Chains

'Youarefettered,'said Scrooge, trembling.'Tell mewhy?' 'I wear the chain I forged in life,'replied the Ghost.'I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.' -Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

"My chains are gone, I've been set free." The "old ball and chain." Chains have really gotten a bad rap. I know they are old and dirty. Metallic and cold. Not something you to touch. They hold things securely out of reach. They lock things off. Image a prisoner in medieveal times, his freedom is locked away by chains to his arms and legs, or perhaps both such as in many modern day prisoners.

So then why is it that bodybuilders, professionals when it comes to working with the "proper" equipment use chians to build stregnth and endurance. How is it that a tool for restricting people, restraining them both inside and out, physically and mentally, is welcomed by these men and women who have one purpose, get bigger. They use these chains that were meant for harm, for good! They use them to train. They use them to get stronger. They use them to push themselves past thier known limits.

When most people think of chains they think about what holds them back, how there can only be so much left and how if they perhaps endure a little more then it will all be okay. But then there's these guys who say, bring on the chains, if i CAN endure through this then I need more!

Obviously, the point I am trying to make is that what we view as holding us make shold be viewed as something we use to make us stronger. There is an old idiom that reads something like the first time you do something it is an accident [or mistake] the second time it is experience. Our experiences are our chains, are you a prisoner or a bodybuilder? Is what happens to you holding you back or pushing you forward. Are you slumping down or building muscle. This works for ever part of life. Every thing you do, how you let every experience depict your attitude, will either bring you closer to your goals, or further away to. Think about what you have "chained" yourself to. Now think about how you can use those chains to build yourself up! Won't be easy, but that is sort of the point!

Lost your job? Don't be chained by poverty and sadness, be motivated to start a new adventure!
Got an injury? Don't be chained by excuses, laziness, and sloth. Get excited and work everything else harder!
Got a problem? Stregthen your mind, body, and soul as you work through it!