind over matter” also pertains to the mind’s power over the body. If you’ve seen the video from my first physical challenge of 2010, you’ve seen me do 33 push-ups. Good old fashioned, Army regulation push-ups. I started with the goal of doing 30 and knocked out 33. This after an hour and 45 minutes of intense workout, including over 100 push-ups in class. Push-ups were never my strong point in the Army. Pretty good, eh? Ya, and here’s where the mind comes in: when I was at push-up number 32, with my friends cheering me on I thought, “I’ve got the strength to do 35.” AND IMMEDIATELY, “I don’t think I ever did 35 in the Army, I can’t be stronger than I was then.” I got one more push-up out of those still-strong arms – and then collapsed. Mind over matter.
I’ll go you one better. What I didn’t post was the video of my first attempt an hour prior, after only 45 minutes and before an hour of blackbelt training. I was knocking them out and feeling strong; while I was thinking of a disagreement I’d had that week. I was imagining what that person would think of me if they saw the video. “Maybe they’ll wonder why I don’t work as hard at other things as I do working out.” “Maybe they’ll think I’m a showoff.” And that’s about all it took to only do 19 push-ups. MIND OVER MATTER.
So let me ask you, “What’s YOUR mind doing to your MATTER?”
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